Consolidated Invoicing early adopter testing user guide
| To go back to the overview, see Consolidated Invoicing early adopter release overview. |
To test the current version of the Consolidated Invoicing feature, perform the steps described in this guide.
Creating new invoice blueprints
An invoice blueprint is a self-service configuration that defines the recurring structure of an invoice, including its schedule, suppliers, data types, and fields, for automatic invoice generation. Automate your invoice creation by creating custom invoice blueprints.
Steps
-
Log in to your Professional tenant.
-
From the left navigation, go to .
-
Click the Create New Blueprint button in the right-hand top corner.
-
Populate all sections of the Create Invoice Blueprint form:
Step 1: General Settings
Set the foundational parameters for your invoice blueprint.
You can add only one currency per invoice.
The SFTP transfer will be added as part of the MVP release later this year. However, you can test the Transaction File Format.
Step 2: Billing and Run Scheduling
To align with your invoice cycle and billing needs, configure recurring invoice schedules. The schedules determine when invoices are generated for approved timesheets and expense records. You must specify your billing period end date and its frequency as well as preliminary and final run dates.
Step 3: Invoice configuration
In this section, you specify filters applied to your invoice. You must add one batch per supplier.
When adding batches, specify the data type, such as suppliers, locations, and other filters that define what’s included in the invoice output.
After you add one or more batches containing specific data, you can manage them by selecting the Actions menu (three dots) to the right of the batch name.
Step 4: Transaction Data File columns definition
Select and organize the data fields to include in your invoice transaction file.
Test searching for specific fields, including custom fields, as well as renaming and rearranging the selected fields.
Step 5: Preview (coming later)
This step will be added in a future release. Skip for now.
You will be able to preview a sample of your transaction data file based on the selections in the prior steps and create your new active invoice blueprint.
-
Scroll to the top of the page, and then select Create Blueprint or Save Draft and Close.
Managing invoice blueprints
After you create an invoice blueprint, you can perform actions such as editing, duplicating, activating, or deactivating it. Follow these steps to test each action.
Steps
-
Log in to your Professional tenant.
-
In the left navigation pane, go to .
-
Find the invoice blueprint you want to test, then select the Actions menu (three dots) in the last column.
-
Test the following actions:
-
Select Edit to update blueprint settings.
-
Select Duplicate to create a copy for reuse.
-
Select Activate or Deactivate to control availability for invoice runs and depending on the current status of the blueprint.
-
Reviewing invoice blueprints summary
After you create an invoice blueprint, you can review its summary to confirm that all required data has been entered and is displayed correctly.
Steps
-
Log in to your Professional tenant.
-
In the left navigation pane, go to .
-
Find the invoice blueprint you want to review, then select its name.
-
Select the Details tab.
-
From the Version drop-down list, select the version of the blueprint you want to review. Switch between different versions to review all of them and ensure that all data visible in the Summary section is accurate and complete.
The following fields will be added to the Summary section as part of the MVP release later this year:
-
Invoice Includes: Items included in the invoice; for example, all approved items with spend dates on or before the billing end date.
-
Data Type: Data type included in the invoice; for example, timesheets and expenses.
-
Supplier: Suppliers included in the invoice.
-
-
From the Actions menu (three dots) in the top-right corner of the page, select Edit.
-
On the Edit page, in the blueprint header, from the Version drop-down list, select the blueprint you want to review. Switch between versions to verify that all data is accurate and complete.
The Edit page displays all the details, not just the summary, entered when creating the selected version of the invoice blueprint.
Running ad hoc invoices
After you create, review, and confirm the invoice blueprint information, you can manually trigger an invoice.
Prerequisites
Before running an ad hoc invoice, ensure that approved records exist for all suppliers included in your blueprint batches for the selected billing period.
If needed, create and approve timesheet and expense records with date ranges on or before the billing end date selected for the invoice run.
Steps
-
Log in to your Professional tenant.
-
In the left navigation pane, go to .
-
Select an active blueprint, or activate an inactive blueprint you want to use.
-
Select the Run button in the upper-right corner of the page.
-
In the Run Blueprint window, select Yes, run now.
-
In the Manual Blueprint Run window, choose the billing period end date and the invoice type for this run, and then select Run Blueprint.
The run and its status appear in the blueprint’s Execution History section.
Reviewing produced invoice files
After the invoice you ran displays as Completed, you can download the invoice files for review.
Steps
-
Log in to your Professional tenant.
-
In the left navigation pane, go to .
-
Find the invoice you want to review, and then select its name.
-
Select the Execution History tab.
-
If the Run Status displays Completed, download the file from the Transaction File column.
-
Open and review the downloaded file to ensure that the data matches the invoice setup.
For example, verify that the fields and column headers match, and confirm that the expected approved timesheets and expenses appear for the selected billing period.
You can download each supplier file separately, as well as a single file containing data for all batches included in the blueprint.