What AP portals do
Some of your customers do not accept invoices by email. They use an AP portal, for example SAP Ariba, to receive, approve and pay invoices. Then the portal is the only place that shows if an invoice is approved or paid.
Kolleno signs in to your supplier account on the portal on a schedule and reads the status of each invoice. Kolleno shows this status next to the invoice in Kolleno. Your team does not need to sign in to the portal to check an invoice.
Example: your customer approves invoice INV-1042 on Ariba on Monday. After the next run, the AP portal status of INV-1042 in Kolleno is Approved.
Kolleno only reads the portal. Kolleno does not submit, change or resubmit invoices on the portal.
This article tells you how to connect an Ariba account and how to keep the connection working. These articles tell you what happens after you connect:
Before you start
AP portals must be on for your company. Kolleno switches the feature on for you. To start, contact your Customer Success Manager.
You need access to AP portals. Admin users have access. An Admin can give AP portals access to other users.
You need the sign-in details of your Ariba supplier account: the username and the password.
If Ariba asks for a code when you sign in, read Two-factor authentication for AP portal accounts before you start. Kolleno must receive this code itself.
The invoice numbers must match. Kolleno finds an invoice by its number. The invoice number on Ariba must be the same as the invoice reference in Kolleno.
Where to find it
In the sidebar, click AP portals.
If no account is connected, the page shows Connect your Ariba account and the Connect Ariba button.
If an account is connected, click the settings icon at the top of the page. The AP portals settings page opens. In Portal connections, open the menu on the Ariba card and click View details. The Accounts tab lists your Ariba accounts.
Connect an account
Click Connect Ariba. To add one more account later, click Add account on the Accounts tab.
Enter the Username and the Password of your Ariba supplier account. Click Continue.
On the Two-factor authentication step, do one of these:
If Ariba does not ask for a code when you sign in, click This portal doesn't ask for a second step.
If Ariba asks for a code, set up the method that the Ariba user has. See Two-factor authentication for AP portal accounts.
Kolleno signs in to Ariba to check the details. This can take a few minutes. While Kolleno checks, the page shows Checking your Ariba sign-in…
When the check succeeds, Kolleno shows Ariba connected, and the page shows Ariba is connected.
Kolleno reads your invoices at the next scheduled run. To read them now, use Run now. See How AP portal runs work: schedule and manual runs.
You can connect more than one Ariba account, for example one account for each subsidiary. Kolleno runs each account separately. You cannot connect the same username two times. If you try, Kolleno shows This portal login is already connected.
Account status
Each account card shows the status of the account.
The card shows | What it means | What to do |
Connected | Kolleno can sign in. The runs happen on schedule. | Nothing. |
Checking… | Kolleno is signing in to check the details. | Wait a few minutes. |
A warning with Re-authenticate | Ariba refused the sign-in details. Kolleno does not run this account. | Update the sign-in details, then check the connection. |
Disconnected with Reconnect | A user disconnected the account. Kolleno does not run it. | To start the runs again, click Reconnect. |
The card also shows Last authenticated. This is the last time that Kolleno signed in to the account successfully, in a run or in a check.
When an account needs re-authenticating
An account needs re-authenticating in these cases:
Check connection fails because Ariba refuses the details. This happens at once.
Three runs in a row fail because Ariba refuses the details. With daily runs, this takes approximately three days.
Then the Ariba card on the settings page shows 1 account needs re-authenticating. Kolleno does not run the account until a check succeeds or you update the sign-in details. This includes the scheduled runs, Run now and the rejection reason lookups.
Check the connection
Check the connection after you change the password on Ariba, after a warning, or at any time.
On the Accounts tab, open the menu on the account card.
Click Check connection.
Kolleno shows Check started. Signing in can take a few minutes. The card shows Checking…
The check has one of these results:
Result | What Kolleno shows | What changes |
Kolleno signed in | Ariba connected | The card shows Connected. Last authenticated changes to now. A warning goes away. |
Ariba refused the details | The reason, for example The portal did not accept the stored sign-in details. Update the username, password or two-factor setup and check the connection again. | The account needs re-authenticating. Kolleno does not run it. |
Kolleno could not reach the sign-in service | We couldn't reach the sign-in service. Your details were saved — try again in a few minutes. | Nothing. Try again later. |
A check only signs in. It does not read invoices. To read the invoices now, use Run now.
You can check an account that is disconnected. You can also check an account when the scheduled runs are off.
If a run uses the account at the same time, Kolleno does not start the check. Try again in a few minutes.
Update the sign-in details
If the password of the Ariba user changes, update it in Kolleno.
Open the menu on the account card and click Update credentials.
Change the Login URL, the Username or the New password. If you leave New password empty, Kolleno keeps the current password.
Click Save credentials.
Open the menu on the account card again and click Check connection.
Kolleno does not check new details automatically. If you do not check the connection, Kolleno finds a wrong password only at the next run. Check the connection after each change.
When you save new details, the warning goes away. Kolleno uses the new details from the next run. Last authenticated is empty until Kolleno signs in with the new details.
Disconnect or reconnect an account
Disconnect an account to stop the runs for it. Kolleno keeps the sign-in details, the buyers that it found and the invoice statuses. You can reconnect at any time.
Open the menu on the account card and click Disconnect.
Click Disconnect to confirm.
To start the runs again, click Reconnect on the card. To disconnect all your Ariba accounts, click Disconnect all accounts on the Overview tab.
If the account uses email codes or text message codes, the Kolleno email address or phone number stays with the account when you disconnect it.
Reconnect does not remove a re-authenticate warning. If the account needed re-authenticating, check the connection after you reconnect.
You cannot delete an account in Kolleno. To remove an account, contact Kolleno support.
Common questions
Can Kolleno change something on Ariba? No. Kolleno only reads the invoice list and the rejection comments. It does not submit, change or resubmit invoices.
Which Ariba user should I connect? Use a user that can see the invoices of all your customers on the account. We recommend a user that is only for Kolleno. Then a password change by a person on your team does not stop the runs.
Can I connect two accounts that see the same buyer? Yes. On the Customers tab, each account has its own row for the buyer. See Linking AP portal buyers to your Kolleno customers.
Why does the sidebar show AP portals with the label SOON? AP portals is not on for your company. Contact your Customer Success Manager.
To switch on AP portals, or if you have a question about your accounts, contact your Customer Success Manager or email support@kolleno.com.