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Understand the key concepts in e-invoicing, accounts payable and finance — from Peppol and ViDA to validation, formats and archiving.
A
- Access Point (VCP)
- An Access Point – also called a Value Chain Provider – is the digital bridge connecting your business to the global Peppol network for secure e-invoicing.
- Accounting & Financial Statement
- Financial statements provide a systematic overview of a company's transactions. Learn about balance sheets, P&L, and digital accounting.
- Approval workflow
- An approval workflow is the digital route an invoice takes through a company for verification and approval before payment.
- Archiving requirements
- Archiving requirements are the legal mandate for businesses to store accounting records digitally for at least 6 years (depending on the different country).
B
- Bookkeeping
- Bookkeeping is the function responsible for the daily recording of all financial transactions within a business.
- Business Registration Number
- A Business Registration Number is a company's unique identification number—the digital ID used for tax and e-invoicing.
- Buyer Reference
- A buyer reference is a unique code on an invoice used to automatically route it to the correct approver within an organization.
C
- CBC-tag
- In an e-invoice, cbc tags (Common Basic Components) are used to define specific data fields such as amounts, dates, and names.
- Creditor
- A creditor is a person or business to whom money is owed. In accounting, managing creditors is essential for maintaining a healthy cash flow.
- Creditor Ledger
- A creditor ledger (supplier master data) is a structured overview of all suppliers. Learn why accurate master data is crucial for automation.
E
- EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
- EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is the computer-to-computer exchange of business documents in a standard electronic format.
- EHF (Elektronisk Handelsformat)
- EHF (Elektronisk Handelsformat) is the Norwegian standard for electronic invoices and business documents.
- Electronic invoice
- An e-invoice is an invoice sent digitally as structured data (XML), allowing for automatic processing without manual entry.
- ERP system
- An ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system integrates all core business processes, such as accounting, sales, and inventory, into one unified platform.
G
I
- IBAN and SWIFT
- IBAN and SWIFT are international standards used to identify bank accounts and financial institutions for secure global payments.
- Invoice Lifecycle
- The invoice lifecycle is the set of mandatory status updates that track a French e-invoice from submission to payment, giving businesses and tax authorities real-time visibility of every transaction.
- Invoice vs e-invoice
- What is the difference between a traditional invoice and an e-invoice? Learn why a PDF is not a true e-invoice and how much you can save.
L
M
O
P
- Payment terms
- Payment terms define the conditions for invoice settlement, including deadlines, early payment discounts, and late fees.
- PEPPOL
- Peppol is an international network and standard for the secure exchange of electronic invoices and business documents.
- Plateforme Agréée (PA)
- A Plateforme Agréée (PA) is a private service provider certified by the French tax authorities to exchange B2B e-invoices and submit e-reporting data under France's new e-invoicing mandate.
- PPF (Portail Public de Facturation)
- The PPF (Portail Public de Facturation) is France's national invoicing portal, which acts as the central hub for tax data and the official company directory under France's e-invoicing reform.
S
- Schematron validation
- Schematron validation is a rule-based system used to verify the content and logic of XML files, such as e-invoices.
- SIREN / SIRET
- SIREN and SIRET are the official business identification numbers in France. SIREN identifies the company, and SIRET identifies each of its individual establishments or locations.
- SMP (Service Metadata Publisher)
- An SMP (Service Metadata Publisher) is a digital directory in the Peppol network that allows businesses to find each other's technical addresses.
- Structured data
- Structured data is information organized in a fixed format, allowing machines to read it directly without scanning or manual interpretation.
V
- VANS network
- A VANS (Value Added Network) is a private network for EDI exchange. Learn why businesses are migrating from legacy VANS to Peppol.
- VAT Accounting
- VAT accounting is the process of recording and reporting the Value Added Tax your business collects and pays.
- ViDA (VAT in the Digital Age)
- ViDA (VAT in the Digital Age) is the EU's most comprehensive VAT reform in decades, digitalizing the VAT system across member states and making structured e-invoicing and digital real-time reporting mandatory for cross-border B2B trade.