Key Concepts & Glossary
This page explains the core terminology and concepts used throughout eMessaging. If you are new to electronic document exchange or PEPPOL, start here.
Document flow: who sends what
Electronic document exchange can be confusing because the same document has different names depending on which side you are on. Here is how documents flow between you and your trading partners:
When your supplier sends you a document
| Your supplier sends… | You receive it as… | In your Business Central |
|---|---|---|
| Their Sales Invoice | Your Purchase Invoice | Purchase Invoice |
| Their Sales Credit Memo | Your Purchase Credit Memo | Purchase Credit Memo |
| Their Despatch Advice | Shipping notification | Linked to Purchase Order |
When you send a document to your customer
| You send… | Your customer receives it as… | From your Business Central |
|---|---|---|
| Sales Invoice | Their Purchase Invoice | Posted Sales Invoice |
| Sales Credit Memo | Their Purchase Credit Memo | Posted Sales Credit Memo |
| Purchase Order | Their Sales Order | Released Purchase Order |
| Despatch Advice | Shipping notification | Posted Warehouse Shipment |
When your customer sends you a document
| Your customer sends… | You receive it as… | In your Business Central |
|---|---|---|
| Their Purchase Order | Your Sales Order | Sales Order |
| A return request | Your Sales Return Order | Sales Return Order |
The key principle: the direction determines the document type. An invoice you receive from a supplier becomes a Purchase Invoice. An invoice you send to a customer is a Sales Invoice.
Key terms
PEPPOL
Pan-European Public Procurement On-Line. An international framework for electronic document exchange. PEPPOL defines the network, the data formats, and the business rules for sending and receiving electronic documents between organizations. It is the dominant standard for e-invoicing in Europe and is expanding globally.
Access Point
A certified service provider that connects organizations to the PEPPOL network. Centara operates its own PEPPOL Access Point through the CentaraIQ, so there is no dependency on third-party access points.
SMP (Service Metadata Publisher)
A registry on the PEPPOL network that tells senders how to reach a specific recipient. When you register your VAT number on PEPPOL, the SMP publishes your Access Point details so that trading partners can find you. Centara manages your SMP registration.
BIS 3.0
Business Interoperability Specification 3.0. The current version of the PEPPOL document specification. BIS 3.0 defines the structure, validation rules, and business requirements for invoices, credit notes, orders, and other document types on the PEPPOL network. It implements the EN 16931 European standard.
EN 16931
The European standard for the semantic data model of a core electronic invoice. PEPPOL BIS 3.0 is a conformant implementation of EN 16931. If your trading partners require EN 16931 compliance, sending via PEPPOL BIS 3.0 satisfies that requirement.
UBL (Universal Business Language)
The XML format used by PEPPOL BIS 3.0. UBL 2.1 defines the XML schema for invoices, credit notes, orders, and other business documents. eMessaging generates and parses UBL 2.1 XML.
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
A broad term for structured electronic document exchange between organizations. EDI predates PEPPOL and encompasses formats like EDIFACT, X12, and BASDA. eMessaging supports receiving documents in these legacy formats alongside PEPPOL.
EDIFACT
Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport. A UN standard for EDI messages, widely used in logistics, retail, and manufacturing. eMessaging can receive EDIFACT INVOIC (invoice) and ORDERS (purchase order) messages.
Vendor Posting Setup
The smart routing engine in eMessaging that controls how incoming invoice lines are mapped to G/L accounts, dimensions, and posting groups. The primary key is Vendor + Item Sellers ID + Accounting Cost, with additional conditional rules for VAT category, commodity code, and document references. This is one of eMessaging’s key differentiators. See Posting Setup for full details.
CentaraIQ
Centara’s document exchange platform. CentaraIQ operates the PEPPOL Access Point and SMP, handles document routing and transmission, provides external attachment storage, and exposes a REST API for integration. All eMessaging communication with the outside world flows through CentaraIQ.
Document Inbox
The central page in Business Central where all incoming electronic documents land. From the Document Inbox, documents are processed, matched, approved, and posted.
Document Sending Profile
A Business Central configuration that controls how outgoing documents are formatted and delivered for each customer. You assign a profile to a customer card, and all documents for that customer use the specified format and delivery method.
The five modules
eMessaging is organized into five integrated modules:
| Module | What it does | You use it for |
|---|---|---|
| eDocuments | Core document processing engine | Receiving, validating, matching, coding, and posting incoming documents; generating outbound PEPPOL XML |
| Approvals | Multi-level approval workflows | Routing documents for approval with line-level control, four-eyes principle, user groups, and mobile/portal access |
| Attachments | External document storage | Reducing database size by storing attachments externally while maintaining transparent access in BC |
| Accounting | Outbound data synchronization | Keeping Chart of Accounts, Inventory, and PEPPOL participant data synchronized with CentaraIQ |
| Common | Integration and extension framework | Page extensions (70+), event subscribers, notifications, REST API, setup wizard |
Document types reference
| Document type | What it is | Direction | BC document created | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PEPPOL Invoice | Electronic invoice from supplier | Inbound | Purchase Invoice | PEPPOL BIS 3.0 / UBL 2.1 |
| PEPPOL Credit Note | Credit memo from supplier | Inbound | Purchase Credit Memo | PEPPOL BIS 3.0 / UBL 2.1 |
| EDI Invoice | Invoice via EDI network | Inbound | Purchase Invoice | EDIFACT INVOIC / X12 810 |
| EDI Order | Purchase order from customer | Inbound | Sales Order | EDIFACT ORDERS / X12 850 |
| PDF Invoice | Scanned or emailed invoice | Inbound | Purchase Invoice | PDF (AI/OCR extracted) |
| E-Commerce Order | Order from online store | Inbound | Sales Order | Shopify / WooCommerce API |
| Sales Invoice | Invoice to your customer | Outbound | Posted Sales Invoice | PEPPOL BIS 3.0 |
| Sales Credit Memo | Credit memo to your customer | Outbound | Posted Sales Credit Memo | PEPPOL BIS 3.0 |
| Purchase Order | Order to your supplier | Outbound | Released Purchase Order | PEPPOL BIS 3.0 |
| Despatch Advice | Shipping notification to customer | Outbound | Posted Warehouse Shipment | PEPPOL BIS 3.0 |
Next steps
- Installation — install eMessaging from AppSource
- Setup Wizard — initial configuration
- Your First Document — verify your setup end to end