Best practices when using Collector SmartXML functionality

For best performance when using SmartXML in connection with Collector, do the following:

  • Create an Inbox in Verify to which XML invoices that receive Scanned status are placed. If this is not done, there is a risk that some XML invoices that enter the system are not visible to the user. XML invoices can receive Scanned status:
    • when a user saves an invoice to Optimize. This is done when information that is missing needs to be added to the invoice.
    • directly during interpretation if too much information is missing. Consequently, the user needs to map the information in Optimize before the XML invoices can be verified and transferred. This would be the case if Kofax ReadSoft Invoices cannot find the supplier name during interpretation, for example, since this is a required field.
    • Call the Inbox something like Unknown XML invoices to make it easy to distinguish.
    • On the User-defined variable tab while editing the inbox folder, make sure to specify a UDV that ensures that only XML invoices end up in the Inbox (such as Source=XML or _Source=XML).
    • Ensure that Reinterpret is not selected in the dialog under Verify options.
  • Using Manager, ensure that all of the field types that are used in the invoice profile to interpret fields are included in the standard XML invoice profiles that are found in XML Maintenance. You can see which field types are used for each field by clicking the Invoice profiles object bar, expanding the Field profiles folder under the desired invoice profile, and double-clicking each field profile name in the list.


    In the US invoice profile, for example:

Field name in the invoice profile Field type used to interpret it
Debit/Credit SupplierAccountNumber
InvoiceNumber InvoiceNumber
NetAmount InvoiceTotalVATExcludedAmount
And so on...  

Note that the name of the field and the name of the field type do not always match.

You can also see which fields are not used in the standard XML invoice profiles. Click Plugins > XML Maintenance in the Manager module, right-click the desired XML invoice profile, and then click Add field. The list of field types that is displayed are those fields that are currently not included in the selected XML invoice profile. Select the field type that you want to add and click OK.

  • Be sure to select the correct field types for specific fields based on the character formatting that is specified for the field, as in the case when you want/need to limit what is captured. Take the Organization and VAT numbers in the Swedish profile for example. The organization number on the received XML invoices may be something like SE556644998800:
    • If you wanted to capture the entire number, the organization number field type, SupplierVatRegistrationNumber (which is often the default), would be used.
    • If you wanted to remove the first two letters and the last two digits (that is, so that the captured organization number is 5566449988), for example, the field type SupplierTaxNumber2 should be used.
  • Ensure that fields that need to be captured that are not included in the default layouts or as field types in the standard XML profiles (Freight numbers or car registration numbers might be examples) are captured by adding missing fields to the standard XML invoice profiles.