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What is a UBL invoice and what processing challenges are involved?

You hear the term “UBL invoice” thrown around more and more. UBL is a movement on the rise. The topic was put firmly on the map early this year when the government required suppliers to submit invoices digitally in UBL format. We think this is a very nice initiative and so we embrace it. Since Whitevision helps organizations work more efficiently, such a standard also raises our curiosity. To adapt our solution to UBL, we delved into the subject. What is a UBL invoice? What challenges do you face when trying to process an UBL invoice? And how do you confront them? We tell you all about it in this blog.

What is a UBL invoice?

UBL stands for Universal Business Language. Financial systems use this standard to read and send UBL invoices. In an ideal world, everyone would send and receive invoices in UBL format – or, in other words, work with a type of xml file that defines an agreed-upon structure. But we are far from that point. The reality is that there are several UBL versions, such as UBL 1.0, UBL 2.0 and the SI-UBL used by the government. There is even a party, UBL Chain Test, that provides services that allow you to see if packages meet the standard.

In short, there is a lot of variety in the supposedly simple UBL invoice. As a result, new challenges loom. Which ones exactly are these?

What are the challenges in processing a UBL file?

Processing UBL invoices raises issues. In any case, keep the following points in mind!

  1. Although the UBL standard has been around for some time, not all financial systems have adopted it. A UBL invoice creates the illusion that you can work completely digitally, but usually you will still have to perform the necessary manual work to convert a UBL invoice to a proper entry and to link the PDF to the entry.
  2. After reading a UBL invoice, you are far from done. You need to take actions to convert the UBL file to an actual entry in your system. To ensure proper capture in your system, it is essential to distribute purchase invoices across multiple general ledger accounts or cost centers. When you receive an UBL invoice, it is still done manually.
  3. The UBL standard cannot always be called a standard because there are different versions of it. Even if you have the ability to read a UBL invoice digitally, it can sometimes mean that you still have to make corrections manually in the entry.
  4. By no means all invoices arrive digitally and/or with a UBL file. So always keep this in mind: make sure you also have a method of handling this flow of incoming invoices. And don’t forget attachments such as receipts.
  5. To properly process a UBL invoice, you must not only read the data. You also want the image of the invoice (the pdf document) to be easily retrievable in your financial system. But not all ERP solutions handle this with the same ease.
  6. Make sure you have a good workflow. If you process UBL invoices digitally, it is very laborious to send them around manually by e-mail so they can go through an approval process (and printing them out is completely out of the question). A digital approval system – or, a workflow – is actually indispensable in this case.

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How do you tackle “UBL challenges”?

Start by creating a solid foundation: set up your system in such a way that it allows you to process not only UBL invoices, but also non-UBL invoices digitally. In other words, make sure you can scan invoices received by mail and submit PDF purchase invoices received by mail to your OCR solution. The latter should be able to add the UBL standard for you. In short, set up ports to read paper, PDF and UBL invoices.

In addition, find a method by which you can quickly and conveniently convert digitally received invoices into a posting proposal that fits into your financial system. In other words, provide a simple solution that helps you itemize lines, match them with a purchase order or transact for proper monitoring. Also invest in a workflow solution that allows you to efficiently and easily submit digitally received non-UBL and UBL invoices to the appropriate approver so that they can approve the invoice plus proposal entry.

Efficient processing of UBL invoices and all other purchase invoices

UBL is a standard that works well overall, but still falls short at the detail level for many organizations. If you regularly receive UBL invoices, the first step is to investigate how to read them into your financial system. Depending on the amount of invoices you receive, the complexity of your entries and the number of suppliers you have, you can assess whether the standard functionality of your existing system is sufficient. In some cases, this will certainly be true. But often specific solutions like Whitevision’s can help you achieve even greater efficiencies.

How? Through certain functions, such as recognizing lines and matching them with the open receipts of a purchase order, automatically enriching a UBL file with posting lines, automatically reading and presorting incoming invoices (with Whitevisions Email Handler) and linking receipts.

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  • Easily process UBL invoices

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Getting started with UBL invoices?

Would you like to get started with these features to make processing a UBL invoice a lot easier? Or does your system not (yet) read UBL invoices, but you do feel the need to process invoices digitally? Whitevision offers solutions that integrate with various financial systems. Feel free to contact us. We will be happy to discuss the possibilities with you!

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With a (web) demo, you can quickly and easily see what benefits our solution brings you.

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With a (web) demo, you can quickly and easily see what benefits our solution brings you.

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