Tips & Tricks¶
Integration into your IT Environment¶
Outgoing¶
Rather simple on the outgoing side, just expand your output management at a fitting exit point with a process that fills the additional structure and ships it, maybe with the original data file, maybe separately. Look at the standard definition if no mandatory way of transport is defined there, you are free to ship the data as you see fit. If the original data ships as a pdf, it might be as simple as embedding the additional data. If you transport your original data via mail, the additional xml might just be another attachment to the mail.
Incoming¶
- At one or another point, you need to implement your own processing workflow for additional data constructs. This normally consists of
- detection and identification of additional data
- parsing additional information
- using this information in your business processes
- auditing documentation
Detection can be done either through channeling incoming data, file name lookup scanning incoming pdf for additional attachments and the like.
Parsing of the additional data should be integrated in the same processing step as parsing the basic data structure. That is because normally you transform the original data structure into your very own internal format. The internal invoice object in an ERP system will not be equal to the edifact, or ZUGFeRD pdf it got transmitted with. In most cases internal objects restructure the data during processing, maybe enrich it, maybe even drop unnecessary details. In any way, the reference point that links an item in the additional data structure to a part of the original data will get lost. Thus these links have to be transformed to point at the resulting internal information objects or they need to be directly parsed into the resulting internal object as well. You should take care not to overwrite original with alternative data in your internal structures, the original data will in most cases be the more legally binding one, especially if processing additional data is not forced by any means. There might also arise rounding differences in checksum calculations when using alternative quantities and so forth.
Even if you are not bound by certification auditing rules or some such. If you process additional data for tax or core business relevant processes like checking invoices and paying them, you should set up the auditing documentation of your implementation right away. Chances are high you will need it sooner than later, maybe just because one of your better customers or suppliers has certification needs of his own.