As organizations move beyond traditional billing systems to meet customer expectations and dynamic business models, SAP BRIM—Billing and Revenue Innovation Management—emerges as a strategic solution. In the ever-evolving digital economy, subscription-based services, usage-based billing, and complex partner revenue models have become the norm.
SAP BRIM is designed to manage high-volume and complex billing processes while supporting flexible pricing, subscription models, and revenue management. This blog by Multisoft Systems dives deep into SAP BRIM online training, covering its core components, use cases, architecture, benefits, and implementation strategy for enterprises seeking a robust billing transformation.
What is SAP BRIM?
SAP BRIM is a suite of applications that enables companies to manage subscription and usage-based services, automate billing, streamline invoicing, and ensure compliant revenue recognition. It is especially suited for industries like telecommunications, media, utilities, transportation, and high-tech, where flexible pricing and scalable billing are essential.
SAP BRIM is composed of several integrated solutions:
- SAP Subscription Order Management (SOM)
- SAP Convergent Charging (SAP CC)
- SAP Convergent Invoicing (SAP CI)
- SAP Contract Accounting (SAP FI-CA)
- SAP Revenue Accounting and Reporting (RAR)
Together, these modules create a seamless, end-to-end system that supports complex pricing, order-to-cash processes, and real-time customer experience.
Key Modules of SAP BRIM Explained
1. SAP Subscription Order Management (SOM)
SOM enables the creation, configuration, and orchestration of complex subscription and service orders. It supports product bundling, pricing configurations, and order lifecycle management—ideal for businesses with subscription-based or hybrid offerings.
2. SAP Convergent Charging (SAP CC)
SAP CC is a high-performance rating and charging engine. It processes usage data in real time and applies dynamic pricing models. This is critical for industries like telco and utilities, where usage can vary dramatically and needs accurate real-time charging.
Key Features:
- Real-time charging of high-volume events
- Complex pricing rules (e.g., volume discounts, tiered pricing)
- Integration with external mediation systems
3. SAP Convergent Invoicing (SAP CI)
CI collects billable items from various sources (e.g., usage data, subscriptions, one-time charges) and consolidates them into a single invoice per customer. It supports account hierarchies, multi-party billing, and partner settlements.
Benefits include:
- Unified billing for multiple services
- Improved customer satisfaction through consolidated invoicing
- Streamlined receivables processes
4. SAP Contract Accounting (FI-CA)
FI-CA is SAP's sub-ledger accounting engine tailored for high-volume financial transactions. It handles receivables, payables, dunning, collections, and payments efficiently.
Highlights:
- Highly scalable for mass data processing
- Supports installment plans, deferrals, and write-offs
- Integrated with the General Ledger
5. SAP Revenue Accounting and Reporting (RAR)
RAR ensures compliance with IFRS 15/ASC 606 by decoupling revenue recognition from billing. It helps automate the revenue recognition process by analyzing contracts and calculating revenue based on performance obligations.
Key Features:
- Audit-compliant revenue management
- Flexible rules-based recognition engine
- Support for multi-element arrangements
How Does SAP BRIM Work? A Simplified Flow
- Product & Offer Creation: Using SOM, businesses create and configure service offerings, including recurring and one-time products.
- Order Management: Customers place orders, and SOM orchestrates service fulfillment.
- Usage Collection & Rating: SAP CC rates the usage data in real time and applies relevant pricing rules.
- Billing & Invoicing: SAP CI consolidates charges into invoices. Partner revenue sharing is also handled.
- Accounting & Payments: SAP FI-CA manages customer accounts, dunning, collections, and payments.
- Revenue Recognition: SAP RAR ensures revenue is recognized in accordance with accounting standards.
Industries Leveraging SAP BRIM
SAP BRIM is widely adopted across industries that manage complex, high-volume billing and subscription-based business models. In the telecommunications sector, it supports real-time usage charging and bundled service billing. Utilities companies use BRIM certification for consumption-based billing from smart meters. Media and entertainment firms rely on it to handle subscriptions, pay-per-view, and content monetization. Transportation and logistics providers utilize it for tolling, freight billing, and partner revenue sharing. Software and SaaS businesses benefit from its flexible subscription and usage pricing capabilities, while healthcare organizations use it for billing digital health services and platforms. BRIM’s adaptability, scalability, and compliance with global accounting standards make it a strategic asset in industries embracing digital transformation and customer-centric service delivery models.
