The recommended and standard method within SAP Ariba to capture specific, structured data that is not covered by standard fields is to configure custom fields. These fields can be added directly to the header of a sourcing project or a contract workspace. Once created, the data captured in these fields is inherently structured and immediately available for use in standard SAP Ariba analytical reports, fulfilling the customer's primary requirement for reporting capabilities on this custom data.

A. A Word document contains unstructured data, which cannot be queried or included in standard analytical reports, making it unsuitable for the stated requirement.

B. While forms can capture data, syncing this data to the project header requires additional customization. Creating direct custom fields is the more straightforward and standard approach.

C. Microsoft Forms is an external, non-integrated tool. Data captured would reside outside of SAP Ariba and would not be available for native system reporting.

1. SAP Ariba Contracts Administration Guide: In the section "Managing custom contract workspace fields

" the documentation details the process of creating custom fields of various data types (text

number

date

etc.) to extend the contract workspace. It explicitly states these fields can be used for searching and reporting. (Accessed via SAP Help Portal for SAP Ariba Contracts).

2. SAP Ariba Sourcing Project and Event Template Guide: The chapter on "Template Basics" discusses the configuration of project header fields. It explains that administrators can add custom fields to sourcing project templates to collect additional information required by the organization

which can then be used in reports. (Accessed via SAP Help Portal for SAP Ariba Sourcing).

3. SAP Ariba Reporting Field Dictionary: This official document lists all standard and custom fields available for reporting. The inclusion of custom fields (often prefixed with "flex" or a custom identifier) confirms their design for reporting purposes

directly supporting the solution. (Available on SAP Ariba Connect and SAP Help Portal).