Overview on eDocument
You use this solution to create eDocuments, that is, to transform transactional data that you create in the SAP system into predefined exchange formats and transfer it electronically to external systems, such as to the systems of legal or tax authorities.
The eDocument solution allows you to meet legal requirements in many countries where companies are obliged to generate documents electronically, such as invoices, credit or debit memos that are exchanged between business partners and/or with the local tax authorities. Some countries require companies to exchange data in a specific data exchange format, in most cases it is an XML file with a predefined structure and fields.
A typical processing of an eDocument consists of the following steps:
Generation of source documents
You create source documents in SAP ERP applications such as in Financial Accounting (FI) or in Sales and Distribution (SD).
Generation of eDocuments
Once the source document has been posted, the system creates an eDocument instance in the database for each source document.
Transmission of eDocuments to external systems
The process of sending the eDocuments to external systems varies depending on which eDocument solution variant you implement and configure in your system. Once you submit the eDocument to the external systems, the system calls an interface connector to deploy the configured solution variant as well as any customer-specific changes you implement in your system.
Monitoring eDocument processing status
During the whole eDocument processing you can check the status of your eDocuments. Furthermore, the system offers an error handling functionality that enables you to trace the issues that occurred with your eDocuments during the eDocuments creation or transmission process.
Update of SAP ERP with data from external systems
Once your documents have been processed by the tax authorities and/or business partners, the system updates the SAP ERP database with data coming from the external systems, such as timestamps (sending, receiving, and approval) or authorization numbers.
The steps described above cover the end-to-end processing of eDocument. You have the option to implement the whole process using SAP applications, or you can choose on implementing parts of this process using your own customer-specific solutions or applications. For more information, see eDocument Solution Variants.
The requirements for the generation of eDocuments vary from country to country. The differences are normally related to the type of documents that are supported and also to legal requirements that exist for the exchange file formats and the messaging exchange with external systems. Therefore, for some countries you have to consider different settings and processes before and during the implementation of the selected solution. Refer to the documentation for the eDocument solution for the specific countries for more information.