Previous  Next          Contents  Index  Navigation  Glossary  Library

Setting Up Invoice Import to Import Non-Oracle Invoices

The following list summarizes the procedure for setting up Invoice Import to import invoices from your other accounting systems into the Payables Invoice Import Interface Tables. The rest of the section explains each step in detail.

Step 1 Define an Invoice Import Source

Use the QuickCodes window to define a QuickCode for the source of your Invoice Import. Use any name for the source, except Payables Expense Reports and Oracle Projects. These are predefined sources that you use to create invoices from expense reports entered in Payables, Oracle Web Employees, and Oracle Projects. Enter Source as your QuickCode Type for the code you define.

You use SQL*Loader to enter this Source code in the SOURCE column of the AP_EXPENSE_REPORT_HEADERS table. When you submit Invoice Import for this source, you enter this QuickCode as the source parameter.

Step 2 Create a Program for Generating an Invoice Flat File

To load invoice information into Payables via SQL*Loader, first create a program that produces a flat file containing the invoice details you want to bring into Payables.

For each invoice, the program should include values in the flat file to populate the following foreign key columns in AP_EXPENSE_REPORT_HEADERS:

For each invoice distribution, include the value to populate the Accounting Flexfield column in AP_EXPENSE_REPORT_LINES:

In addition, if you are importing foreign currency invoices, include information to populate the following columns in AP_EXPENSE_REPORT_HEADERS:

If this exchange rate information is the same for all invoices and invoice distributions you import, you can include this information in your SQL*Loader control file instead.

Finally, ensure that your invoice flat file has the appropriate information to populate AP_EXPENSE_REPORT_HEADERS and AP_EXPENSE_REPORT_LINES as indicated in the preceding table descriptions. If a value is note required for a column, you may leave the column empty.

Step 3 Create SQL*Loader Control File

Read the SQL*Loader documentation to learn how to write a SQL*Loader control file. The file you write will vary greatly depending on the nature and format of the invoice flat file you use. Your control file must populate AP_EXPENSE_REPORT_HEADERS and AP_EXPENSE_REPORT_LINES as indicated in the previous table descriptions. See also: SQL*Loader (ORACLE8 Server Utilities Guide)

You should code your control file to populate the SOURCE column in AP_EXPENSE_REPORT_HEADERS with the Source code exactly as you defined it in the QuickCodes window.

In addition, EMPLOYEE_ID must be NULL and VOUCHNO must be zero (0) for each invoice you want to import. Payables only imports invoices that have a value of 0 in the VOUCHNO column.

If all your invoices are in the same currency, you can hard code the value for DEFAULT_CURRENCY_CODE in AP_EXPENSE_REPORT_HEADERS and CURRENCY_CODE in AP_EXPENSE_REPORT_LINES in your control file.

You may also want to hard code a value for PURGEABLE_FLAG in AP_EXPENSE_REPORT_HEADERS to indicate whether the records are purgeable. When you submit Invoice Import, you can choose to delete all purgeable records from the interface tables. A record is purgeable if Invoice Import has successfully created an invoice from the record and the PURGEABLE_FLAG is set to Y or NULL. Consider that you may not want to make these interim records purgeable because they provide an audit trail from your newly created invoices back to the original invoices in your other accounting system.

After Setting Up

Once you have successfully completed the set up steps, you can load your invoice information from your flat file into the interface tables and use Payables Invoice Import to create invoices from the invoice information.

         Previous  Next          Contents  Index  Navigation  Glossary  Library