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SAP Document AI

SAP's reference architecture for SAP Document AI, first as SAP composes the service on BTP for document extraction: OCR, pretrained models, customer-defined schemas and LLM calls through SAP AI Core and its Prompt Registry in one pipeline, with tenant-isolated persistence in SAP HANA Cloud, PostgreSQL and an object store. Its scenario pages then lay out a solution in three layers: intake through Outlook and SharePoint inbound channels, the workspace UI, the Joule Work mobile app or the upload API; classification and extraction with a confidence score per field, automatic confirmation above a threshold and review of the rest in the workspace; and posting through outbound channels, directly to a REST API, through an SAP Integration Suite flow, or through a CAP service that maps the fields and calls SAP S/4HANA over OData. Enrichment beyond the service's own master data lookup is left to a CAP application or an Integration Suite flow triggered from an outbound channel, and direct API posting leaves error handling, retries and monitoring to the application.

Where it sits

Explains
SAP Document AICAPBTPSAP Document AIserviceExtracts header fields and line items from invoices, payment advices, purchase orders and custom document types, as structured data over a REST API — the extraction is the service's, the schema can be yours.Document extractionCAPBTPDocument extractioncapabilityGetting structured data out of a document somebody sent you — an invoice, a purchase order, a scanned form — instead of having a person key it in. The mirror image of document output, and a different problem from reading a service: the input is a file, the shape is unknown until something reads it, and the answer arrives with a confidence rather than a guarantee.
Use cases
Receive SAP Document AI's extraction results in an applicationReceive SAP Document AI's extraction results in an applicationuse caseCited as a scenario of the way "A CAP service notified by an outbound channel".Receive SAP Document AI's extraction results in an applicationReceive SAP Document AI's extraction results in an applicationuse caseCited as a scenario of the way "An integration flow that receives the extraction payload".Send a document to SAP Document AISend a document to SAP Document AIuse caseCited as a scenario of the way "From a CAP application, through the upload API".Send a document to SAP Document AISend a document to SAP Document AIuse caseCited as a scenario of the way "From an integration flow, through the upload API".
Source
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Who is behind it

SAP Architecture CenterSAP Architecture CenterOrganisationWrote this
In the atlas: maintains 1, wrote 26
author

Architecture11

parts read from 5 readme files,

Parts, as the source names them

  1. End useran actoruploads documents and reviews the ones below the confidence thresholdRA0030 0-end-to-end/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center For manual uploads, SAP Document AI covers desktop and mobile scenarios with the Document AI workspace UI and Joule Work mobile app.RA0030 2-enrichment/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center Low confidence documents and documents that need additional approvals are managed within Document AI workspace. Users review the document and the extractions side by side.
  2. API clientan actoruploads documents through the APIRA0030 1-ingestion/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center For document sources that are not supported out of the box, or to support complex routing and transformation scenarios, the API can be used to upload documents:
  3. SAP Document AIclassification, extraction and workspaceSAP BTPon Document AI posts to the target system's REST API directly, Through an Integration Suite flow, Through a CAP application on Cloud Foundry, Through SAP Build Process AutomationRA0030 0-end-to-end/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center The architecture centers around **SAP Document AI** as the core extraction engine and user interface, with optional enrichment and integration services on **SAP BTP**:
  4. Cloud Identity ServicesauthenticationSAP BTPRA0030 readme.md in SAP/architecture-center Authentication is delegated to **SAP Cloud Identity Services** (Identity Authentication, Identity Directory, Identity Provisioning) using SAML 2.0 / OIDC, with optional federation to a customer or third-party Identity Provider.
  5. SAP Cloud Identity Services - Identity Provisioninguser and role synchronisationSAP BTPRA0030 readme.md in SAP/architecture-center Identity Provisioning (IPS) keeps user and role assignments in sync with the customer's identity source, so access decisions made in Document AI's Authorization Management reflect the customer's central identity governance.
  6. SAP Integration Suiteenrichment and posting flowSAP BTPon Through an Integration Suite flowRA0030 3-posting/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center An integration flow (iFlow) receives the Document AI extraction payload, converts to target system protocols (IDoc, SOAP, REST), applies error handling and retry logic, and posts to cloud or on-premise target systems.
  7. @sap/cdsenrichment and posting serviceSAP BTPon Through a CAP application on Cloud FoundryRA0030 3-posting/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center A CAP service receives extraction notifications from Document AI, performs field mapping and posts to SAP S/4HANA Cloud (via OData APIs), on-premise S/4HANA (via Cloud Connector and OData/RFC), Business ByDesign...
  8. SAP Build Process Automationposting with a conditional workflowSAP BTPon Through SAP Build Process AutomationRA0030 3-posting/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center Build Process Automation evaluates enriched delivery note data to determine posting path.RA0030 0-end-to-end/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center **Hybrid integration**: Support for multiple integration technologies (CAP, Integration Suite, Build Process Automation) accommodates varying complexity and governance requirements.
  9. SAP Connectivity serviceoutbound integrationSAP BTPRA0030 readme.md in SAP/architecture-center Outbound integration to customer systems uses the **SAP Connectivity service** and **SAP Destination service**.
  10. SAP Destination serviceoutbound integrationSAP BTPRA0030 readme.md in SAP/architecture-center Outbound integration to customer systems uses the **SAP Connectivity service** and **SAP Destination service**.
  11. Cloud Connectorreach into on-premise systemsRA0030 readme.md in SAP/architecture-center **Enterprise integration**: integrates into SAP and non-SAP landscapes through the Destination service and Connectivity service, with SAP Cloud Connector providing secure reach into on-premise systems such as SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA.

