Using a Connect to Mail configuration created in DocuWare Configuration > General Mail, you can import and process e-invoices sent via email in a GoBD-compliant manner. This setup supports common e-invoice formats in Germany and France (XRechnung, ZUGFeRD, Factur-X), as well as many others, with a single configuration.
Find more information about e-invoicing in DocuWare
Configure e-invoicing with Connect to Mail
To process e-invoices with Connect to Mail, configure the following two elements in DocuWare, always using the same file cabinet:
1. Document Processing: create a configuration
Go to DocuWare Configuration > Document Processing.
Create a configuration using a sample document that complies with the international UBL standard, such as XRechnung or PEPPOL.
Download sample documents from the PEPPOL documentation website in the area Downloads > Example Files.
2. Connect to Mail: Link configuration used for Document Processing
Go to DocuWare Configuration > General Email.
Select the document processing configuration created in step 1 for the option Automatic Document Processing.
If an email with an attached e-invoice is stored according to this configuration, the e-invoice will be processed as defined in the configuration.
With these configurations, all e-invoices such as ZUGFeRD, XRechnung, Factur-X, or Peppol UBL within emails can be processed. To process other e-invoice standards, create a different Document Processing Configuration using the respective standard as a sample document and use it for a different Connect to Mail configuration.
Notes:
Processing works for one e-invoice per email attachment. If multiple invoices are attached to one email, they must be stored individually.
Emails containing PDFs that do not include an XML-based e-invoice cannot be processed with the configuration created for e-invoicing. Store these invoices as PDFs using another configuration and monitor them through a second folder if necessary.
Technical details about e-invoicing with Connect to Mail
Connect to Mail offers the capability to process different e-invoicing standards with a single configuration. To achieve this, the supported document formats are translated to the international UBL standard by a DocuWare transformation service. This translation is performed solely for indexing purposes; the documents themselves are not converted and are stored in their original format.
Known limits:
Connect to Mail: One e-invoice attachment per email if attachments are not split.
Processing Service: Maximum document size is 10MB; XML complexity limits apply.
Transformation Service: Maximum document size is 10MB.
DocuWare: Table fields can only store up to 1000 rows (invoice line items). Large invoices exceeding this limit require special handling.
eInvoice filed types: DocuWare supports all valid EN 16931 fields in both CII and UBL, with two exceptions (listed below). It is generally recommended not to index these particular field types in a file cabinet; however, even if they are indexed, the eInvoice would be processed normally, but those specific fields would be empty.
The unsupported file types listed below apply solely to eInvoice files in CII format:
SupplyChainTradeTransaction.ApplicableHeaderTradeAgreement.SellerTradeParty.ID
SupplyChainTradeTransaction.ApplicableHeaderTradeAgreement.AdditionalReferencedDocument.TypeCode
Frequently asked questions:
Can PDF (non-XML) documents and e-invoices be stored in one configuration?
No, automated setups for handling both PDFs and XML-based invoices simultaneously are not available. We recommend setting up a folder for e-invoices as described and processing emails with PDF documents in a separate folder.
What are the syntaxes CII and UBL?
CII and UBL are official standards/syntaxes used for e-invoices. For example, ZUGFeRD uses CII. XRechnung supports both CII and UBL, though UBL is more common. PEPPOL also uses the UBL syntax.