PI - Portugal Informático’s E-Billing Connector was created in order to respond to the requirements of large organisations, using technology integrated with your ERP. The E-Billing Connector manages electronic invoices throughout their lifecycle: from digitally certifying the document, to sending, acknowledging receipt, and maintaining personalised document and e-mail settings for each customer in your database.

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PI - Portugal Informático E-Billing Connector
Contents
Business........................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction............................................................................................................. 4
Installation and Implementation.......................................................................... 6
Incentives ................................................................................................................ 9
Technical........................................................................................................................ 12
Installation............................................................................................................. 12
Implementation and Security ............................................................................. 15
Product Help ................................................................................................................. 20
Configuration......................................................................................................... 20
Customers ............................................................................................................. 23
Packages................................................................................................................ 24
Legal............................................................................................................................... 28
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Business
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Business
Introduction
o What is an electronic invoice?
An electronic invoice is a document which can be sent electronically, whilst
keeping the same legal value and authenticity as the original paper invoice.
Sending and receiving electronic invoices enables businesses to reduce costs
through immediate delivery and guaranteed receipt of invoice documents.
o What is wrong with my current EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) or paper
solution?
PI – Portugal Informático believes that many businesses suffer from similar
problems with their invoicing solutions.
• Those using paper-based systems risk having their invoices lost or ignored.
• Those using EDI solutions rely on their clients logging in to potentially
insecure, external machines to render the invoices valid.
• Using EDI solutions forces both senders and receivers to ensure that their
systems can cooperate, which places significant limits on the technology
available to them.
• For many small companies, the cost of implementing this kind of system is
prohibitive, particularly if they send invoices to several different clients,
each one potentially using different solutions.
• E-Billing Connector provides PI’s customers with an innovative and cost-
effective alternative, which will in turn save their clients time and money.
o What is the E-Billing Connector? Why was it created? What is it made up of?
What are its functions?
PI - Portugal Informático’s E-Billing Connector was created in order to respond to
the requirements of large organisations, using technology integrated with your
ERP. The E-Billing Connector manages electronic invoices throughout their life-
cycle: from digitally certifying the document, to sending, acknowledging receipt,
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and maintaining personalised document and e-mail settings for each customer in
your database.
o Is PI e-BC a third-party product or an integrated solution? Does it replace or
extend my current invoicing solution?
The E-Billing Connector is a service which is installed within your application
environment, to be used only by your own employees, without external
interference between the invoice system and your clients. PI - Portugal
Informático offers a stand-alone solution as well as an integrated solution,
depending on your likely invoice output.
o What is a Custom Integration Component? Why do I need one? How does it
link the e-BC to my ERP?
The Custom Integration Component functions as the link between the client’s ERP
or Document Management systems, and the E-Billing Connector implementation.
The E-Billing Connector uses the Custom Integration Component to scan for any
new invoices that have been sent by the ERP. Meanwhile, the Custom Integration
Component maintains the status of any invoice receipts that have been received
by the E-Billing Connector. Thus, all information that is managed by the E-Billing
Connector can be seen on your ERP or Document Management system.
o What does it mean for documents to be digitally signed? Why is this done?
Electronic invoice documents can be digitally signed by the sender using a certified
key, before being sent to the recipient. Once a document has been signed, it will
remain signed as long as the document is not altered. This allows the recipient to
confirm that the invoice they have received has not been modified since being
sent, thus maintaining its validity.
o What is a virtual printer?
A virtual printer is a program residing on your system which can convert the data
you input into the E-Billing Connector about the invoice, and its intended recipient,
into a legally valid electronic invoice, using a digital certificate to sign the
document.
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o Where can I get more information?
Please contact:
PI - Portugal Informático
Rua Dr. Aires Borges, 41
4150 – 033 Porto
Portugal
Tel: +351.225323540
Fax: +351.225323549
geral@pi-co.com
www.pi-co.com
Installation and Implementation
o Will I have to restructure my invoicing/financial/technology team?
No – the E-Billing Connector will not require any teams to be restructured.
o How long does the E-Billing Connector take to install? How long does it take to
test?
On average, the E-Billing Connector is installed and fully tested in approximately
one month.
o How many people do I need to provide to help the installation process?
