Oracle IPM Invoice Processing Accelerators
Oracle is rolling out best-practice ERP AP invoice processing solution accelerators as part of their 11g Fusion Middleware offering. Called “adapters”, these ERP software components are available for Oracle E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, and Siebel.
The accelerators are a mechanism to ensure scanned invoices reach a backend ERP system for final handling even when there are issues in the invoice data gathered using OCR forms recognition during scanning. This allows for minimal user exception handling or intervention prior to each invoice arriving in the ERP system. The idea is to simply load the scanner with invoices, press a button, and then handle the invoices once they arrive in the backend.
In order for this approach to work, Oracle’s solution accelerators use XML documents to contain header and line invoice data. The XML documents are combined with business rules in an Oracle BPEL Process Manager workflow that automatically massages the data into a format that will be accepted by the ERP import functionality such as the Oracle EBS open interface table import. The invoice image resides in the Oracle IPM system.
In the case where data can’t be massaged sufficiently for insert, the invoice is keyed from image from within the BPEL workflow. Invoices that directly insert into the ERP system arrive either ready for validation, matching, payment, coding, etc., or are placed on hold with a hold code and a hold reason code. Some sample hold and reason codes are:
FIELD | VALIDATION | HOLD | HOLD REASON |
Purchase Order | PO must be valid and open. PO vendor must match invoice vendor. |
IPM_INVALID_PO_HOLD | INVALID PO NUM INACTIVE PO INCONSISTENT PO SUPPLIER |
Supplier | Supplier is required. Supplier must exist in vendor master. Supplier ID and supplier site ID must match. |
IPM_INVALID_ SUPPLIER_HOLD |
NO SUPPLIER INVALID SUPPLIER INCONSISTENT SUPPLIER |
There are many more business rules that operate on each invoice inside of workflow that meet the requirements of the ERP system.
Oracle has created a flash demo of a scan to EBS process at:
Oracle has also created a PDF document that highlights the E-Business Suite Adapter:
As an Oracle partner, ImageSource has begun to implement these solutions in the field.
Clint Lewis
Senior Systems Engineer
ImageSource, Inc.