Your company uses SAP S/4HANA for master data management and must ensure that no business relationships exist with sanctioned individuals or entities. Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Know Your Customer (KYC), and Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) disclosure are not optional compliance exercises. They are legal obligations, and non-compliance carries severe consequences.
Manual screening does not scale. With hundreds or thousands of business partners in SAP, it is simply impossible to manually check each one against sanctions lists, research UBO chains, and document the results in an audit-proof manner. This is precisely where this cookbook article comes in: It shows you step-by-step how to build an automated AML compliance data flow between the Dun & Bradstreet Data Cloud and SAP S/4HANA using MARINI, the iPaaS platform for data integration and customer intelligence.
At the end, you will have an end-to-end process: For every business partner, UBO information, sanctions screening, and company data are automatically retrieved and stored in SAP. New business partners are checked immediately, existing ones are updated regularly. The result: demonstrable AML compliance SAP integration, less manual work, and a clean audit trail.
Why AML compliance must be automated
The regulatory landscape is noticeably tightening. The EU adopted a comprehensive AML package in May 2024, with the directly applicable AML Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 at its core. It comes into force on July 10, 2027, and replaces the previous patchwork of national implementations with a unified set of rules. The new EU authority AMLA started operations in Frankfurt in July 2025 and can impose fines of up to 10% of annual turnover or €10 million for serious violations, whichever is higher.
This does not only affect banks. Manufacturing companies, trading companies, and service providers must also be able to prove who is behind their business partners. Specifically, this means:
- AML (Anti-Money Laundering): Screening against sanctions lists to avoid doing business with sanctioned individuals or organizations
- KYC (Know Your Customer): Identification and verification of business partners and their beneficial owners
- UBO Transparency (Ultimate Beneficial Owner): Disclosure of ownership structures, even in complex shareholding chains
Dun & Bradstreet provides exactly these data points through their Data Cloud: UBO information, sanctions screening, and verified company data, all linked via the nine-digit D-U-N-S Number as a universal company identifier. The challenge: These data must be automatically available in SAP without manual research per business partner. The MARINI platform connects the D&B Data Cloud with SAP and acts as an ETL layer that transforms compliance data and assigns it to business partners in SAP.
What you need: Component overview
Before we start, here is an overview of all components used in this scenario:
| Category | Component | Description |
|---|---|---|
| API Endpoint | SAP Business Partner | Business partner master data in SAP S/4HANA with D-U-N-S Number as key field |
| API Endpoint | D&B Compliance Data | UBO information, sanctions screening, company data from Dun & Bradstreet Data Cloud |
| API Endpoint | UBO Chains | Ownership structures and interlocks in corporate groups |
| MARINI Feature | Dun & Bradstreet Core App | Integrated D&B connection in the MARINI platform with access to company data, compliance data, and identity resolution |
| MARINI Feature | MARINI DataEngine with Source Modules | Intermediate storage and transformation of D&B data before assignment to SAP business partners |
| MARINI Feature | MARINI HubEngine Plans | Synchronization plans for data flow D&B → DataEngine → SAP |
| MARINI Feature | HubEngine Mapping | Visual field mapping between D&B fields and SAP business partner fields |
| MARINI Feature | Lookup (D-U-N-S Number) | Assignment of D&B data to the correct SAP business partner via D-U-N-S Number |
The basic data flow looks like this: The D&B Data Cloud delivers compliance data via the MARINI HubEngine into a source module of the MARINI DataEngine. The data is cached and transformed there. A second MARINI HubEngine plan writes the prepared data back to the SAP business partners. The D-U-N-S Number serves as the key to assign each D&B record to the correct business partner.
Prerequisites: D&B API access and SAP connection
Before you create the first plan in the MARINI HubEngine, some basics must be in place. Don’t worry, this is not rocket science. But without these prerequisites, you cannot proceed.
On the D&B side:
- A valid D&B API Key for the desired data services (compliance, UBO, company data). MARINI uses the D&B Direct+ REST API for integration.
- The Dun & Bradstreet Core App must be activated in your MARINI platform. It provides access to all D&B data blocks: Master Data, Compliance, Financial Risk, and ESG.
On the SAP side:
- Your SAP S/4HANA system must be accessible via an OData API or RFC interface. The MARINI HubEngine connects via the
API_BUSINESS_PARTNEROData service without requiring any installation in SAP. - An API user with read permissions (and for write-back: write permissions) on business partner objects.
- The D-U-N-S Number must be stored as a field on the business partner. In SAP S/4HANA, you will find this field in the Identification tab of the business partner (Identification Type
BUP001) or in the credit management area as the credit info number. If the field is not yet populated: This can be filled during integration through an initial sync.
Detailed prerequisites for D&B-SAP integration can be found in the Help Center under Prerequisites D&B-SAP Integration. The complete documentation of the SAP Business Partner API can be found at SAP in the API Business Hub.
AML Compliance SAP Integration: Building the data flow
Now it gets concrete. The data flow consists of two stages, each represented by its own MARINI HubEngine plan. In between is the MARINI DataEngine as the transformation and staging layer.
Stage 1: D&B → MARINI DataEngine
In the first step, you create a MARINI HubEngine plan that loads compliance data from the D&B Data Cloud into a source module of the MARINI DataEngine. Source modules are data containers in the DataEngine where you cache data from external systems to transform and assign them in further steps.
The credentials for the D&B API (API Key, authentication) are stored in the HubEngine plan. The source module itself only defines the data schema: which fields and objects should be synchronized. An overview of how it works can be found in the HubEngine Handbook.
