Invoice and credit note settings
Lesson 10 of 22 8 min read
The settings that decide which references go where on an EDI invoice, how values are calculated, who the message is addressed to, and how credit notes follow suit.
The invoice is how you get paid, and retailers reject invoices that don't match their purchase
order and goods receipt. The Invoice Configuration has the most settings of any EDI document
type. This lesson groups them into five decisions, then shows how Credit follows the same
pattern.
Decision 1: which reference goes in which field?
A retailer's invoice matching relies on references: your invoice number, their order number, the delivery note number. Each retailer's specification says which reference type carries each one.
| invoiceReferenceType | The reference type used to carry the invoice number. |
|---|---|
| orderReferenceType | The reference type used to carry the order number. |
| buyerOrderReferenceType | The reference type used to carry the buyer's purchase order number. |
| deliveryNoteReferenceType | The reference type used to carry the delivery note number. |
| useInvoiceReferenceAsDeliveryNoteReference | When on, the invoice number is also used as the delivery note number. Useful when invoices and delivery notes are issued together and share a reference. |
Copy the reference types straight from the specification
These values come from the retailer's specification, not from your own preferences. A wrong reference type is one of the commonest reasons an otherwise perfect invoice fails the retailer's matching.
Decision 2: how should line values be worked out?
| recalculateValues | When on, line values are recalculated from unit price times quantity instead of using the values supplied. Useful for consistency, or when the source data may carry rounding errors. |
|---|---|
| defaultOriginalOrderingSize | The ordering unit size to assume when the original order didn't specify one, used when calculating invoice line quantities. |
| alwaysMatchOriginalOrderProductCodes | When on, the original order's product codes are always used to match invoice lines, keeping the invoice consistent with the order. |
| edifact.productIdentifierPriority | The order in which identifier types are tried for EDIFACT messages. |
Decision 3: who is the invoice addressed to?
| overrideReceiverIdentifier | Overrides the receiver identifier in the message envelope. Use it when the retailer's specification says invoices must go to a different receiver ID from the one provided on the incoming message. |
|---|
Decision 4: does the invoice need foreign exchange or extra text?
| edifact.exchangeRateDate | Which date is used to look up the exchange rate for currency conversion: none (the default, no exchange rate date), delivery (the delivery date) or order (the order date). |
|---|---|
| freeTextPurchaseInformation | Free text added to the purchase information segment of the invoice, for additional notes or terms. |
Decision 5: Tradacoms proof of delivery
| tradacoms.sendDeliveryNoteDetailsAsProofOfDelivery | For Tradacoms invoices, whether delivery note details are included as proof of delivery. |
|---|
Credit notes
The Credit Configuration reuses a subset of the invoice settings, so credit notes are built
the same way as the invoices they correct:
| useInvoiceReferenceAsDeliveryNoteReference | Uses the invoice number as the delivery note number, as on invoices. |
|---|---|
| defaultOriginalOrderingSize | The ordering unit size when the original order didn't specify one. |
| edifact.productIdentifierPriority | Identifier priority for EDIFACT messages. |
Where the invoice fits
Northfield Pantry's first rejected invoice
During testing Greenway rejects Northfield's invoice: their system couldn't find the purchase
order. The Supply Lens team checks Greenway's specification and finds the buyer's order number
must travel in a different reference type from the one configured. They update
buyerOrderReferenceType, and the retest is accepted. Greenway also issues delivery notes and
invoices together with one number, so useInvoiceReferenceAsDeliveryNoteReference is turned
on for both Invoice and Credit.
Recap
- Four reference type settings decide which field carries the invoice, order, buyer order and delivery note numbers; take them from the retailer's specification.
recalculateValuesrebuilds line values from price times quantity to avoid rounding mismatches.overrideReceiverIdentifiersends the invoice to a different receiver ID.edifact.exchangeRateDatechooses none, delivery or order date for currency conversion;freeTextPurchaseInformationadds notes.- Credit notes reuse the same reference, ordering size and identifier settings as invoices.
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