Roles the source leaves open

  • Document ingestiona use case, Send a document to SAP Document AIRA0030 1-ingestion/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center The ingestion layer serves as the entry point, responsible for document capture, optional pre-processing, and submission to the AI extraction service.RA0030 1-ingestion/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center For document sources that are not supported out of the box, or to support complex routing and transformation scenarios, the API can be used to upload documents:

    The source draws it as @sap/cds, SAP Integration Suite.

    • @sap/cdsCovers, under conditionsas the application that uploads through the APIdrawn by the sourceA document source the service's own intake channels do not cover, or routing and transformation the channels cannot do; the page places the API route there.
    • Cloud IntegrationCovers, under conditionsas the flow that uploads through the APIdrawn by the sourceA document source the service's own intake channels do not cover, or routing and transformation the channels cannot do; the page places the API route there.
    • com.sap.cds:cds-services-bomCovers, under conditionsas the application that uploads through the APIA document source the service's own intake channels do not cover, or routing and transformation the channels cannot do; the page places the API route there.
  • Document posting and system integrationa use case, Receive SAP Document AI's extraction results in an applicationRA0030 3-posting/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center The final stage of intelligent document processing transforms validated, enriched data into business documents in enterprise systems. Selecting the appropriate integration pattern depends on complexity requirements, governance policies, and operational constraints.RA0030 3-posting/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center [Outbound channels](https://help.sap.com/docs/document-ai/sap-document-ai/outbound-channels?locale=en-US&version=LATEST) in SAP Document AI can notify external systems when documents are on a specific step, and can include the extraction results:

    The source draws it as @sap/cds, SAP Integration Suite, SAP Build Process Automation.

    • @sap/cdsCovers, under conditionsas the service an outbound channel notifiesdrawn by the sourceAn outbound channel in Document AI set to notify the application when documents reach the step, with the extraction results.
    • Cloud IntegrationCovers, under conditionsas the flow that receives the extraction payloaddrawn by the sourceAn outbound channel in Document AI set to notify the flow when documents reach the step, with the extraction results.
    • com.sap.cds:cds-services-bomCovers, under conditionsas the service an outbound channel notifiesAn outbound channel in Document AI set to notify the application when documents reach the step, with the extraction results.

Ways the source names

  • Document AI posts to the target system's REST API directly1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11RA0030 3-posting/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center For point-to-point scenarios with no middleware requirements, SAP Document AI can post directly to target system REST APIs.
  • Through an Integration Suite flow1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11RA0030 3-posting/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center An integration flow (iFlow) receives the Document AI extraction payload, converts to target system protocols (IDoc, SOAP, REST), applies error handling and retry logic, and posts to cloud or on-premise target systems.
  • Through a CAP application on Cloud Foundry1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11RA0030 3-posting/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center A CAP service receives extraction notifications from Document AI, performs field mapping and posts to SAP S/4HANA Cloud (via OData APIs), on-premise S/4HANA (via Cloud Connector and OData/RFC), Business ByDesign...
  • Through SAP Build Process Automation1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11RA0030 3-posting/readme.md in SAP/architecture-center Build Process Automation evaluates enriched delivery note data to determine posting path.