You configure the plan to retrieve the following D&B data:
- UBO information: Name, share percentage, and nationality of beneficial owners
- Sanctions screening: Screening results against international sanctions lists (OFAC, EU, UN, HM Treasury, etc.)
- Company master data: Company name, address, legal form for validation
- D-U-N-S Number: The key that later enables assignment to SAP business partners
Once the plan is configured, you can run the connection test and explore the available entities of the D&B API. The data lands as structured records in the DataEngine source module.
Stage 2: MARINI DataEngine → SAP S/4HANA
The second HubEngine plan reads the transformed compliance data from the DataEngine and writes it back to SAP business partners. The crucial mechanism here is the lookup: The D-U-N-S Number in the D&B record is matched with the D-U-N-S Number on the SAP business partner. This assigns each compliance record to the correct business partner.
This two-stage approach via the DataEngine as an ETL pipeline has a major advantage: You can cleanse, transform, and validate the D&B data before assignment. For example, UBO chains with multiple levels can be flattened into a format readable for SAP.
Configuring mapping: Assigning D&B fields to SAP business partner fields
In the HubEngine mapping of the second plan, you assign the relevant fields. The mapping is the visual field assignment in the MARINI HubEngine, where you define which D&B field is written to which SAP field.
The following table shows a typical field mapping for the AML compliance use case:
| D&B Field (Source) | SAP Business Partner Field (Target) | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| D-U-N-S Number | Identification (BUP001) |
Lookup key, assignment D&B → SAP |
| UBO Name | Custom Field / Extension | Name of beneficial owner |
| UBO Percentage | Custom Field / Extension | Ownership percentage of UBO |
| Sanctions Status | Custom Field / Extension | Result of sanctions screening |
| Company Name | OrganizationBPName1 |
Validation of company name |
| Registered Address | Business Partner Address | Address validation |
Depending on your SAP setup, UBO and sanctions data are stored in customer-specific extension fields (custom fields) on the business partner. SAP S/4HANA Cloud natively supports the extension of the API_BUSINESS_PARTNER entity via custom fields. The mapping in the MARINI HubEngine is configurable via no-code and supports such extension fields seamlessly.
Additionally, you set HubEngine conditions so that only business partners with an existing D-U-N-S Number are processed. Partners without a D-U-N-S Number are skipped. This prevents errors and saves unnecessary API calls.
For the lookup itself, you configure a lookup workflow action: It searches in SAP for the business partner whose D-U-N-S Number matches the D&B record and writes the compliance data to exactly that record.
Scheduling: Setting up regular updates
AML compliance is not a one-time process. Sanctions lists change, UBO structures shift, new business partners are added. Therefore, you set up scheduling in the HubEngine plan that updates the compliance data regularly, for example daily or weekly. A simple rule of thumb helps when choosing the interval: The higher the risk profile of your business partners, the more frequent the updates.
For particularly time-critical scenarios, a push mechanism can also be activated: D&B notifies the MARINI platform of changes to monitored companies. The integration immediately writes these updates to SAP. You configure which changes lead to which actions: automatic update, alert, or workflow.
Extensions: KYC, ESG, and other compliance data services
The described data flow forms the foundation. Beyond AML screening, additional D&B data services can be connected using the same pattern. You decide which data blocks you subscribe to. The fields are added in the HubEngine mapping, and if necessary, you create additional data objects in the MARINI DataEngine.
Possible extensions:
- KYC data: Extended customer identification for the initial creation of new business partners
- ESG scores: Sustainability ratings for supplier and customer qualification
- Financial risk assessment: Credit ratings for data-driven credit decisions
- Monitoring: Real-time notification of changes such as insolvencies, rebranding, or new executives
Since the architecture (two plans, DataEngine as staging layer, lookup via D-U-N-S) is already in place, each extension is an addition, not a restart. Once you have built the AML flow, you only need additional fields in the mapping and possibly an additional source module for KYC or ESG. You can find the basics in the DataEngine Quickstart.
Particularly interesting for companies with more complex system landscapes: The D&B data does not have to remain in SAP. Via the MARINI platform, the same compliance data can be made available in parallel in the CRM, for example in HubSpot or Salesforce. One central integration flow, any number of target systems.
Thinking ahead: What you can build on this foundation
You now have an automated compliance data flow between Dun & Bradstreet and SAP S/4HANA. This is a solid foundation. But it can be expanded further:
- Make D&B data available in CRM as well: Sales and account management benefit from current company data and risk assessments directly in the CRM. How synchronization of business partners between SAP and CRM generally works is described in the cookbook article on SAP Business One master data synchronization with MARINI Data Cloud.
- Enrich golden records with D&B data: The D-U-N-S Number is a natural deduplication key. D&B data helps identify and merge duplicates across systems.
- Include ESG scores in sales strategy: Use sustainability ratings as a qualification criterion for business partners.
- Compliance screening as automated workflow: Automatically trigger a D&B check when creating a new business partner in SAP and immediately document the result.
All details on AML compliance integration can be found in the Help Center: AML compliance in SAP with D&B via MARINI. And if you want to dive deeper into SAP S/4HANA Dun & Bradstreet integration, you will find additional use cases and configuration details there.
Summary and support
What you have built in this cookbook article:
- An ETL data flow from the D&B Data Cloud via the MARINI DataEngine to SAP S/4HANA
- A HubEngine mapping with field assignment for UBO data, sanctions status, and company master data
- A lookup via D-U-N-S Number that assigns each D&B compliance record to the correct SAP business partner
- Scheduling for regular updates of compliance data
- The foundation for extensions such as KYC, ESG, and real-time monitoring
Stuck or have a question about your specific setup? No problem. Contact us. We will help you adapt the integration to your requirements.