Trading partners, metadata and accounts
Lesson 14 of 22 5 min read
The reusable information Supply Lens stores so that every Peppol document is filled in correctly: who you trade with, your own details, and how you want to be paid.
The difference between a Peppol invoice that sails through and one that bounces is usually the data behind it. Supply Lens stores that data once and reuses it on every document. This lesson explains the three building blocks (trading partners, metadata and accounts) so the setup screens in the next module make sense.
Trading partners
Trading partners are the organisations you exchange documents with: your customers, suppliers or public-sector bodies. Adding them to Supply Lens stores their identifiers, preferences and requirements, so every document you send to them is accurate and compliant.
You can add trading partners in two ways:
- Browse and select from a list of common trading partners that Supply Lens keeps.
- Add them manually when you send a message to them.
Once a trading partner is selected, Supply Lens populates documents with the correct information and routes them through the Peppol network.
Metadata
Metadata is the structured information Supply Lens uses to fill in your documents automatically. It covers two sides:
| Your organisation's details | Bank accounts, tax information and payment terms. |
|---|---|
| Your trading partners' details | Their identifiers, VAT numbers and any references they require. Used to fill in the receiver's details on new documents. |
Good metadata keeps your documents consistent, compliant and ready to send without anyone re-typing details. It also reduces the risk of errors and rejected Peppol documents.
You can add metadata directly in Supply Lens, or upload it as a file in the Supply Lens Peppol Metadata JSON format.
Accounts
Accounts are the bank accounts and payment instructions included on your invoices, so your customers know exactly how to pay you. They're part of your metadata. When you create an invoice you pick which account to use, and its details are applied correctly every time.
How they come together on an invoice
When you create a message you choose the sender (your Participant), an account and a receiver (a trading partner). Everything you've stored about them is filled in, and you only add the details specific to this document.
What Ashby Joinery needs to store
Before sending its first invoice, Ashby Joinery lists what it needs in Supply Lens: the county council as a trading partner (with the purchase order reference the council insists on), and the business current account the council should pay into. The council's accounts team confirms the identifiers they're registered under on Peppol, which Ashby checks against the trading partner list.
Recap
- Trading partners are the customers, suppliers or public bodies you exchange documents with.
- Add them from Supply Lens's list of common trading partners or manually when you send a message.
- Metadata is the reusable data behind your documents: your details and your partners' details.
- Accounts are the bank and payment details printed on your invoices.
- On each new message you choose a sender, an account and a receiver, and the stored details fill themselves in.
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