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For document-extraction

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More on this38

Group by38 of 38 pieces
Piece, what it offersStill applies
Also explainingDocument extraction13
Why Our First Document AI Exercise Was a Résumé, Not an Invoice
SAP Community, Mariano_BacaStorni
nothing recorded
What a Second Document AI Workshop Taught Me About Governance
SAP Community, Nicolas_BacaStorni
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Connecting SAP Integration Suite with SAP Document AI and SAP Business AI
SAP Community, subhojitSaha
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Integrate CAP application as outbound channel for SAP Document AI
SAP Community, sdeissenboeckThe reasoningRunnable code
nothing recorded
Integrating SAP Document Information Extraction (Document AI) with SAP CAP – Step by Step
SAP Community, furkan5The reasoningA recipeRunnable code
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Cloud Integration with Document AI
SAP Community, PriyankaChak
nothing recorded
Using BTP Document Extraction Service into actual App development
SAP Community, Ace_D
nothing recorded
SAP AI Services - DOX - Gen AI with SAP CAP Plugin - Part 3
SAP Community, sabarna17, part 3 of 3
nothing recorded
How SAP Document AI brings agentic intelligence to business documents
SAP TechEd — session catalogueThe reasoning
nothing recorded
Hands on SAP Document AI: Next-generation intelligent document processing
SAP TechEd — session catalogueA recipe
nothing recorded
Behind the Autonomous Enterprise: SAP Knowledge Graph and SAP Domain Models
SAP TechEd — session catalogueThe reasoning
nothing recorded
Use Free Tier to Create a Service Instance for SAP Document AI
SAP Developer Center, Juliana MoraisA recipe
nothing recorded
Use Free Tier to Subscribe to SAP Document AI Basic UI
SAP Developer Center, Juliana MoraisA recipe
nothing recorded
Agentic AI & AI Agents
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
HANA AI Toolkit — Local MCP Server
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Establish a central entry point with SAP Build Work Zone
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
AI-native North Star architecture — Platform Layer
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
Core changed
Transforming Enterprise Data Strategy with SAP Business Data Cloud
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Explore your Hyperscaler data with SAP Business Data Cloud
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Integrating and Extending Joule
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Designing Event-Driven Applications
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Generative AI on SAP BTP
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
Core changed
Transitioning Architectures from SAP NetWeaver
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
DevOps with SAP BTP
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Integrate and Extend with SAP Build Process Automation
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Secure Service Consumption Across Hyperscalers
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
SAP IAM integration with SAP Cloud Identity Services
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Edge Integration Cell on Hyperscalers
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Medallion Reference Architecture for Big Data Processing in SAP HANA Cloud
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
SAP HANA Cloud as an Esri Geodatabase
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Architecting Multi-Region HA/DR resiliency patterns
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Establish a central inbox with SAP Task Center
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Multitenant SaaS Application using CAP
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Federated Machine Learning with SAP Datasphere
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
API Managed Integration
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Application to Application Integration
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Business to Business Integration
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded
Connect Business Processes with SAP Master Data Integration
SAP Architecture Center, SAP Architecture CenterThe reasoningA reference
nothing recorded

Details

Graph5 edges
← POINTS HERE
POINTS OUT →
explainsSAP Document AIartifact
explainsDocument extractioncapability, core only
published onSAP Architecture Centerpublishing source
discovered viaAdded by hand
Source
Type
reference-architecture
Host
architecture.learning.sap.com
Signals as of
Discovered via
First seen
History5
  • explains → applies_to on capability:document-extractionDoor scope derived from the artifacts this piece also explains, so a door page lists it only where it holds (docs/concepts/content-on-doors.md).
  • parts, areas, edges → the customer's solution: eleven parts with two actors, one area, five edges the sub-pages statefrom thirteen parts, SAP's composition of the service among them, no areas, no edgesThe main readme is how SAP composes Document AI on BTP; the sub-pages are how a customer builds a solution with it, and a reader building on the service needs the second picture with the service as one box (docs/concepts/reference-architectures.md §9.1). SAP AI Core, SAP HANA Cloud, PostgreSQL and the Cloud Foundry runtime leave the parts, and what the readme says the service itself talks to, those three among them, is on the artifact's own connections. The summary keeps SAP's composition in its first half on purpose, so three of its links name no part. On the checker's reading of the first draft: SAP BTP is a zone of SAP's cloud, since no page names a subaccount, and the notification to the CAP application is stated on the design, because the artifact's connections name entries and a customer's own application is none.
  • roles → ingestion typed by the sending use case, the service fixed, posting typed by the receiving use case, each with the parts the source draws in itfrom no roles statedThe design leaves two places open, the sender and the receiver, and names its own fillers for each on its ways (docs/concepts/design-roles-and-interfaces.md, P4); typed by the use cases the atlas assessed, the record reads its candidates and their states from the graph, and the figure stays as the source draws it.
  • edges[client to docai].interface → the OData V4 API, api-v2from the API, unnamedThe ingestion page links the upload operation of document_information_extraction_api_v2 as the API-based integration, and the service now names that surface (docs/concepts/design-roles-and-interfaces.md §3.2, P7), so the arrow says which API it lands on and wears its protocol.
  • Entered the atlasDiscovered via Added by hand.
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