> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.maesn.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Explore our use cases

> Use these cookbook-style recipies to understand how your product could work with the Maesn API.

## Use cases

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Capture invoices & bills" icon="file-invoice" href="./use-cases/capture-invoices">
    Capture invoices and bills into accounting platforms
  </Card>

  <Card title="Debt management" icon="sack-dollar" href="./use-cases/debt-management">
    Retrieve invoices, payments and dunning data to manage debt
  </Card>

  <Card title="Fetch invoices" icon="file-invoice" href="./use-cases/fetch-invoices">
    Retrieve invoices from any accounting platform
  </Card>

  <Card title="Fetch bills" icon="file-invoice" href="./use-cases/fetch-bills">
    Retrieve bills from any accounting software
  </Card>

  <Card title="Synchronize contacts" icon="users" href="./use-cases/sync-contacts">
    Synchronize customers and suppliers across systems
  </Card>

  <Card title="Synchonize expenses" icon="receipt" href="./use-cases/sync-expenses">
    Automate classification and synchronization of expenses
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sync items" icon="cart-shopping" href="./use-cases/sync-items">
    Automate synchronization of products/articles
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create invoices" icon="file-invoice" href="./use-cases/create-invoices">
    Automate invoice creation
  </Card>

  <Card title="Accounts payable" icon="abacus" href="./use-cases/accounts-payable">
    Automate vendor payment reconciliation
  </Card>

  <Card title="Accounts receivable" icon="abacus" href="./use-cases/accounts-receivable">
    Automate customer payment reconciliation
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create bookings" icon="abacus" href="./use-cases/create-bookings">
    Post booking data into any system
  </Card>

  <Card title="DATEV use cases" icon="abacus" href="./use-cases/datev-overview">
    Explore the use cases supported by DATEV
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Terminology

To navigate the use cases above, a short introduction to terminology may be helpful.

### Invoices vs bills

* When we refer to `invoices`, we are talking about outgoing invoices or customer invoices (accounts receivable).
* When we talk about `bills`, we mean incoming invoices or supplier invoices (accounts payable).

### Create vs capture

* When you `create` an invoice, you are creating (or issuing) the original document in the bookkeeping systems. Typically, a PDF-file is created in the bookkeeping after the invoice has been created and sent to the customer.
* In contrast, when you `capture` (or import) an invoice you are uploading a copy of an invoice originally created elsewhere in your bookkeeping system. Typically, the invoice is imported in teh form of a PDF-file and, optionally, additional detailed data.

### Bookings vs booking proposals

* A `booking proposal` is a draft or suggested booking that has not been finalized yet. It is not yet commited to the general ledger and can be freely edited or deleted without affecting the accounts. As an example, importing a bill into a bookkeeping system is typically a booking proposal until it has been manually verfied by an accountant.
* A `booking` is a finalized and commited entry in the general ledger. It is part of official accounting records and often legally binding. As an example, a booking proposal that has been approved and booked against a counter account on the general ledger by the accountant, is a booking.

## Glossary

The full list of resources in our Accounting API is available in the [accounting overview](/api-reference/accounting-endpoints/accounting-overview)