Globally, companies face the challenge of complying with legal requirements for electronic invoicing in an increasing number of countries. With SAP Document and Reporting Compliance (DRC), SAP offers a powerful solution to meet these demands.
E-invoicing is becoming the global standard – in an increasing number of countries, it is already mandatory. Companies are thus faced with the challenge of implementing legal requirements promptly and efficiently. For this purpose, SAP offers its own tool, SAP Document and Reporting Compliance, which aims to help navigate the “compliance jungle” and seamlessly integrate legal requirements into existing processes.
What exactly can SAP Document and Reporting Compliance do?
SAP’s solution ensures that local tax requirements are met by considering the respective applicable tax laws and regulations of the country. For example, if a company operates in multiple countries, the currently valid tax configuration is used for each transaction. In addition, the tool enables the real-time transmission of tax documents to the competent authority.
SAP DRC can be deployed in various SAP system landscapes – both in SAP S/4HANA Cloud and in the on-premise version or classic SAP ERP:
In SAP S/4HANA Cloud, the solution is already tightly integrated into the system architecture. While SAP DRC can be used in the on-premise version of S/4HANA and in the ERP system, integration and customization are more complex in these cases.
Regardless, electronic documents or reports are generated in the business system and forwarded via a secure connection to the SAP DRC Cloud Service on the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). From there, communication takes place with the respective authority platforms – for example, for submitting e-invoices or tax declarations in accordance with local legal requirements. SAP DRC distinguishes between two central components that are linked via the Cloud Connector:
• The Compliance Cockpit is directly embedded in the SAP ERP system and serves for the creation, processing, and correction of tax-relevant documents.
• The Compliance Integration runs on SAP BTP and handles the technical connection to the country-specific authority platforms, ensuring that legal requirements are met.
Architecture of SAP Document and Reporting Compliance (own representation based on SAP Help, 2024)
Implementation of SAP DRC
On-Premise:
- SAP S/4HANA version 1610 or higher is required.
- The SAP Fiori Server and SAP Gateway must be set up and active.
- Country-specific formats and requirements for tax declarations and documents must be maintained and configured.
Cloud Edition:
- For the Cloud Edition of SAP DRC, no additional system add-ons or patches are required, as the solution is integrated into the cloud infrastructure.
- A global enterprise account on SAP BTP is necessary to subscribe to and activate the cloud services.
How does SAP DRC support e-invoicing?
SAP DRC is the central tool provided by SAP for the automatic creation, validation, and transmission of e-invoices, while simultaneously ensuring that they comply with the respective legal requirements and are created in the required format.
Process Flow:
The user first creates an invoice in the SAP system. When the invoice is saved, the corresponding eDocument is automatically generated, displaying the e-invoice in the appropriate XML format. Before the invoice is sent, a technical and business validation takes place. Additionally, the invoice can be viewed in the cockpit. After successful validation, the e-invoice is transmitted to the recipient system. Once the recipient has received the invoice, the status of the e-invoice is updated in the DRC cockpit.
SAP DRC supports both the XRechnung and ZUGFeRD formats:
- With ZUGFeRD, after validation, a PDF container is created that contains the XML file. The e-invoice is then sent as a PDF including the XML file via email to the recipient.
- For XRechnung, transmission takes place via the PEPPOL network. Since the XML format is not directly readable for end-users, SAP DRC offers an HTML preview that allows the invoice to be viewed in advance.
The BAdI EDOC_ADAPTOR is available for customer-specific enhancements. This allows additional fields or adjustments to the e-invoice structure to be individually integrated.
SAP, SAP Document and Reporting Compliance Architecture
Disadvantages of DRC
The solution is often advertised by SAP as an “all-round carefree package”. However, a closer look reveals weaknesses and limitations that companies should definitely be aware of – especially when considering using SAP DRC for implementing legal e-invoicing obligations.
- High implementation effort: Setting up DRC requires extensive customizing for country-specific requirements as well as test runs with authority sandbox systems.
- Low flexibility: DRC is strongly oriented towards SAP standard processes. As soon as individual invoice formats, special logic, or non-SAP source systems come into play, it becomes significantly more complicated.
- Cost-benefit ratio: An additional license is required. Furthermore, high implementation costs are to be expected.
SAP DRC – For Whom Is It Really Worthwhile?
If a company operates mostly within its own country or only expands nationally, then the use of SAP DRC is not always the optimal solution. In that case, it should be carefully examined whether an alternative, less complex, and more cost-effective solution might not be more suitable.
The following factors should therefore be examined to realistically assess the benefits of SAP DRC for processing e-invoices:
- SAP Usage and System Landscape: SAP DRC offers the greatest added value in an S/4HANA environment, especially when standardized processes are used.
- Volume of Invoices: With a sufficiently high transaction volume of e-invoices, automation through DRC can be worthwhile.
- Organizational Structure and Internationality: If a company with many country subsidiaries centralizes invoice processing in a Shared Service Center, the introduction of SAP DRC can bring advantages. This can minimize errors, free up capacities, and increase process speed.
Why SAP DRC Can Still Be Useful?
Even if there are many more cost-effective third-party providers with significantly lower entry barriers, SAP DRC should still be considered when choosing the right solution.
Above all, companies should decide early on a global standard solution for electronic invoices – be it within the SAP standard or through partner solutions.
The e-invoicing obligation must under no circumstances be ignored, as legal reporting obligations will continue to increase.
SAP DRC offers a reliable and sustainable solution with which current and future regulatory requirements can be securely met and automated.
Further SAP solution options specifically for the German e-invoicing obligation are explained here.
SAP DRC is not the optimal solution for every company – but it can offer decisive advantages for high invoice volumes and complex compliance requirements, especially in internationally active companies. Especially in view of constantly increasing legal reporting obligations, it is crucial to address the topic of compliance early on in order to react in time and reliably comply with legal requirements.
XEPTUM supports you in finding the right path:
Is DRC worthwhile for your company? What advantages does it offer and what are its limitations? We provide you with a well-founded assessment and help transform compliance into real added value.
