iDocuments AP User Guide

First published on: 09/08/2023/7:52 pm

Introduction

Overview

iDocuments Purchasing includes a purchase-to-pay processing module for purchase orders, goods receipts, and AP invoices.  This guide will focus on the AP Processing.

Logging in

iDocuments is accessible via a standard internet browser using the required URL

This will be either: https://production.idocuments.io/ or https://productionuk.idocuments.io/ depending on your implementation

Enter your username along with the password credentials provided and click Sign in.

If MFA is enabled, then the authentication code would also be required

AP Invoice Process Overview

Step 1           Purchase order creation and approval in SAP or iDocuments

Step 2           Goods receipts notes created in SAP or iDocuments

Step 3           Purchase invoice and credit notes processed in iDocuments

Home Screen/Dashboard

The following dashboard screen shows the typical functions available under the Purchasing menu. Your menu items are determined by your profile setup.

Customized dashboards for each user are company-dependent, with these fields:

• Company — Top right dropdown list for selection of available companies
• Pending tasks/due for submission/overdue — All outstanding tasks awaiting action
• Summary — Graphical summary of all outstanding tasks 
• Key performance indicators — KPI reports 
• Recent — Recently accessed forms
• Favourites — Forms you've set as favourites

Approvers will see a summary of documents requiring approval in their Pending Tasks. Click the link to see the list, then drill down to review and approve.

AP users' main options are:

1. Purchase invoice scans: These scans are obtained through OCR, so their status is marked as ‘OCR Scan’. They haven't been processed by AP users and are pending further action.
2. Submit PI: The AP user has started processing the invoice but saved the document without completing the process; it's now in a ‘Draft’ status, waiting to be submitted.
3. Purchase invoices pending: The invoice PDF requires OCR training.

Important: If an invoice received through OCR matches a PO but the GRN is missing, you'll need to go to View Purchase Invoices and search for invoices with the ‘Awaiting GRN’ status, as you can't complete any tasks until the GRN is available.

AP Purchase Invoice Functions

Understanding the Rapid Entry invoice options

1. Upload - Infrequently used to upload lines as the OCR process or the GRN lines are used to populate lines.
2. Update - Updates a line from the header level tab.
3. Delete - Deletes a line selected at the grid level.
4. Add line - Adds a line from the header level tab. Details are added to the tab, and after you click "add line", the details are added to the grid.
5. Line costs - Allows you to enter freight information linked to lines.
6. Add costs - Saves entries after you enter freight information (additional costs) at the header level.
7. Previous - Takes you to the previous line using the header level tab.
8. Next - Takes you to the next line using the header level tab.
9. OCR training required - Forces training for the current supplier, so the next invoice requires training to correct issues.
10. Trace invoice - Emails the PO creator, changes the invoice to 'Queried' status, and adds a comment about the trace.
11. Close - Closes the tab. Note: It's critical to use this, as the invoice can remain locked to the user if the tab is closed any other way, e.g. via closing tab or session timeout.
12. Tolerance data - When there's a 3-way match (purchase order-receipt-invoice) and you've set up a tolerance, this displays the differences.
13. Submit - Sends the invoice for required approvals and then to the finance system.
14. Save from grid - Saves changes you made to the grid. (If you make changes, you must save them.)
15. Save - Saves the invoice as a draft for later submission.

Receiving AP invoices from suppliers

The 'purchase invoice scans' homepage link presents a list of scanned invoice images that are ready to code and match.

A scan is selected from the list of purchase invoices ready for PO/PI matching and will open the rapid entry form.

Invoices will be pre-populated in the Rapid Entry form. The scanned invoice is shown on the right-hand side of the form.

When the supplier field is populated, either with the iDocuments invoice data capture application or by being manually selected by the user, the PO number field will list that supplier's open purchase orders that have been fully approved and have a GRN. For each PO number available, the GRN number, PO amount, and GRN amount will appear.

Once the PO is selected, the purchase order will be automatically pulled into the rapid entry form, with the header fields pulled into the header tab and the line field details pulled into the line tab. The group the order was created from will also be pulled in (this will determine the approval workflow). The rapid entry user will add data that hasn't been captured during the scanning and capture process.

Tick box options are available for pro forma, pre-payment, and downpayment.

If the purchase invoice matches the purchase order

If the PI matches the PO exactly, the user enters the gross value in the 'Gross' field and the 'Balance' field, which must display as “0” before submitting.

When purchase invoices match or are within tolerance, they'll be automatically approved, and the purchase order creator will receive an email alert.

Tolerance is controlled by two settings: Tolerance percent and tolerance maximum value. These can be controlled at line level or header level. Item-based documents will fail a tolerance check on quantity.

If the purchase invoice doesn't match the purchase order

The purchase order lines in the line tab of the rapid invoice form may be edited to reconcile values such as quantity, price, or number of units.

If the increase in value is out of tolerance, this will trigger the PI approval process and the PI will be sent through the purchase invoice approval workflow before it can be approved or rejected.

If the purchase invoice part matches the purchase order

If an order is delivered in part or set up as a call-off order by editing the purchase order details to reflect the part-order, it may be part-receipted.

The user can keep the order for further invoices or close it. If the order is kept open, the remainder of the purchase order that hasn't been receipted will still be available for further matching against subsequent purchase invoices until the full value of the purchase order has been receipted.

If there is no purchase order

Video: How to Enter an Invoice Without a PO (Rapid Invoice Entry)

Users will select a scan to edit or add the required invoice details, excluding the purchase order number. The purchase invoice may be routed for approval according to the rules set.

Tracing an invoice

If a purchase invoice is received without a purchase order number, and it's not clear which group it should be allocated to, the Trace Invoice function can be used to send a copy to select iDocuments users for confirmation of ownership.

The PI will appear on the purchase invoices list as 'Queried', and any comments entered into the trace invoice screen will be recorded in the comments tab, along with an audit of the users who received the trace invoice query.

Tax rounding issues

The header amount can vary depending on how the supplier calculates the tax versus iDocuments, so if there are any rounding differences then these will need to be corrected by altering the net or tax amounts from the line pane (editing the line amounts as required).  For US/Canada entities, the tax is also managed within the tax jurisdictions, so refer to the Tax Jurisdiction user guide for further information.

To achieve this, you can select the magnifying glass icon on the grid to edit that line in the header pane.

Make the required changes and then select the ‘Update’ button, which will then update the grid.

Press Save from Grid and check the balance is 0.00 before submitting

Downpayment invoices

In iDocuments, if 'Downpayment Invoice' is selected, it will post as an AP downpayment invoice against predefined GL accounts for downpayment. The predefined accounts are configured in iDocuments with a company setting.

Credit notes

Credit notes will be created using the rapid invoice entry form and follow the same approval process as purchase invoices.

Purchasing Reports

Purchasing > Purchasing Reports

iDocuments provides several standard Purchasing Reports and KPI Reports. All reports that show line-level details can be queried by analysis code. All reports are exportable to Microsoft Excel.

Reports are selected from the dropdown list and may be filtered by report name, supplier, status, and date range.

Reports can be further filtered and sorted by column. The report form layout may also be edited by the drag-and-drop option and saved for future use.

241008 - Added clarification on tax rounding

250130 - Added notes on Rapid invoice button options

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