Invoice Collaboration

The exchange of invoices and invoice confirmations between an invoicing party (usually the supplier) and an invoice recipient (usually the customer).

Technical Data

Entity Type	Process Component
Software Component Version	ESM SNC 7.02
Technical Name	InvoiceCollaboration
Namespace	http://sap.com/xi/ESM/SNC

Business Context and Use

The Invoice Collaboration process component provides various functions for processing invoices in SAP Supply Network Collaboration (SAP SNC). By using this process component to communicate invoice data, the disadvantages of traditional methods of communication (such as fax or email) are eliminated. That is, by using this process component, invoice processing becomes less cost-intensive, is faster, and is less prone to error.

Related Process Components

The Invoice Collaboration process component can be used before or after the ERP Supplier Invoice Processing Component, or after the ERP Payment Processing process component or Customer Invoice Processing at Supplier process component. You can use the Invoice Collaboration process component to create and confirm invoices or to update invoices with payment information. The invoice is then sent to the ERP Supplier Invoice Processing process component for further processing. This might be relevant, for example, in a business-to-business message exchange between a customer and a supplier, where the customer mainly uses the ERP Supplier Invoice Processing process component for creating (in the case of self-billing invoices) and processing invoices, and making payments, but the supplier uses the Invoice Collaboration process component to create invoices for the customer.

Notes on SAP Implementation

You use SAP Supply Network Collaboration (SAP SNC).

Processing

The processing described below is valid for the following messages:

InvoiceRequest
InvoiceConfirmation

Take into account the following behavior of the change and update operations of this process component when you use it:

The data transferred by the request messages completely overwrites the corresponding objects in the database of the back-end system. The response of the back-end system, therefore, is to expect a value for all elements that are found in the message types structure. This also applies to elements that are designated as optional in the message structure.

Caution Caution

This means that if elements are not filled in a request message, the back-end system interprets this information as a deletion entry, and initializes the corresponding fields in the database.

For list-type elements that can contain several items, the items that are not filled are interpreted as a deletion entry. You can recognize these list-type elements in that unbounded is entered for maxOccurs.

End of the caution.

Example Example

An order contains items 10, 20, 30, 40, 50. With the request message for a chance operation, item 10 is to be changed, and item 30 is to be deleted.

So that you do not delete items 20, 40 and 50 with the change operation, you also have to specify items 20, 40 and 50 in addition to items 10 and 30, even if the former have not been changed. Item 30 is deleted if you do not specify it.

The processing described below is valid for PaymentAdviceNotification message.

The data transferred by request messages overwrites only those affected objects in the databases of the back-end system that are also filled in the message structure.

Take into account the following behavior of the change and update operations of this process component when you use it:

End of the example.

Caution Caution

This means that if optional elements are not filled in a request message, then the back-end system leaves the values as they are in the affected fields in the database. The only exception to this behavior is when these values are automatically updated due to changes to other data. However, for list-type elements that can contain several items, data transferred completely overwrites the corresponding objects in the database of the back-end system. The response of the back-end system, therefore, is to expect a value for all items of these elements. You can recognize these list-type elements in that unbounded is entered for maxOccurs.

End of the caution.

Caution Caution

This means that if items of list-type elements are not filled in a request message, the back-end system interprets this information as a deletion entry for the item concerned, and initializes the corresponding fields in the database.

End of the caution.

Example Example

An order contains items 10, 20, 30, 40, 50. With the request message for a change operation, item 10 is to be changed, and item 30 is to be deleted.

So that you do not delete items 20, 40 and 50 with the change operation, you also have to specify items 20, 40 and 50 even if they have not been changed in addition to items 10 and 30. Item 30 is deleted if you do not specify it.

End of the example.

Configuration

You have configured the Invoice component (SCM-ICH-IV) in Customizing for Supply Network Collaboration under Invoice. For all message types in this process component, you have set a process type in Customizing for Supply Network Collaboration, under Start of the navigation path Basic Settings Next navigation step Processing Inbound and Outbound Messages Process Types for Inbound Messages and Process Types for Outbound Messages End of the navigation path . To use the Collaboration Invoice business object, you must have created standard master data, such as business partners and products. You define Incoterms in Customizing for SCM Basis under Start of the navigation path Master Data Next navigation step Define Incoterms End of the navigation path . You define number ranges on the Web UI, by choosing Master Data Number Ranges Invoice Number Range Intervals .

Enhancements

If necessary, you can implement Business Add-Ins for message interfaces in Customizing for Supply Network Collaboration under Start of the navigation path Business Add-Ins (BAdIs) for SAP SNC Next navigation step Basic Settings Processing Inbound and Outbound Messages BAdIs for Message Interfaces (Inbound XML Messages) End of the navigation path and under BAdIs for Message Interfaces (Outbound XML Messages).

You can implement the Business Add-In for master data completion in Customizing for Supply Network Collaboration under Start of the navigation path Business Add-Ins (BAdIs) for SAP SNC -> Basic Settings Next navigation step BAdI: Master Data Completion End of the navigation path

Master Data

If you work with material, locations, or orders, you need to consider the type of identifier (internal or external). This has important implications for their use and for additional data that may be required. For more information, see IDs for Materials, Locations, and Orders.