Usually 1 to 3 people is enough.
o Will my clients need to use PI software as well?
No - your clients do not need to use PI software in order to receive your electronic
emails.
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o How many people will I need to train to use/maintain the E-Billing Connector?
How long will the training take?
The training model for the E-Billing Connector is composed by a team of 1 or 2 E-
Billing Connector specialists for an estimated audience of 4 people. The training
period depends on the complexity of the integration process. One day would
usually suffice for the standalone version. For more complex integration projects it
may take from 2 to 4 days of training.
o Will I need to pay for ongoing support/training services from PI?
No – you are not required to pay for ongoing support or training services, but you
may optionally choose to do so.
o Can I monitor the performance of the E-Billing Connector? Is it out of my
control once it has been installed?
Yes – the performance of the E-Billing Connector is easily managed through its
central administration site.
o Can I add my own custom information to the invoices I send to my clients?
Yes – you can add custom fields to the attached XML document, and you can
choose to attach further documents to your clients if their systems require them.
o Can I continue to send my clients invoice receipts in Excel/other format?
Yes – you can continue to send the data from invoice documents in other formats,
but to ensure the legality of the electronic invoice, you must attach both the
invoice itself and its accompanying XML file.
o Can I continue to use my own PDF converter?
Yes – you can choose to use your own PDF converter, or you can use the
converter that PI - Portugal Informático supply with the E-Billing Connector.
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o How does the E-Billing Connector integrate with my other application platforms
such as Document Management, CRM, etc.?
The nature of the integration, by its nature, will change from project to project.
During the development of the Custom Integration Component both the client and
PI will have teams responsible for the integration of the E-Billing Connector with
the existing technology platform.
o Will I need to change my SAP/Oracle/other application platform?
No – PI - Portugal Informático works with market-leading partners to ensure that
the E-Billing Connector will integrate with your current application platform.
o Will I still need a physical invoice filing system – from a legal point of view or
from an internal security point of view?
You are required to maintain a copy of all your invoices, whether on paper or on
your ERP system, for at least ten years.
o Will my clients need to replace/update their systems?
No – your clients can continue to use their current systems, as long as they are
able to access a dedicated e-mail account.
o Will my clients need to start using PI’s/my new document protocols?
No – the document metadata protocols can be customised for each client.
o Will the PI team have access to my confidential databases?
No – during the development process the client’s own team is responsible for their
current ERP systems; PI will only have access to its own software.
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o For what length of time will PI make available technical resource and/or
manpower during and after the installation of e-BC?
PI will provide support for up to one year after installation for technical problems
with the product only.
o What will the role of PI’s partner be in the implementation process?
When developing the Custom Integration Component, PI will be responsible for
developing the links with the E-Billing Connector, and a team made up of PI’s
client and/or partner will be responsible for developing the links with the current
ERP system. The nature of that team will depend on the technology used by PI’s
client, and therefore the technical expertise that is required.
Incentives
o When will I see a return on investment (ROI)?
A small company is likely to see a return on investment in one year. A larger
company, with a higher volume of invoices, is likely to see a return on investment
of less than a year.
o What are the other benefits to be gained by using the E-Billing Connector?
• You will immediately reduce your mailing costs by implementing the E-
Billing Connector: costs for paper, envelopes, stamps and the staff hired to
carry out the mailing of physical invoices are eliminated.
• Those staff can then be used for higher-value work.
• You will save the time taken to send paper invoices through the post, and
in turn receive your money faster, allowing you to reinvest earlier.
• You guarantee that your invoices will arrive.
• You will save your customers time and money: they will no longer require
prohibitively large physical archives, and you can automatically send them
XML files which dramatically decrease the amount of time they must spend
manually recording information.
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• You will demonstrate to your clients that you are open to innovative
solutions by using new technology, which significantly outpaces the market
average.
o How does E-Billing Connector help me reduce errors?
PI - Portugal Informático’s E-Billing Connector automates the process of sending
and receiving invoices, throughout their life-cycle. It allows a high level of
customisation particular to each client; it guarantees sending and receipt of
digitally signed documents; and it manages e-mail templates and document
settings across your organisation. Your organisation will benefit from knowing that
invoices will no longer be lost, ignored or undelivered.
o What is the payment structure – one-off payment or per month? Or am I
charged per document I send?
