Understanding Invoice Programming

PeopleSoft provides two methods for programming invoice forms, SQR and BI Publisher Reports. The SQR invoices combine processing and printing into a single, modular program. You can create and modify SQR invoices with any appropriate program editor or development environment. BI Publisher is a java-based reporting technology. The BI Publisher invoices separate data selection and processing from formatting and printing. Data selection and processing are handled by Application Engine programs; formatting and printing are handled by report definitions or templates. Report templates can be modified using common desktop applications, such as Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat.

Invoice programs operate on the data in the Billing extract tables. The Billing Invoice Extract Process (BI_IVCEXT) extracts the invoice data and stores it in the Billing extract tables. In addition, control information is provided by the run control record. An invoice program must select only the data it can process. The following criteria is typically used to select the rows from the extract tables that an invoice program or report is capable of processing:

Term	Definition
PROCESS_INSTANCE	A process instance number is assigned to each extract row by BI_IVCEXT when a print job is run. The process instance number that an invoice program should select is available in the run control record.
CONSOL_HDR (consolidated header)	Y (yes) for consolidated invoices.
INVOICE_FORM_ID	The id of the invoice form as defined on the Invoice Formatting Options page.
PAGE_ORIENTATION	P (portrait) or L (landscape) for SQR invoices; X for BI Publisher.
SUM_IVC_PRINT_OPT (summarized invoice print option)	Whether an invoice should be printed in the detail or summarized formats, or both formats. DETL (detail). SUM (summarized). Only summarized invoice programs should select invoices with a SUM setting. BOTH.
ACCEPTGIRO_IND	Only acceptgiro invoice programs should select invoices with a Y (yes) setting.