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Use cases

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