There is a single, one-off fee. You are not charged per document.
o Is there a greater risk of fraud in implementing the E-Billing Connector?
No – the E-Billing Connector is integrated into your existing application
environment in order to help mitigate the risks of fraud. Your electronic invoice
solution will reside on your system, and be accessed only by your employees. The
security of your invoice database will be entirely protected from external parties.
o How many invoices per hour can e-BC send reliably?
The E-Billing Connector can comfortably send out 1200 invoices per hour.
o What is the minimum number of invoices I should be sending out for e-BC to
be worthwhile?
The greatest benefits of E-Billing Connector are found when you are sending a
minimum of 50 invoices per month. If those invoices are sent internationally, the
figure will correspondingly be less, because of the extra time and money that will
be saved.
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Technical
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Technical
Installation
o Will I have to change my current ERP?
No – PI - Portugal Informático works with market-leading partners to ensure that
the E-Billing Connector will integrate with your current application platform.
o Does it matter which e-mail client I am using?
No – E-Billing Connector only requires that you use a dedicated email address; it
does not matter which e-mail client you use to access it.
o Do I need to set up a new e-mail address for invoices?
No - you may continue to use your existing e-mailing address for invoices if you
already have one, but you should discontinue using it as a general-purpose e-mail
address if applicable. If you do not currently use an e-mail address for sending
invoices, you will have to set one up.
o Will I need to replace my database?
No – the E-Billing Connector will function alongside any existing ERP or Document
Management database.
o What are the technical requirements for the E-Billing Connector?
The software requirements for E-Billing Connector are:
• Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0;
• Microsoft SQL Server Database;
• Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows 2003 Server;
• Microsoft Internet Information Services with ASP.NET;
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 (to access the Administration Web-Site).
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The hardware requirements for E-Billing Connector are:
• 1 GB or greater RAM;
• 50 GB or greater Hard-disk space;
• Intel Pentium III or greater;
• TCP/IP access to the SQL Server Database;
• TCP/IP access to an STMP server with DSN (Delivery Status Notification)
o Will the installation reside on PI servers or my own servers?
Yes – E-Billing Connector will be installed on your own internal servers, and will be
accessed only by your own employees.
o Does e-BC require any particular security settings for the server?
No – the server does not require any particular security settings.
o How many users can be configured for e-BC?
Any number of users can be configured for the E-Billing Connector. The only limit
on the number of users is your own resource.
o What are the technical requirements for the integration component?
The software requirements for the integration component are:
• Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0;
• Microsoft SQL Server Database;
• Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows 2003 Server;
• Microsoft Internet Information Services with ASP.NET;
• Full Control access to the shared data deposit folder of your ERP.
The hardware requirements for the integration component are:
• 512 MB or greater RAM;
• 10 GB or greater Hard-disk space;
• Intel Pentium III or greater;
• TCP/IP access to the SQL Server Database;
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o Where must the digital signature certificate be installed?
The digital signature certificate must be installed on the E-Billing Connector
administrator’s local machine.
o Do I need to install one version of E-Billing Connector for each area of my
business (Marketing, IT, Development, etc.)?
No – you can install a single copy of E-Billing Connector then configure separate
“instances” for each business area.
o Will new versions of PI software be released if the law with regards to
electronic invoices changes? Will I have to pay for the new versions as well?
If the law changes in such a way that the PI software you have paid for no longer
complies PI will update your version of E-Billing Connector without further charge
only if the change occurs within a year of installation.
o Does my email server have to be based in my physical location, or can I be
using a server provided by my Internet Service Provider (ISP)?
No – your email server does not have to be based in your physical location.
o How do I access the administration site? Do I have to be on my internal
network or can I access it anywhere over the internet?
The administration site can be accessed anywhere through the internet, provided
that you have allowed the appropriate access into your server.
o How many people should have access to the administration site? What kind of
security precautions are there on the access?
The number of people that have access to the administration site will depend on
the structure of your technical team. Each user will have a username and
password.