Benefits of SAP BRIM
1. Monetization of Digital Services
SAP BRIM enables companies to launch innovative digital offerings—fast. Whether it’s a new subscription tier, pay-as-you-go model, or a time-limited promotion, BRIM offers the agility to monetize with ease.
2. Scalable for High Volumes
With powerful engines like SAP CC and FI-CA, BRIM can handle billions of transactions per month—ideal for telecom, utilities, or IoT-based service businesses.
3. Unified Billing and Customer Experience
By consolidating various charges and presenting them in a single invoice, BRIM enhances customer satisfaction and simplifies dispute management.
4. Agile Revenue Management
SAP RAR ensures transparent, automated revenue recognition aligned with global accounting standards—minimizing risk and boosting financial compliance.
5. Partner Revenue Sharing
Organizations can easily configure revenue-sharing models with partners or resellers and automate settlements using BRIM’s partner management capabilities.
SAP BRIM vs Traditional Billing Systems
|
Feature
|
|
|
|
Subscription & Usage Support
|
|
Yes
|
|
|
|
Yes
|
No
|
|
|
Yes
|
|
|
Revenue Recognition Compliance
|
|
|
|
|
Scalability
|
|
Moderate
|
|
|
|
|
|
Customization
|
|
Rigid
|
SAP BRIM Architecture Overview
The modern SAP BRIM solution leverages the SAP S/4HANA digital core, ensuring high performance, in-memory data processing, and simplified integration. Here’s a simplified look at the architecture:
Core Layers:
- Front-End: SAP Commerce Cloud, CRM, or external order capture systems
- Order Management: SAP SOM (Subscription Order Management)
- Rating/Charging: SAP Convergent Charging
- Billing: SAP Convergent Invoicing
- Subledger Accounting: SAP FI-CA
- Revenue Management: SAP RAR
- Analytics: SAP Analytics Cloud or SAP BW
The architecture can also be extended with APIs and integrated with third-party systems like Salesforce, external mediation layers, or cloud-based CRM tools.
Implementation Considerations
1. Business Process Assessment
Start with a detailed mapping of your existing billing, pricing, and accounting workflows. Define future-state business models you want to support (e.g., subscriptions, usage tiers, partner bundles).
2. Phased Deployment
A full-stack BRIM implementation is complex. Many companies start with Convergent Invoicing or FI-CA and phase in SOM and CC later.
3. Integration Strategy
Ensure proper integration with CRM, ERP, and mediation systems. BRIM modules must work in harmony with the existing IT landscape to extract full value.
4. Data Migration
Migrating legacy billing data, open receivables, and customer profiles to SAP BRIM requires detailed planning, data cleansing, and robust validation.
5. Training & Change Management
Train your finance, sales, and IT teams to adopt the new processes and tools. BRIM changes the billing paradigm—users need time and training to adapt.
Future of SAP BRIM: What's Next?
The future of SAP BRIM is centered around increased agility, intelligence, and cloud integration. With SAP’s focus on cloud-first strategies like RISE with SAP, BRIM is evolving to support scalable, subscription-based digital services through SAP S/4HANA and SAP BTP. Advanced analytics and AI will enable predictive billing, customer behavior insights, and proactive revenue optimization. Integration with IoT devices will enhance real-time usage tracking, especially in sectors like utilities and logistics. Self-service subscription management portals and automated partner revenue sharing are becoming standard. Additionally, BRIM will play a key role in supporting ESG goals by enabling billing linked to carbon footprint tracking. As industries shift to digital models, SAP BRIM training will remain a core enabler of monetization and revenue transformation.
Conclusion
SAP BRIM is a robust, future-ready solution tailored for organizations transitioning to service-based, subscription, and consumption-driven business models. It empowers enterprises with agility in monetization, accuracy in billing, and compliance in revenue recognition.
Whether you're a telecom provider, a software company, or a digital platform aiming to streamline your complex billing landscape, SAP BRIM offers a comprehensive solution to optimize your order-to-cash lifecycle and transform your customer experience. Enroll in Multisoft Systems now!