Coupa Inspire 2025: Interview with Michael Quinn, DataMap

The finest minds in procurement, supply chain and finance gathered at the stunning ARIA Resort in Las Vegas for Coupa Inspire 2025. 

Supply Chain Digital caught up with Michael Quinn, Chief Technology Officer at DataMap, who discussed the need to carefully integrate ERP systems with game-changing procurement platforms. 

Building game-changing procurement tools

DataMap occupies a unique position in the procurement technology ecosystem.

As Michael explains, the company doesn't just implement software, but fundamentally transforms organisations from both a technological and business perspective.

He said: "At DataMap, we help customers implement supply chain technology and transform their organisation from a business and change management perspective, while building some of the coolest apps and technology to help integrate the latest procurement platforms with the latest ERPs."

This dual approach has positioned DataMap as a trusted Coupa partner across multiple channels.

Michael emphasised that successful procurement transformation goes beyond merely switching on software—it requires comprehensive change management across accounts payable, finance, legal, IT and, crucially, procurement teams themselves.

AI's impact on procurement

The conversation inevitably turned to AI – and Michael's enthusiasm for the technology's potential is unmistakable.

He was particularly excited about Coupa's evolution into an "AI-first platform" and the concept of "bring your own agent" functionality that promises to create autonomous procurement processes.

"It's going to be an extreme game changer," Michael asserted when discussing AI's impact on procurement. He explains that, while the industry has long operated on a philosophy of "managing by exception"—where systems handle routine tasks automatically and humans deal with the exceptions—AI will revolutionise even this approach.

"There are a lot of exceptions pre-AI that you have to deal with," he noted. "Bringing AI in and that AI layer, all of those manual exceptions that are being managed by exceptions will now be managed by agents."

This represents a fundamental shift that abstracts exception management to an even higher level, where professionals will only need to manage the exceptions of the AI agents themselves, rather than the underlying platform processes.

The power of integration

While AI garners much of the attention, Michael was equally passionate about what might seem like more mundane aspects of procurement technology—specifically, ERP integration.

"Sometimes some of the most exciting things can, on their face, seem pretty boring," he admitted, before detailing why ERP connectivity is crucial to procurement success.

Mike went on to explain that every company has an ERP system and, when they implement a best-in-class procurement platform like Coupa, the integration between these systems becomes critical.

DataMap addresses this challenge by developing and testing prebuilt connectors in advance, ensuring seamless data flow between systems during customer implementations.

Community and collaboration

Reflecting on the value of industry events like Coupa Inspire, Michael emphasises the importance of community in driving innovation: "It's all about community and what we're doing here is optimising the way that we interact with one another."

These gatherings serve as focused opportunities for planning the next 12 months of operations and interactions across the entire ecosystem—customers, suppliers, buyers and technology partners.

For Michael, the collaborative environment is inspiring, generating ideas and fostering the kind of cross-pollination that drives industry advancement.

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