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o Do I have to be using a POP3 email system? Can I use IMAP4?
You can use either POP3 or IMAP4.
Implementation and Security
o Who will be responsible for documentation (in particular for the integration
component)?
PI will be responsible for the documentation for the project specification and the
links between the Custom Integration Component and the E-Billing Connector; the
client will be responsible for the documentation about their own development of
the links between the Custom Integration Component and their application
platform.
o Will documentation be provided in Portuguese? Will all the products be in
Portuguese or in English?
The product can be installed in either Portuguese or English. The documentation
can be provided in Portuguese, if the client is in Portugal, or in English, if the
client is outside of Portugal.
o What types of file will my ERP deposit for each invoice? What will the filename
structure be?
The ERP will deposit two files with the following names:
<year>_<month>_<day>_<hour>_<minute>_<second>_<millisecond>.pdf
<year>_<month>_<day>_<hour>_<minute>_<second>_<millisecond>.xml
Each field in the filename should have two digits, with the exception of the year
(four digits) and the millisecond (also four digits). For example:
2006_12_08_13_04_53_0242.pdf
2006_12_08_13_04_53_0242.xml
o How large are the files – how large will my invoice archive have to be?
The installation requires 50 GB of hard-disk space in order to store all the
necessary files during the electronic invoice process.
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o How are files validated within the database folders? How are sharing errors
identified and resolved?
Each .pdf and .xml file in the database is checked against its counterpart. If a
sharing error occurs in one of the two files, the integration component will ignore
the opened version of that file and its counterpart. Such sharing errors will not,
however, cause the removal of the files from the database.
o Which file-type is used for sending metadata to my clients?
Electronic invoice metadata is sent in an accompanying XML document.
o How is the configuration file formatted? Which elements are obligatory and
which are optional? What are the limits on each input?
The following indicative example shows a standard XML document.
<?xml version=“1.0” encoding=“utf-8” ?>
<configuration>
<url></url>
<folderLocation></folderLocation>
<scannerTiming type=“hourly | periodic” />
<hourlyConfiguration>
<hour>19:34</hour>
<hour>13:34</hour>
<hour>14:23</hour>
…
</hourlyConfiguration>
<periodicConfiguration>
<numberOfUnits type=“minutes|hours|days”>10</numberOfDays>
</periodicConfiguration>
</configuration>
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The integration component validates the configuration document according to the
following:
• The elements <configuration>, <scannerTiming>, <url> and
<folderLocation> are obligatory;
• There must be an “hourly” element with the type of <scannerTiming>, or a
“periodic” element with the type of <periodicConfiguration>;
• The file is not considered invalid if it has both <periodicConfiguration> and
<scannerTiming> elements;
• If an <hourlyConfiguration> element exists, it must be accompanied by an
<hour> element, which can be any number, without limit;
• Each <hour> element must be contained within one line, without leading
or trailing spaces, with 4 digits, separated in the middle by a colon. The
first two digits represent the hour (00 to 23); the last two digits represent
the minutes (00 to 59);
• The order of the <hour> elements is irrelevant;
• If a <periodicConfiguration> element exists, it must be subordinated by
<numberOfUnits>;
• The <numberOfUnits> element must be without leading or trailing spaces,
and within the interval of 1 to 9999. The attribute type must be one of the
following possible values: minutes, hours or days.
o How often does e-BC scan my invoice database? Is the scanning done at
specific times or periodically?
The frequency of scanning is governed by the integration component’s
configuration file.
o What is Strong Private Key Protection? Why must it be disabled?
Strong Private Key Protection is a setting which provides extra protection for the
private key embedded on the digital certificate. When you try to use a digital
certificate with strong private key protection the system will always prompt you for
a password that you provided when you installed the digital certificate for the first
time on your local machine. However, the digital signing process is a background
process, so it is not possible to ask user to provide a password. Therefore, the
strong private key protection must be disabled.
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o Can I provide my own email template or do I have to use the existing PI ones?
You can use your own template or use or alter the PI templates as you wish.
o How will e-BC work with my network security settings?
