I receive the following error message when attempting to access a supplier's PunchOut catalog:

Unable to connect to PunchOut Catalog. If problem persists, ask your system administrator for assistance.

Ensure:

1. the supplier's ANID is configured appropriately within the buyer's Ariba Procurement Solution, and
2. the supplier is sending commodity code data in the PunchOutOrderMessage (POOM). 

All PunchOutSetupResponse documents sent to the Ariba Network must contain a 200 status code and the StartPage Uniform Resource Locater (URL). Any deviation from this constitutes an invalid cXML response.

The following example provides a correct cXML response:

<!DOCTYPE cXML SYSTEM "http://xml.cxml.org/schemas/cXML/1.2.014/cXML.dtd">
<cXML payloadID = "958074700772234234242" timestamp = "2005-06-14T12:59:09-07:00">
    <Response>
        <Status code = "200" text = "success"/>
        <PunchOutSetupResponse>
            <StartPage>
                <URL>https://punchout.company.com/Servlet/sessionid=7006</URL>
            </StartPage>
        </PunchOutSetupResponse>
    </Response>

Work with your IT or development team to review the PunchOut cXML documentation and to ensure your application fulfill the requirements for this feature to work correctly.

The error involves establishing an initial connection with the supplier's PunchOut site.

A few common reasons for this error message are the following:

• A corrupted or expired Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate associated with the PunchOutSetupRequest.
• The buyer's firewall blocks the Commerce Extensible Markup Language (cXML) PunchOutSetupRequest.  The PunchOutSetupRequest never reaches the destination PunchoutURL, the session times out, and the PunchOut connection fails.
• Some authentication/validation on the supplier's end results in the cXML PunchOutSetupRequest not being parsed. An invalid response goes back to the Ariba Network.
• The supplier's Ariba Network ID (ANID) is not configured in the buyer's Ariba Procurement Solution.
• The PunchOutOrderMessage (POOM) from the supplier contains a line item without a commodity code.

Learn more about PunchOut site planning in the cXML Solutions Guide.

SAP Ariba Catalog
SAP Business Network