Automatically Format eInvoice Data via Mapping Templates

Chrome River's eInvoice mapping template functionality allows you to create templates that convert incoming supplier eInvoice data files from their proprietary format into your organization's specific format via mapping. You can create different templates for each supplier and use them over and over. Once a template has been created, that supplier's eInvoice files can be systematically imported and processed in Chrome River INVOICE directly from their native format.

Note that, while you cannot specify an image to add to each invoice record at the time of creation via mapping templates, you can add an image to the invoice record after it has been created, just as you would with any other invoice record.

The configurable eInvoice business rules that subsequently run when eInvoice data files are processed provide virtually unlimited flexibility in validating data and/or populating data, allowing you to create invoice records that contain both supplier-provided data and data required by your organization. Chrome River's existing line-item compliance- and routing-rule process is integrated within eInvoice, ensuring that the resulting eInvoice records are highlighted for any compliance issues and routed based on invoice-specific conditions for either exception or approval processes.

Access eInvoice Templates Admin

Users with appropriate permissions may access the eInvoice Template admin screen by clicking Admin Settings > Maintenance > eInvoice Templates.

Create a New eInvoice Template

1. To create a new eInvoice template, click the + button.

2. Under File Setup you will define the delimiter (separator) and text qualifier (value containers) so that the system will be able to read the supplier-generated data files you upload.

• Template Name: Give your template a name that will help you distinguish it.
• Delimiter: Select whether a pipe character, a semicolon or a comma is used to delimit data in the supplier-generated data files.
• Text Qualifier: Select whether a single or a double quote is used to specify what is text and what is not.
• Trigger Text: This is the text that will enable your template to be associated with vendor-supplied files. You will place it at the beginning of the name of the files you want this template to be able to process.
• Note: No two templates may have the same trigger text, so you will need to vary the names if you need more than one template per supplier.

3. Next, you may optionally add key invoice header and line item data fields values that you wish to have added by default, including Header-level descriptions and line-item fields like cost codes, GLs and matters.

• Header Defaults: Use the drop-down boxes to search for and select the appropriate name, address and/or requester. You may also enter a Check Memo and a Description. All of these are optional.

• Line-Item Defaults: Use the drop-down boxes to select a default expense type, cost code and/or allocation. All of these are optional.

4. Click NEXT.

5. Upload a sample data file from your supplier to map it to Chrome River's format. At this time, all supplier files must be pipe-, semicolon- or comma-delimited; tab-delimited files cannot be accepted.

• Uploaded File: Click ADD ATTACHMENTS to select the desired file.
• Header Included: If the first row of the data file contains column header information, select YES.
• Note: When mapping, if you specify that your mapping file has a column header, the app assumes all subsequent files have a header.

6. Once you have uploaded a sample data file, the Data Mapping section will populate the data to allow you to map the supplier's column names to Chrome River's names. Then every file with the trigger text at the beginning of its name that is uploaded to Chrome River's FTP server will automatically be mapped to the correct format for processing.

• Column: The number of each column in the data file.
• Column Name: The field names provided by your supplier if the file has a header row. Every column name in the header must be fewer than 50 characters long.
• Sample Data: The data values from the supplier's file.
• Chrome River Mapping: The Chrome River equivalent of each field name. See Chrome River Mapping, below, for more details.
• Format: The way the data is formatted, if applicable. See Chrome River Mapping, below, for more details.

Chrome River Mapping

The Data Mapping section allows you to manually map each header or line item value provided by the supplier to its equivalent in Chrome River.

1. Use the drop-down menu on each line to select the Chrome River Mapping value.

• If there is no equivalent, select NONE.
• Only the Invoice Number is required to be mapped, but it is helpful to map as many fields as possible.

2. Certain data fields require you to specify the way they are formatted (e.g., to indicate the order of month and day in a date). These may be selected from the Format drop-down menu.

• If a data field requires no special format, the only option will be ANY STRING.

3. You must click SAVE after each row is mapped or the changes won't take effect.

4. See Uploading eInvoice Data, below, for complete instructions on using your new eInvoice template.

Deleting an eInvoice Template

1. To delete a template, select it in the list and click DELETE.

2. Click DELETE in the confirmation pop-up window.

Uploading eInvoice Data

Once the template has been saved and the corresponding eInvoice rules have been configured, you can submit the supplier-generated files that the eInvoice mapping template will read and transform into a format that the Chrome River application can process.

1. Be sure the supplier-generated file name starts with the appropriate trigger text you included during template creation.

2. Place the supplier-generated data file on your Chrome River-provided FTP site in the appropriate location: /files/eInvoice/[environment]

• Note: [environment] corresponds to the environment you want the eInvoice file to be created in.
• To test the file first, place it in the QA/UAT folder (if your organization has one).
• To submit the file, place it in the Prod folder.

The eInvoice mapping process runs every few minutes, scanning these locations for text files that match any of the trigger text you may have specified in your company’s eInvoice mapping templates. These files will be picked up and transformed via the template you created. The appropriate rules will run, and notifications will be emailed to indicate whether the batch ran successfully and the invoice record has been created inside Chrome River.