Since we are designing access security features for the central administration web
site, it is expected that we might need the network credentials from the user in
order to validate whether the user should be allowed or denied access to the web
site. However, the current release of E-Billing Connector does not require any
particular considerations about security or access control to the web site.
o Will the PI team have access to my confidential databases?
No – the E-Billing Connector is installed on your internal servers, so only your
employees will have access to your own data.
o Is there any way to backup my database of electronic invoices?
Yes – backups can be made of the archive stored the E-Billing Connector, just as
they can be made from your ERP or Document Management services.
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Product
Help
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Product Help
Configuration
o How do I update my email account settings? Do I need to reinstall if my email
address changes?
Go to the Configuration page on the Central Administration Site, and click on Email
Account Settings. Here you can update the registered email address if it changes.
o Where can I update my server port information?
Go to the Configuration page on the Central Administration Site, and click on Email
Account Settings.
o Where can I change the username and password for my SMTP server?
Go to the Configuration page on the Central Administration Site, and click on Email
Account Settings.
o How do I select a digital certificate for my pdf files? Can I use different
certificates for different instances? How can I change these preferences?
Go to the Configuration page on the Central Administration Site, and click on
Digital Certificate and Postscript Options. You may use different certificates for
different instances, but each certificate must be installed on the relevant
administrator’s local machine.
o If I have my own postscript interpreter how do I configure e-BC to use it?
Go to the Configuration page on the Central Administration Site, and click on
Digital Certificate and Postscript Options.
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o What is the default installation path for the postscript interpreter supplied with
e-BC?
The default path is:
Programsgsgs8.53bingswin32c.exe
o Where should I direct my questions if I encounter problems with the postscript
interpreter supplied by PI?
You must contact PI in case of any problems with the postscript interpreter
supplied with the E-Billing Connector.
o Can I change the postscript interpreter arguments?
Yes - go to the Configuration page on the Central Administration Site, and click on
Digital Certificate and Postscript Options.
o Can I use different arguments/interpreters/etc. for different instances?
Yes – you can change these settings for each instance.
o What are the default settings for the postscript options?
The default postscript options settings are as follows:
-q -dSAFER -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOutputFile=%1 -
dCompatibilityLevel=1.4 -dPDFSETTINGS=/screen -c .setpdfwrite -f %2
o How do I set my email delivery and reception options?
Go to the Configuration page on the Central Administration Site, and click on Email
Delivery and Reception Settings.
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o Do I need to set up a different email address for notification and for sending?
Where can I configure the notification email address?
No – you will use the same email address for notification and for sending. To
configure the email address, go to the Configuration page on the Central
Administration Site, and click on Email Delivery and Reception Settings.
o How long does e-BC wait for a response from the target email server? Can I
adjust this time?
This time is adjusted according to your preferences. Different times can be
configured for different instances, customers or individual packages. To adjust the
time, go to the Configuration page on the Central Administration Site, and click on
Email Delivery and Reception Settings.
o Where can I configure the resending options?
Go to the Configuration page on the Central Administration Site, and click on Email
Delivery and Reception Settings.
o Which fields are obligatory in the metadata file? How can I add further fields?
Can they be removed? Can I have different settings for each
customer/instance?
The CustomerName and CustomerEmail fields are the only obligatory ones in the
metadata file. You may add further fields, and customise them for each customer
and/or instance, by going to the Configuration page on the Central Administration
Site, and then clicking on Metadata Settings. The custom fields can be removed or
deselected later.
o How can I customize the layout of the email I send to each customer/instance?
Go to the Configuration page on the Central Administration Site, and click on Email
Body & Subject Configuration.
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o Are the emails sent as html or basic text? Can I change this option?
The emails are always sent as HTML. This option cannot be changed.
o Can I attach further documents?
No – you cannot attach further documents.
o Can I include my business logo/web links on the email body?
Yes – but these must always be a URL to another site where your logo is stored,
for example: http://www.pi-co.com/img/logo.jpg.
o Do I have to type out the name of the recipient on each email I send out?
No – E-Billing Connector will save the configuration of each customer on your
database.
How large (in kb) will the emails be that e-BC sends out?
This will depend on the content of the email, but for a two-page document, with
basic metadata and a simple body it might take up to 30Kb.
Customers
o How do I add further customers/instances?
