eDocuments Scenarios

The eDocuments Scenarios feature gives you fine-grained control over the content of outgoing electronic documents without writing code. Using a configuration-based framework, you can define exactly which data elements should be included in an XML document, where the values come from, and under what conditions – covering everything from standard invoice fields to country-specific requirements and special payer arrangements such as third-party payment and factoring.

The framework is built around the EN 16931 European invoicing standard, which defines a set of business terms (BT codes) that map to specific fields in XML invoice formats. Because Continia eDocuments tables are aligned with these business terms, a scenario configured for one format – such as UBL or CII – works across all supported formats without additional setup. EXTENDED-CTC business terms specific to national mandates, such as the French ones (EXTENDED-CTC-FR), are also included.

Scenario flows and sets

The starting point is the eDocument Scenario Flows page, which lists the available scenario flows. Each flow represents a use case – for example, a regular invoice, a prepayment invoice, a final invoice, a seller agent arrangement, or a third-party payer. A number of pre-configured flows are provided out-of-the-box, and you can also create your own.

Each flow contains one or more scenario sets, which you manage from the Scenario Flow Sets page. Sets are applied in a defined order, so if two sets affect the same business term, the order determines which value takes precedence.

In each scenario set, you define the business terms that should be populated. For each term you can specify:

• A hard-coded default value.
• A value taken from a specific field on the sales or purchase document (configured via code mapping).
• If a value must be present in order for a document to be posted.

This makes it straightforward to handle requirements such as always including a specific contract reference, routing an invoice to a third-party payer, or flagging a document as a prepayment invoice.

The Automatic Billing Framework checkbox on the eDocument Scenario Flows page controls whether the billing framework value is calculated automatically for each scenario flow. See The billing framework and eDocument Line Types below for details.

Applying a scenario to a document

Once scenario flows are configured, users select the appropriate flow directly on the sales or purchase document before posting. The eDocument Scenario Flow field on the document header provides a dropdown for this selection. A Previous Scenarios link beneath the field shows which flows have been used previously for the same customer or vendor, making it easy to reuse the correct flow for recurring relationships.

Some flows are applied automatically without manual selection. For example, the prepayment invoice flow is triggered automatically when a prepayment invoice is created, based on the scenario flow configuration.

Once the document is posted, the scenario can no longer be changed. The scenario data remains visible on the posted document for reference.

The billing framework and eDocument Line Types

French legislation requires invoices to declare whether they relate to goods, services, or a mixture of both. This is expressed through a set of structured codes in the XML document — for example, B1 for a standard goods invoice, S1 for a services invoice, M1 for a mixed invoice, and B4 for a final invoice following a prepayment. This mechanism can be collectively referred to as the billing framework.

This is handled from the eDocument Line Types page, which defines the mapping between invoice line content and the corresponding billing framework codes. You can configure the mapping by specifying which types of lines – such as item lines – should be classified as goods, and which should be classified as services. Filters can be applied to make the classification more precise.

The billing framework can be enabled at two levels:

• At the scenario flow level, using the Automatic Billing Framework checkbox on the eDocument Scenario Flows page. When enabled, the system inspects the lines of the document at posting and calculates the correct billing framework code automatically based on the eDocuments Line Types configuration.
• At the document level, using the Automatic Billing Framework option on the Record Coding Values page, which is accessible from the sales or purchase document (via the three-dot menu next to the eDocument Scenario Flow field on the document header). Here, the setting is determined by the scenario flow and controls whether automatic billing framework calculation applies to that specific record.

Related information

eReporting for France
Managing Electronic Documents in France