Introduction to e-invoice vendor integration

  • This guide outlines the integration process for service providers to connect with Google's Invoice System, explaining how the system functions and the requirements for successful data exchange.

  • Google's system generates invoice data in XML format based on a specific schema, which vendors process by interacting with government e-invoicing systems and sending formatted responses back to Google.

  • The integration framework utilizes the UBL 2.4 specification for standardized data exchange, ensuring seamless communication between Google and vendors.

  • Vendors should review the provided schemas and sample files to understand the invoice request and response formats before initiating the integration process.

  • Google's implementation, while adhering to UBL 2.4, includes specific adaptations to streamline the e-invoicing process with its vendors.

This document is designed to guide service providers through the integration process, explaining how the system works and what is required for a successful integration.

Integration overview

Our system generates invoice data, serialized to XML objects, and sends these to service providers (hereafter referred to as vendors). Vendors process these invoice objects by interacting with government systems for e-invoicing or e-reporting purposes, receive government responses, and then format these responses back into a format that our system can understand.

Key components:

  • Google invoice schema: Outlines how Google presents invoice data.
  • Application response: Specifies the format vendors should use to send data back to Google.
  • Request batching: Describes the process for sending multiple invoice objects within a single XML wrapper.
  • Response batching: Indicates that responses from vendors should also be batched for efficient processing.

An illustrative diagram is provided to show how this workflow:

Diagram illustrating the e-invoicing vendor workflow

UBL 2.4 specification

As part of our integration framework, Google adheres to the Universal Business Language (UBL) version 2.4 specification to standardize the format for invoices and application responses. This ensures efficient and reliable data exchange between Google and our vendors.

For detailed information on UBL 2.4, refer to the UBL 2.4 Specification.

Getting started

To begin integrating with Google's Invoice System, vendors should first familiarize themselves with the invoice request schema and the batching process used for data exchange.

While Google's implementation adheres to the UBL 2.4 specification it also incorporates specific adaptations to optimize the exchange of e-invoicing documents with our vendors.