Public Data Validation: From Purchase Order Creation to Sales Invoicing

In many companies, customer and vendor (business partner) master data is treated as an administrative activity performed only when the record is created. The problem is that these companies' public data changes constantly, while ERP master records often remain unchanged for months or even years.

Changes in information such as the CNPJ registration status, company name, state registration, tax classification, Simples Nacional participation or tax benefits directly impact critical purchasing, sales and invoicing processes.

When there is a divergence between reality and what is recorded in SAP, the result usually shows up at the worst possible moment: while issuing a sales e-invoice (NF-e) or during the fiscal receipt of purchased goods.

That is why more and more organizations are adopting a preventive approach to master data governance, using automatic mechanisms to validate and enrich public information directly within the ERP's operational flows.

Master data is the foundation of strategic processes inside SAP. When customer and vendor information is incorrect or outdated, the effects can reach areas such as:

• Tax
• Purchasing
• Supply
• Logistics
• Controlling
• Compliance
• Sales

The impact is not limited to operational errors. There are also financial, tax and regulatory consequences that can generate rework, delays and the risk of penalties.

1. NF-e rejection due to master data inconsistency

Imagine a customer whose CNPJ became inactive or whose state registration was cancelled. If the ERP record does not reflect that change, the company may issue an NF-e that will be rejected by the State Revenue Office.

The consequences include:

• Operational rework;
• Delivery delay;
• Customer dissatisfaction;
• Impact on cash flow;
• Additional tax processing costs.

2. Incorrect taxation due to a change of tax regime

Another common scenario occurs when a customer is registered in SAP as a Simples Nacional participant but has already been removed from that regime.

In that case, taxes may be calculated incorrectly, generating:

• Tax divergences;
• Incorrect tax credit or debit;
• The need for manual adjustments;
• Risk of audit and penalties;

3. Outdated tax benefits in the vendor master record

Certain companies use specific tax benefits, such as the incentives related to the Manaus Free Trade Zone (ZFM).

If a vendor loses that benefit and the record remains outdated in the ERP, the purchase order may be generated with incorrect tax assumptions.

The result may include:

• Divergences between the order and the invoice;
• Undue tax credit;
• Rework in fiscal receipt;
• Greater exposure to regulatory risks.

4. Supply chain disruptions

There are also situations in which a vendor stops operating because its CNPJ was closed at the Federal Revenue Service, but it remains active inside the ERP.

When this is only discovered after purchase orders have been issued, the company may face:

• Delays in material delivery;
• An urgent need to [onboard new vendors](/en/solutions/vendor);
• Production impacts;
• Unplanned operational stoppages.

In industrial environments, this type of situation can generate financial impacts far greater than the cost of a preventive validation.

Many companies run periodic master data checks, usually in monthly, quarterly or annual cycles.

Although this model is an evolution compared to having no controls at all, it still leaves a large window of exposure.

After all, a master data change can happen today, while the next scheduled validation may only take place months later.

It is precisely in that interval that tax and operational errors arise.

That is why organizations with more advanced levels of data governance are migrating to an event-driven validation model.

In this model, validation is no longer executed only on schedules and is automatically triggered when critical events happen inside SAP.

The main triggers include:

• Creation, change and release of a purchase requisition;
• Creation, change and release of a purchase order;
• Creation, change and planning of a sales order;

This way, the company checks the reliability of the information exactly at the moment before it would impact the operation.

[MDM+ BRO](/en/solutions/vendor) is an SAP-certified add-on focused on master data governance, workflows, automation and the application of business rules, operating directly inside the SAP environment.

Through configurable rules and integrations with public information sources, the system can automatically start [cleansing processes](/en/services/vendor-customer-cleansing) and master data enrichment when certain ERP events happen. The product also has capabilities related to multidomain governance, workflows and business rules within SAP.

Based on these checks, different actions can be executed:

• Automatic update of the master record;
• Opening a workflow for analysis;
• Generating alerts for the responsible areas;
• Controlled interruption of the process;
• Recommendations to recreate impacted documents.

Among others.

A common concern is to imagine that public data queries will be executed in every operation, generating unnecessary processing.

In practice, this is controlled by configurable rules.

The company can define criteria such as:

• Do not validate again a CNPJ already queried within the same period;
• Validate only operations above a certain value;
• Run queries only for partners involved in specific tax operations;
• Prioritize vendors or customers classified as critical.

This model makes it possible to balance governance, performance and operational efficiency.

As tax and regulatory requirements increase, relying exclusively on historical master data becomes an ever greater risk.

Validating public data at the moment critical events happen inside SAP represents an important paradigm shift.

Instead of discovering problems during invoicing or fiscal receipt, the company starts identifying risks before they impact the operation.

The result is safer management, with greater compliance, less rework and continuity of the purchasing, sales and invoicing processes.

Master data quality is one of the pillars of operational efficiency and tax compliance. In a scenario where public information changes constantly, validating data only at the moment of registration is not enough.

By integrating cleansing and data enrichment processes directly into ERP events, organizations turn master data governance into a preventive strategy, reducing tax risks and ensuring greater confidence in operations.

Want to understand how to structure a master data governance strategy in SAP? akquinet Brasil has extensive experience in MDM, master data quality and master data process automation for SAP and non-SAP environments.