Skip to content

E-Invoicing with SAPfor efficient invoice processes

E-Invoicing with SAPfor efficient invoice processes

E-invoicing and automated processes become more and more important for Financial Accounting, which is in particular due to the current statutory regulations. However, companies should not consider e-invoicing as a mere fulfillment of legal requirements. Electronic processing offers enormous opportunities for automated invoice processes and for increasing their transparency.

You can use the SAP FIS/eInvoicing optimization to quickly and digitally process your inbound and outbound invoices directly in SAP. The software application supports you in exchanging structured electronic invoices when communicating with authorities and business partners.

Understand automation and digitization as an opportunity

Manually complicated tasks in finance and accounting are processed efficiently and sustainably through electronic business processes. Invoices are not sent analogously by mail or fax and passed on through the departments but transferred and processed as digital documents in structured form. Paperless communication enables you to accelerate processing times and use cash discounts, for instance, more effectively. Moreover, you avoid input errors that might occur when manually entering invoice data. Any required information is always available and transferred correctly. 

Your benefits from e-invoicing with FIS

  • Cost savings and sustainability: savings of up to 80 % compared with the paper-based invoice process, e.g. by saving administration and postage costs 
  • Higher cash discounts received and improved liquidity: long dispatch routes are avoided, invoices are paid more rapidly 
  • Time saving through automated processes: quick processing of mass data, reduced processing times of SAP invoices
  • High data quality: avoidance of manual input errors, real-time availability of data in the ERP system 
  • Fully integrated end-to-end processes: automated triggering of subsequent activities, e.g. release or payment 
  • Increased process transparency: all information is available in the SAP system, overview of each current invoice status
  • Fulfillment of legal requirements: compliance requirements, automated meeting of deadlines (e.g. retention period and deletion time limit) 
  • Implementation of international invoice standards: XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, Factur-X, FatturaPA etc.  ·       Consistent financial process between all involved: a clear user interface for all invoice formats and communication paths – also for PDF invoices

Digital Invoice Processing with FIS/eInvoicing

The FIS software solution for invoice management enables the uncomplicated creation and fully automated transmission of e-invoices. As a result, you reliably meet the legal requirements for electronic invoicing – without any development effort on your part. 

No matter the format and the transfer method: classical EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), invoice formats such as XRechnung, Factur-X, ZUGFeRD and InvoicePA/FatturaPA or the communication via e-mail or PEPPOL platform. Even paper invoices can be processed: the OCR recognition software by FIS digitizes the relevant data and translates it into the required format. 

When using the corresponding SAP solution and the FIS/eInvoicing optimization for document processing, the user only works on one central user interface for either incoming or outgoing invoices. It does not matter here via which channel and in what format documents are received or sent. The user also benefits from a standardized procedure when maintaining and assigning target addresses, such as e-mail addresses for instance.

Using the FIS software solution, individual requirements can be taken into account and implemented in the system. Seamless integration into the SAP standard processes is possible as well. In addition, the invoice process can be further automated by AI & machine learning. FI invoices, for instance, are independently classified and assigned to an account, the responsible approver is found and the release process triggered.

Digital Processing of Incoming Invoices – procure-to-pay process

Automated Invoicing – Order-To-Cash Process

Frequently asked questions on e-invoicing

E-invoicing is the term for the creation of electronic inbound and outbound invoices in the company. Invoices are no longer sent in paper form but digitally as electronic documents, such as PDF files or standardized XRechnung formats.

According to EU directive 2014/55/EU, an e-invoice must be created, transmitted and received in a structured electronic format. In addition, the format must enable the automated and electronic processing of an invoice.

XRechnung is a German standard for the electronic transmission of invoice data. Since November 2020, all invoices with an amount greater than € 1,000 have to be transmitted to German federal authorities in this electronic format.

The XRechnung specification describes a structured XML data format and defines how invoice data is to be transferred technically. It is difficult for the accounting clerk to read the invoice document as such. However, it can be visualized by an XSLT file that is also available in the standard version. The format is particularly suitable if the invoice recipients are mainly public ordering parties, such as German authorities.

Some ERP adjustments are necessary for receiving XRechnung invoices and sending them automatically. Legal requirements must be observed as well as country-specific XML formats for international invoice traffic. Different tools such as the FIS/eInvoicing software solution prepare SAP ERP for sending/receiving invoices, convert invoice data from the SAP-specific format into the XRechnung format (and vice versa) and handle data traffic via import or export interfaces.

ZUGFeRD (Central user guide of forum electronic billing Germany) is a hybrid German invoice format consisting of a visual PDF display (i.e. in the PDF/A-3 standard format) and a machine-readable XML file. A fully automated invoice receipt processing is enabled on the basis of an XML file in the specific ZUGFeRD format. ZUGFeRD invoices are often used in wholesale trade.

Factur-X is the French equivalent of the German ZUGFeRD 2.0.

PEPPOL (Pan-European Public Procurement OnLine) is a platform for the worldwide exchange of electronic documents, such as XRechnung. All authorities are obliged to accept invoices via the PEPPOL network. This transfer method is particularly suitable if invoices are regularly sent to official authorities.

The data is sent or received via a certified access point (PEPPOL Access Point). Details such as vendor addresses and used document categories are stored in the PEPPOL network. As a result, documents between business partners can be exchanged specifically and fully automatically.

The implementation time varies according to the intended formats and whether the digitization of inbound and outbound invoices in the company is to be used at home only or also abroad.

First of all, a workshop takes place to accurately assess the FIS implementation efforts for optimizing SAP software. The precise objective is determined and the timeframe defined.

Interested in E-Invoicing with SAP? Request personal consulting

Request now for E-Invoicing with SAP – free of charge and without any obligation!

Kontaktanfrage en

"*" indicates required fields

All fields marked with * are required for ordering and processing. Your person-related data will be used by us solely for the purpose of processing your inquiry according to our data privacy statement.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

More process efficiency with SAP optimizations by FIS

Downloads

Success Story:

ASS-Einrichtungssysteme GmbH Designs Intelligent Processes with E-Invoicing Solution

Flyer:

E-Invoicing – Intelligent invoicing processes with SAP

Make a changeover to SAP E-Invoicing for the electronic processing of your invoices. SAP and the complemental FIS optimizations enable you to fully automate your invoice processes and find orientation in the labyrinth of X & e-invoice, PEPPOL & Co. Please do not hesitate to contact the SAP experts of FIS for further information via e-mail or phone.

Raphael Zundel
Contact Form
Table of Contents
Contact Form

"*" indicates required fields

All fields marked with * are required for ordering and processing. Your person-related data will be used by us solely for the purpose of processing your inquiry according to our data privacy statement.
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.