Introduction

What is e-invoicing?

E-invoicing is the process of creating and sharing electronic invoices, or e-invoices, between suppliers and buyers in a structured, machine-readable format. It includes-human readable documents, attached files, and exchanging statuses like sent, received, paid, and so on. It does not include invoices sent by email in PDF format.

E-reporting covers the management of all complementary flows that participate in the VAT return process.

About the e-invoicing framework

The e-invoicing framework is designed so that you can easily update without disrupting existing flows. You can continue to manage inbound and outbound invoices and seamlessly add new processes to drive the submission and integration of the electronic flows across multiple platforms.

The framework is based on an updated and robust technology that includes the use of dictionaries, 4GL, Syracuse bundles, and import/export templates.

Integration with Sage Network

The e-invoicing framework can integrate with Sage Network to exchange data and support electronic invoicing processes. The integration model depends on the country and the related legislation.

For France, companies onboard with Sage Network and use the Sage Collaborative Portal.

For Germany, companies use the document transformation service. Onboarding with Sage Network is required to create the tenant, but the Sage Collaborative Portal is not used.

For Belgium, companies use the EINVMET parameter to generate an XML file and store it in a directory. For inbound flows, an external solution is used to communicate with Peppol. For outbound flows, AP Automation is used. Sage Network and the Sage Collaborative Portal are not used for Belgium, although some configuration and processing concepts described in this guide may still apply.

For Spain, specifications are still under development. Sage Network will be used.

All transformations between formats

Sage X3 manages the inbound and outbound movement for the UBL 2.1 format, or other formats through the XML designer. Sage Network drives the transformation from one format to all other supported formats.

Inbound and outbound exchanges across platforms

You can run different modules for your invoices, such as Sales and Purchasing versus A/P-A/R accounting. The e-invoicing framework handles all invoices regardless of the origin or destination. Of course, if you use purchasing and AP invoices, one of the challenges is to redirect the incoming invoices to the correct module.

E-invoicing, which is different from e-reporting, only manages invoices, not journal entries

This process can be launched manually or triggered in recurring batch tasks with custom scheduling. Functional user rights, such as restricted access to companies or sites, apply when relevant. This gives you the necessary flexibility to adjust the way you run these processes.

Topics not covered

This document is not exhaustive, nor does it cover the following topics in great detail:

  • Different regulations regarding e-invoicing

  • The Sage Network platform and the Sage Collaborative Portal application (formerly Sage Connect)

  • Specific use cases, like prepayment, factoring, auto-invoice, or complex industry processes like construction

  • The life cycle and status changes across all stakeholders, platforms, senders, and receivers