When working with OpenText Vendor Invoice Management (VIM) for SAP, one of the most overlooked yet powerful features is the Workflow History PDF Log. This capability automatically generates a comprehensive PDF at the conclusion of the VIM process—capturing every key detail, from process milestones and approvals to workflow logs and user comments.

This isn’t just a convenience for auditors or a checkbox for compliance. It’s a transparent, time-stamped audit trail that gives AP managers and business users immediate visibility into how an invoice was handled. What’s more, the history log is securely archived and linked to both the DP document and the SAP invoice—so it’s always accessible and never lost.

Benefits of the Workflow History PDF

• Audit-ready: A single document with all approvals, comments, and workflow steps.
• Transparency: Clear visibility into who did what and when.
• Compliance: Securely archived and linked to the invoice for future reference.
• Flexibility: Can be customized to include company-specific information.

How to Set It Up

You configure the PDF history log within a profile which describes all settings for the creation of the PDF history log. You assign this profile to a OpenText VIM for SAP process step.

You must specify that the PDF history log will be created at the end of the OpenText VIM for SAP process. To enable the creation of the PDF history log, you must assign the profile for the PDF history log (default profile: HISTORY) to the OpenText VIM for SAP process “VIM process is finished”. Without this, the PDF history log will not be created at the end of the OpenText VIM for SAP process.

1) Define the profile for the PDF History Log

Run the /n/OPT/SPRO transaction and navigate to OpenText Vendor Invoice Management Invoice Solution > Cross Component Configuration > PDF Log >Maintain Customizing Profiles.

The PDF profile ‘HISTORY‘ is delivered with the baseline. You can either customize it or create your own custom profile.

In the Define Profiles screen, you will find the following parameters that are specific for the PDF history log:

PDF Log Class
The complete logic of the PDF history log is included in the PDF log class /OPT/CL_C_PDF_LOG, which is delivered with the baseline. You can enhance the class by redefining components of the class within a custom class, which you can maintain instead of the baseline class.

PDF Form Type
Enter the type of the PDF form.

Currently, Smart Forms is the only available entry for this field. However, it is also possible to redefine the logic of the PDF log class /OPT/CL_C_PDF_LOG within a custom class to support other techniques, for example SAP Interactive Forms.

Default value: Smart Forms

Form Name
Enter the name of the SAP Smart Forms form.
Baseline delivery includes a Smart Form /OPT/C_WORKFLOW_HISTORY01. You can copy the Smart Form using the smartforms transaction and adjust it to
your needs. You can maintain this adjusted Smart Form in the Form Name box instead of the baseline Smart Form. The baseline Smart Form uses the SAP Smart Style /OPT/C_SF_STYLE01 for the format options of the Smart Form, for example the font and the font size of headers or default paragraphs. You can copy the Smart Style using the smartstyles transaction and adjust it to your needs. Additionally, copy the Smart Form and maintain your new Smart Style in the Output Options tab of the Form Attributes screen of the Smart Form.

Document type
Enter the archive document type to be used for archiving the PDF history log. Within baseline, the archive document type /OPT/PDF is delivered (we suggest that you create your own archive link document type for this).

You must link the archive document type to the OpenText VIM for SAP Business Object and to SAP Business Objects (in case it’s not already linked by default, you can link the document type ‘/OPT/PDF’ to object types ‘/OPT/V1001’ and ‘BKPF’ via transaction OAC3).

Overwrite
Select this check box to overwrite PDF history logs that have already been linked to the DP document and its SAP invoice with the same archive document type.
It is possible to create a PDF history log to a DP document manually by using the /OPT/CR_PDF_LOG report. When using this report, a PDF history log linked to the DP document and its SAP invoice can already exist.

Selecting the Overwrite check box deletes the physical PDF document (the PDF history log) and its links to the DP document and the SAP invoice. This PDF history log can either be created manually or automatically.
Default value:

2) Assigning the profile to a OpenText VIM for SAP process step

To create this PDF history log at the end of the OpenText VIM for SAP process, you must assign the profile to the VIM process is finished process step for your company codes. If you leave Company Code empty, the setting is used for all
company codes.

By setting up the Workflow History PDF log, you create a single source of truth for your invoice processes. With just a few configuration steps, your organization gains audit-ready documentation, transparent tracking of every approval and action, and a secure archive that is always accessible.

Whether for compliance, audit preparation, or day-to-day process insight, the Workflow History PDF log ensures that your AP processes are not only more transparent but also more reliable and future-proof.