Peppol
Peppol (Pan-European Public Procurement OnLine) is an international network that enables businesses to exchange electronic documents like invoices, orders, and credit notes across different countries and systems. It provides a standardized infrastructure for secure electronic document exchange across Europe and beyond.
The Four Corner Model
Peppol operates on a simple but powerful four-corner model that makes electronic document exchange reliable and secure:
Corner 1 - Sender: Your company that creates and sends the invoice Corner 2 - Sender Access Point: xTool's access point that securely transmits your documents Corner 3 - Recipient Access Point: Your customer's access point that receives the documents Corner 4 - Recipient: Your customer who receives and processes the invoice
What is an Access Point?
An access point is a service that handles the secure delivery of electronic documents between businesses in the Peppol network. It manages the technical requirements for document transmission, validation, and delivery. xTool operates its own access point, which means we can directly connect to the Peppol network and handle all the technical complexity for you.
SMP (Service Metadata Publisher)
The SMP is a directory service for the Peppol network that contains information about: - Which companies are registered in Peppol - What document formats each company can receive - How to deliver documents to each company
When you want to send an invoice to a customer, your access point queries the SMP to find out how to deliver it to your customer's access point.
Registration in Peppol Network
Currently, we register your company in the Peppol network manually through our access point. This registration process includes:
Company Registration: We register your company details in the Peppol network so other businesses can find and send documents to you.
Format Registration: We register the document formats that xTool supports, ensuring that your customers know which formats you can receive and send. This includes formats like PEPPOL BIS 3.0 UBL, XRechnung 3.0 UBL, and others.
Once registered, you can send and receive electronic documents with any other Peppol-registered business worldwide, making international trade much simpler and more efficient.
Benefits of Peppol
- Global Reach: Connect with businesses across Europe and beyond
- Standardized: All participants use the same technical standards
- Secure: Documents are encrypted and delivered reliably
- Cost-Effective: No need for multiple integration projects with different customers
- Compliant: Meets regulatory requirements for electronic invoicing