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.
Processing electronic invoices works for one e-invoice per email attachment. If multiple invoices are attached to one email, they must be stored individually.
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). Generally, it is 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 will be empty.
The unsupported field types are the following:
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.