Looply FAQs

Looply FAQs

What is Looply?

Looply is a purpose-built execution layer that delivers SAP approvals and notifications directly into Microsoft Teams. It ensures SAP work reaches users automatically, at the moment action is required, without replacing SAP workflows or moving authority out of SAP.

Looply supports many other systems too; with Looply you can extend most enterprise business processes into Microsoft Teams.

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    What problem does Looply solve?

    Looply solves an execution problem, not a visibility problem.

    In many organisations, approvals are delayed because users must remember to check inboxes, emails, or dashboards. Looply removes that reliance on user behaviour by pushing actionable work into Teams.

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      How is Looply different from SAP or Microsoft integration tools?

      SAP and Microsoft provide platforms and building blocks. Looply provides a finished execution experience.

          • SAP-led approaches prioritise governance and workflow orchestration.

          • Microsoft-led approaches prioritise interaction and insight.

          • Looply prioritises reliable execution in Teams, while keeping SAP as the system of record.

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          What deployment models are supported?

          Where does Looply run?

          Looply is delivered as a managed cloud service and integrates securely with your SAP landscape and Microsoft 365 tenant. 

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            Does Looply require anything to be installed in SAP?

            Looply uses a lightweight ABAP add-on installed in the SAP system. The add-on provides secure, controlled access to SAP workflows, events, and data, and ensures SAP authorisations are respected. It does not modify SAP standard objects or business logic and is installed in its own namespace.

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              Does Looply support SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA?

              Yes.

              Looply supports SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA and is commonly used during transition phases where both landscapes coexist.

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                What are the system requirements?

                What SAP components are required?

                Looply requires SAP ECC or SAP S/4HANA and installation of the Looply ABAP add-on. No SAP standard modifications are required.

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                  What Microsoft components are required?

                  Looply integrates with Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), and Microsoft Graph. No Teams client installation is required beyond standard Microsoft 365 usage.

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                    Does Looply require SAP BTP?

                    No.

                    Looply can integrate directly with SAP core or with SAP BTP. If workflows are defined on BTP (for example using SAP Build Process Automation), Looply can integrate with those workflows. If not, Looply can still work directly with SAP core.

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                      How does Looply integrate with SAP S/4HANA?

                      How does Looply access SAP data and workflows?

                      Looply integrates with SAP through its ABAP add-on, which acts as the secure access point. The add-on exposes SAP workflows, business events, and APIs in a controlled way. Looply then delivers approvals and notifications into Microsoft Teams and writes outcomes back to SAP.

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                        Does Looply replace SAP workflows?

                        No.

                        Existing workflows can remain in SAP S/4HANA, on SAP BTP, or in other systems. Looply listens for outcomes and delivers tasks into Teams without requiring workflow redesign or duplication.

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                          Where do workflow rules live?

                          Workflow rules can live in SAP core, on SAP BTP, or — for lightweight routing — in Looply. Looply does not force a single workflow model and adapts to your existing landscape.

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                            How does Looply detect work that needs action?

                            Looply supports multiple detection models including SAP business events, API-based triggers, and polling for constrained or legacy systems. The detection mechanism does not affect the user experience — work always arrives automatically in Teams.

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                              How does Looply work with Microsoft Teams?

                              What does a Looply approval look like in Teams?

                              Approvals are delivered as Adaptive Cards inside Microsoft Teams. Users can review context, approve or reject directly in Teams, and the decision is written back to SAP for audit and governance.

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                                Does Looply require users to leave Teams?

                                No.

                                Users can complete approvals entirely within Teams unless deeper review in SAP is required.

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                                  How is Looply different from Power Apps or Copilot?

                                  Power Apps and Copilot are excellent for dashboards, insight, and user-initiated interaction. Approvals are time-critical and should not rely on users remembering to check. Looply focuses on push-based execution, ensuring work arrives automatically.

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                                    Security, governance & compliance

                                    Are approvals being done outside SAP?

                                    No.

                                    Approvals are actioned via Microsoft Teams, but decisions are recorded, governed, and audited in SAP exactly as before. Teams is the interaction surface; SAP remains the authority.

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                                      Does Looply store SAP data?

                                      No.

                                      Looply is not a system of record. It delivers only the contextual information required for action and writes the outcome back to SAP.

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                                        How does Looply handle identity and authorisation?

                                        Looply uses the SAP ABAP add-on to enforce SAP authorisations and maps SAP users to Microsoft Entra ID identities. Users can only act on approvals they are authorised to see in SAP.

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                                          Is Looply suitable for regulated or public-sector environments?

                                          Yes.

                                          Looply is designed for environments where governance, auditability, and compliance are mandatory. SAP remains authoritative at all times.

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                                            Operations, upgrades & lifecycle

                                            How does Looply behave during SAP upgrades?

                                            Looply’s ABAP add-on is designed to be upgrade-safe and does not modify SAP standard code. Arch maintains compatibility with supported SAP ECC and S/4HANA versions. SAP upgrades do not typically require changes to Looply configuration.

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                                              What happens if we stop using Looply?

                                              Your SAP workflows and data remain unchanged. If Looply is removed, approvals fall back to existing SAP channels. No re-engineering is required.

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                                                Can Looply be introduced during an S/4HANA transformation?

                                                Yes.

                                                Looply can be introduced incrementally, process by process, without redesigning workflows or expanding transformation scope.

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                                                  Getting started

                                                  How quickly can we get started with Looply?

                                                  Most customers start with a single approval or notification use case and expand once value is proven. Looply does not require a “big bang” rollout.

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                                                    Who supports Looply?

                                                    Looply is supported by Arch as part of the Arch product suite. Arch supports the Looply platform and its SAP and Teams integration. SAP continues to support SAP processes and workflows as normal.

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                                                      Developer & extensibility

                                                      Is there an API for integrating Looply with other systems?

                                                      Yes.

                                                      Looply provides APIs to support integration and automation scenarios, including connecting Looply workflows to external systems where needed.

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