Setting up Continia eDocuments

  • 06/03/2024
  • 10 minutes to read

During the setup of Continia eDocuments, you'll come across several terms and concepts that need to be defined. Among these are the various document types, which can be defined as follows:


Document typeDescription
eBilling documentsCovers both incoming purchase invoices/credit memos and outgoing sales invoices/credit memos.
eOrder documentsCovers both outgoing purchase orders and incoming sales orders.
eDocument response documentsCan be either a technical response (for example, the received XML file isn't valid, or the rules have been violated) or a business response (for example, the items and/or prices differ from what was agreed). A business response is a document that functions as a response to an invoice or a credit memo (purchase or sales).
eOrder response documentsCovers both incoming purchase order responses and outgoing sales order responses.

Another concept that warrants definition is XML structures. This is defined and described in the following section.

XML structures

An XML structure defines the file structure for a certain electronic format (like PEPPOLBIS3 and OIOUBL) and for a certain type of business document, such as an invoice, a credit memo, an invoice response, an order, or an order response. Types of XML structures include PEPPOL BIS3 Invoice, PEPPOL BIS3 Credit Memo, and PEPPOL BIS3 Order, but there are many others, covering different types of documents and electronic formats.

Each XML structure is associated with:

  • A related identification template that's used for identifying the source of your incoming documents (for example, the customer or vendor who sent the documents).
  • A stylesheet, which is a file that's used to transform each XML document into a more readable and user-friendly format to be displayed in the document viewer.

Important

If you're an existing user migrating to Continia eDocuments and you've previously made changes to an XML master template stylesheet, you must export the changed stylesheet and import it into Continia eDocuments using the XML Structure Setup page. For more information, see To set up Continia eDocuments below (step 5).

The XML structure operates by linking an XML path with a data type (such as Text, Date, or Code) and then mapping that data to a field in a record. On the XML Structure View page, the name of the table in which a given record appears is displayed in the Table Name column, while the name of the related field is found in the Field Name column. These two – table name and field name – are essential to the Continia eDocuments framework.

For example, for an incoming PEPPOL invoice, the XML structure could link the XML path /ubl:Invoice/cbc:IssueDate to the data type Date and then map that data to the field Issue Date in the table eBilling Header. Another invoice with a different electronic format might have an XML path that corresponds to the PEPPOL one but looks entirely different, but the XML structure will know that this XML path should be mapped to the same field in the same table for that format too.

It should also be noted that format identification now takes place within the XML structure – it's no longer part of the identification template. This means that the identification template is only used for party identification (that is, to identify the customer or vendor). For more information about the use of identification templates in Continia eDocuments, see Capturing Data from eDocuments.

To set up Continia eDocuments

In order to set up Continia eDocuments, follow these steps:

  1. Choose the Search icon, enter Continia eDocuments Setup, and then choose the related link.
  2. On the Numbering FastTab, specify the number series that should be used for automatically assigning numbers to imported electronic documents.
  3. On the eDocument Response FastTab, specify if you want to send document status updates manually or automatically and – for automatic responses – when these should be sent:

    • The fields under eOrder Response are vendor fields that have to do with the sending of sales order updates to customers who have ordered something from you:

      FieldDescription
      Send UpdatesNotify the customer that you've updated the order (in case of price changes, item replacements, etc.). You can choose to send responses manually yourself or have them sent automatically when the document is released or registered, or when the shipment has been posted.
      Send RejectedNotify the customer that you've rejected the sales order. You can choose to send responses manually yourself or have them sent automatically when the order is rejected.

    • The fields under eBilling Response are customer fields that relate to the sending of business responses to vendors who have sent invoices or credit memos to you:

      FieldDescription
      Send in ProcessNotify the vendor that you're processing the received document. You can choose to send responses manually yourself or have them sent automatically when the document is imported, registered, or approved.
      Send AcceptedNotify the vendor that you've accepted the received document. You can choose to send responses manually yourself or have them sent automatically when the document is registered, released, or posted.
      Send RejectedNotify the vendor that you've rejected the received document. You can choose to send responses manually yourself or have them sent automatically when the document is rejected.
  4. Optional: If you want to view and/or edit one or more XML structures, do as follows:
    1. In the action bar, select XML Structures to open the XML Structures page.
    2. In the list of XML structures, select the one that you want to view or edit, and then select Edit in the action bar to open the XML Structure Setup page.
    3. In the action bar, select Open XML Structure to open the XML Structure View page. Here you can view or edit the selected XML structure.

      Note

      We recommend that you avoid editing XML structures unless you're absolutely sure you know what you're doing. If necessary, reach out to your partner for assistance.

  5. Optional: If you've previously made changes to an XML master template stylesheet that you want to import, do as follows:
    1. To export the stylesheet, choose the Search icon, enter Document Categories, and then choose the related link.
    2. To open the document category whose stylesheet you want to export, select the relevant line (not the code itself), and then select Edit in the action bar.
    3. On the Templates FastTab, in the list of templates, select the relevant master template, and then select Edit to open the template card.
    4. In the action bar, select Actions > Xml > Export Stylesheet to export the stylesheet.
    5. To import the exported stylesheet, go to the XML Structure Setup page that you opened in step 4 above.
    6. Select Actions > Stylesheet > Import Stylesheet to import the stylesheet.
    7. If the stylesheet is a ZIP file, go to Stylesheet Main Filename and enter the name of the main stylesheet file to be used.

Continia eDocuments has now been set up, and you're ready to set up customers and vendors. This process is described in Setting up Customers and Vendors. Note that you must also set up the Continia Delivery Network, unless this has been done at an earlier stage.