You can add customers through the Central Administration Site. Instances are
deployed using a utility during installation.
o How many customer/instance profiles can I have saved on the system?
The only limits are the physical space on the hard-drive or limitations at database
product level.
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o Is it possible to organise my customer/instance profiles by a user-defined
category?
Yes – when you create a customer you can assign to that customer a particular
instance. You can then organise your profiles by instance.
o Do all customers have to be linked to an instance? Can the same customer be
part of two instances?
Every customer must be assigned to an instance, but customers are never shared
between instances.
Packages
o Can I see a list of the emails that I have sent / waiting / delivered /
suspended?
Yes – go to the Packages page on the Central Administration Site, and select from
the List By State drop-down box.
o Can I sort the list – or search the database by criteria such as customer name
or date sent? Can I see which packages have had recent status updates?
No – E-Billing Connector only supports sorting in descending order of the date of
creation of the package.
o How do I find the ID of an email (package)?
Go to the Packages page on the Central Administration Site, and you will see the
unique Package ID next to every package in your database.
o How do I find out how many times an e-mail has been rejected by the target
server?
Go to the Packages page on the Central Administration Site, and click on the e-
mail package ID. The number of times an e-mail has been rejected by the target
server is displayed as Current Followup Retries.
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o How do I find out which email address is being notified on the progress of a
package?
Go to the Packages page on the Central Administration Site, and click on the
package ID. The relevant e-mail address is displayed as Notification Recipients.
o Can I view the pdf/postscript/unsigned pdf/metadata/email/receipt documents
from any email? Can I save any of the above onto my local system?
Go to the Packages page on the Central Administration Site, and click on the
package ID. Clicking on View next to any of the relevant files will allow you view
that file, or save it onto your local system.
o How does E-Billing Connector know to add an explicit email reply to a
package?
PI - Portugal Informático recommends that you use a single dedicated e-mail
address from which to send your electronic invoices. Explicit email replies should
then be sent back to this address. The E-Billing Connector will then be able to
determine whether or not an email received by that email address is an explicit
email reply.
o How can I view the history of my package?
Yes - go to the Packages page on the Central Administration Site, and click on the
package ID. The history of the package is displayed under Package Event History.
o How is the package ID assigned – what is the format used?
The package ID is a Global Unique Identifier (GUID). It is a number in
hexadecimal form, generated by your operating system, which is guaranteed to be
unique.
o How can I locate a particular package from the archive?
Go to the Packages page on the Central Administration Site, and type in the
unique Package ID number in the Lookup Package ID box.
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Can I see which version of E-Billing Connector was used to send a particular
package?
Yes - go to the Packages page on the Central Administration Site, and click on the
package ID. The version of E-Billing Connector used is displayed as Submitting
Application.
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Legal
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Legal
o What is the legal situation in the EU with regards to electronic invoicing?
EU Regulations permit the E-Billing Connector to be used for electronic invoicing in
any European nation.
Directive 1999/93/CE is a Directive of the European Union relative to electronic
signature. It proposes electronic certificates as a means to sign any documents.
Directive 1994/82/CE is a Recommendation of the European Union on how to
transfer structured data between business partners.
Directive 2001/115/CE is a Directive of the European Union concerning invoices. It
proposes two options to treat the dematerialization of invoices. Either by
transferring it in a structured data format (and they refer to Directive 1994/82/CE
recommendations), or by adding an electronic signature to the invoices (and they
do not refer to Directive 1999/93/CE- however, countries like Germany will apply
93/CE).
o How are electronic invoices rendered legally binding?
Electronic Invoices are rendered legally binding by virtue of, firstly, the digital
signing certificate, which the E-Billing Connector’s virtual printer uses to create an
electronic invoice from the data provided. Secondly, the sender must receive
acknowledgement of receipt of that invoice once the recipient opens it. Thirdly,
the invoice received must be unaltered: this can be determined by checking the
status of the digital signature.
o Will I be legally obligated from 2007 to use e-BC or some similar product, or
can I continue to use a paper-based system?
You will not be legally obligated to use E-Billing Connector or some similar
product, but all government institutions in Portugal are required to do so from
2007 onwards.
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