Invoice Grouping

Invoices are created based on several grouping criteria that determine how invoice entries are combined into a single invoice. The system provides both default grouping rules and advanced configurable grouping options.

Default Grouping Rules

The system automatically groups invoice entries using these basic criteria:

• Customer: Entries for the same customer are grouped together • Invoice Type: Entries with the same invoice type are grouped • External Document: Entries with matching external document references • Currency: Entries with the same currency

Advanced Grouping Options

You can configure additional grouping criteria through the Customer Invoicing Setup to create more specific grouping rules:

Configuration Levels

The system supports three levels of configuration, applied in priority order:

1. Customer - Specific rules for individual customers
2. Customer Price Group - Rules applied to customers in the same price group
3. All Customers - Global rules applied to all customers

Grouping Criteria Types

You can set up Grouping Criteria Codes that define exactly how invoice entries should be grouped. These criteria can include:

• Field-based grouping - Group by specific field values (e.g., posting date, source type)
• Date-based grouping - Group entries within specific date ranges
• Function-based grouping - Use custom functions to determine grouping logic
• Filter-based grouping - Apply complex filtering rules before grouping

Multiple Grouping Rules

Important: You can configure multiple grouping criteria for the same customer or customer group. This allows you to create sophisticated invoicing scenarios where different types of entries follow different grouping rules.

Example Scenarios

Example 1: Service-based Grouping

• Setup: Configure different grouping criteria for storage services vs. handling services
• Result: Storage costs are grouped weekly, while handling charges are grouped daily
• Customer receives separate invoices for different service types

Example 2: Location-based Grouping

• Setup: Group entries by warehouse location for multi-site customers
• Result: Each warehouse location generates a separate invoice
• Useful for customers with operations across multiple facilities

Example 3: Project-based Grouping

• Setup: Group entries by external document reference or customer reference
• Result: Each project or contract gets its own invoice
• Ideal for project-based billing arrangements

Example 4: Periodic Grouping

• Setup: Combine standard grouping with invoice periods
• Result: Entries are grouped by date ranges (weekly, monthly, quarterly)
• Customer receives consolidated invoices for specific time periods

Invoice Period Integration

When Invoice Period Codes are assigned to customers, the grouping system automatically considers the period dates:

• Entries are only grouped within the same invoice period
• Period start and end dates determine invoice consolidation
• Supports flexible billing cycles (weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.)