PintAE E-Invoicing Guide

Overview

PintAE is the QBM e-invoicing workflow used to prepare customer documents in a structured electronic format. QBM can generate the invoice data in JSON or XML, show any validation issues, and then help you complete the next step based on the way your provider works.

Important: QBM can be used in two ways:

Manual send: Generate the data, copy it from QBM, and send it through your provider's email or upload process.
Direct submit: Generate the data and click Submit when your provider has given you a submission URL.

PintAE setup is available here:

Options > Integrations > E-Invoicing

Before You Start

Make sure you have permission to change company options.
Confirm your company information is complete, especially legal name, address, and tax details if required by your provider.
Confirm your customer records and invoice information are complete before you try to generate e-invoice data.
Know whether your provider wants JSON or XML.
Know whether your provider gives you a direct submission URL or expects manual sending by email or portal upload.

Save the document first. PintAE works from saved customer documents. If the document has not been saved yet, complete the save first and then open the e-invoicing action.

Set Up PintAE

Options > Integrations > E-Invoicing

Open Options and go to Integrations > E-Invoicing.
Tick Enable to turn the feature on for the company.
Select the Provider you want to use.
- Choose QBM Test (No external submission) if you want to test the flow safely.
- Choose General (Manual Entry) if your provider wants you to send the data manually.
- Choose your live provider if you already have onboarding details from that provider.
Review the provider details shown on the screen. QBM can display the provider website, contact email, and a note to help guide the setup.
Select the required Format: JSON or XML.
Enter the Submission URL if your provider supports direct submission from QBM. If your provider does not offer a direct URL, you can leave this blank and use the manual send method.
Complete any provider identification or authentication fields such as Peppol Participant ID, API Key, Secret, and Token if your provider has supplied them.
Save the options and test the process from a customer document.

QBM Test

Use this to test the QBM workflow without sending anything to an external service. It is the best first step when you want to confirm setup and user training.

General (Manual Entry)

Use this when your provider wants you to send the generated data yourself, usually by email or by uploading it into the provider portal.

Live Provider

Use this when your provider has already given you the correct credentials, required format, and a direct submission URL for your company.

Options Reference

The following options are available on the PintAE setup screen.

Option	What It Does	When To Use It
`Enable`	Turns PintAE e-invoicing on for the company.	Tick this when you are ready to use or test the e-invoicing workflow.
`Provider`	Selects the e-invoicing service or setup method QBM will use.	Choose QBM Test for safe testing, General for manual sending, or your live provider for real submission.
`Submission URL`	The destination QBM uses when you click `Submit`.	Enter this only when your provider has supplied a direct submission address. Leave it blank if you send manually.
`Format`	Selects whether the working payload is `JSON` or `XML`.	Use the format required by your provider or the format you want to review and send manually.
`Peppol Participant ID`	Stores the participant or routing identifier required by some providers.	Enter this only if your provider or onboarding team has given it to you.
`API Key`	Stores the provider value used to identify your company connection.	Enter it when supplied by your provider.
`Secret`	Stores the matching secure value for your provider connection.	Enter it when supplied by your provider.
`Token`	Stores the authorization value used by some providers.	Enter it when supplied by your provider.
`Website`	Displays the provider website for reference.	Use it as a quick reference during setup or onboarding.
`Email`	Displays the provider contact email for reference.	Use it when you need onboarding help or provider confirmation.
`Note`	Shows provider-specific guidance or special instructions.	Always read this after you change the provider because it may explain whether the provider supports direct submit or manual handling.

Tip: When you change the provider or the format, QBM can refresh the provider-specific defaults for that selection. Always review the values after changing providers.

Where To Use It

PintAE is used from saved customer transaction screens.

Document	Typical E-Invoicing Type	How To Start
Sales Receipt	Invoice	Open the saved receipt and click `EInvoicing`.
Customer Invoice	Invoice	Open the saved invoice and click `EInvoicing`.
Customer Refund	Credit Note	Open the saved refund and click `EInvoicing`.
Customer Cash Refund	Credit Note	Open the saved refund and click `EInvoicing`.

How It Works

Open a saved customer document and click EInvoicing.
In the PintAE window, confirm the Type. For normal sales this is usually an invoice. For refund documents this is usually a credit note.
Choose the Format you want to work with.
Click Load. QBM generates the e-invoice data and checks it for problems.
Review the Data section and the Errors section.
If your provider uses manual handling, copy the generated data and send it outside QBM using the provider's required method, such as email or portal upload.
If your provider uses direct submission and a valid Submission URL is configured, click Submit.
Review the Results section after a successful submission.

Manual Send Or Direct Submit

Manual Send

Use this when your provider does not give you a direct submission URL, or when the provider wants you to send the generated file or data yourself.

Set up the provider using General (Manual Entry) or leave the submission URL blank if your provider instructions require manual handling.
Open the document and click EInvoicing.
Choose JSON or XML.
Click Load.
Copy the content shown in the Data section.
Send it using your normal email process or upload it to the provider portal, according to your provider's instructions.

Direct Submit

Use this when your provider has given you a live submission URL and the required connection details.

Set up the live provider and complete the credentials in QBM.
Confirm the Submission URL is filled in correctly.
Open the document and click EInvoicing.
Click Load and review any validation messages.
Click Submit when the data is ready.
Review the Results section for a successful outcome.

If the submission URL is blank: you can still load and review the e-invoice data, but direct submission from QBM is not available. In that case, use the manual send method.

PintAE Window Guide

Window Item	What It Means	How To Use It
`Type`	Selects the business document type such as invoice or credit note.	Confirm it matches the document you opened before you continue.
`Format`	Controls whether you are working with JSON or XML.	Choose the format your provider requires, or the format you want to copy manually.
`Load`	Generates the PintAE data and runs validation.	Click this first every time you open the window or change the format.
`Data`	Shows the generated e-invoice content.	Review it, and if you are using manual send, copy the content from this section.
`Errors`	Shows validation issues or blocking problems.	Review and correct the document or setup before you submit.
`Submit`	Sends the generated data to the configured submission URL.	Use this only when the provider has a valid direct submission URL in QBM.
`Results`	Shows the successful outcome after submission.	Review it after submitting. QBM may also show a reference or QR image.

Manual sending: The Data section is the place to copy the generated payload when you need to send it by email or by portal upload outside QBM.

Validation And Messages

QBM checks the generated e-invoice data before submission. If required information is missing, the issue is shown in the Errors section.

Common reasons for validation issues

The document has not been saved yet.
Customer or company information is incomplete.
The selected type does not match the document.
The wrong format is selected for the provider.
The provider requires credentials or a submission URL that has not been entered yet.

Common outcome messages

Load succeeds and no blocking errors appear: the data is ready for manual sending or direct submission.
Submission URL is empty: QBM cannot submit directly, so use the manual send method.
QBM Test mode: QBM completes a safe test without sending to an external provider.

Good practice: Use QBM Test (No external submission) first. Once that works, switch to your live provider and repeat the same process.

FAQ

Do I always need a submission URL?

No. A submission URL is only needed when you want QBM to send the e-invoice directly. If your provider wants manual handling, you can load the data, copy it, and send it outside QBM.

When should I use JSON and when should I use XML?

Use the format required by your provider. If you are not sure, confirm this with the provider or onboarding team before going live.

What is the easiest way to test the process?

Turn on PintAE in Options > Integrations > E-Invoicing, choose QBM Test (No external submission), open a saved customer invoice or sales receipt, click EInvoicing, then click Load and Submit. This tests the QBM workflow without sending anything outside the company.

Can I email the e-invoice data manually?

Yes. If your provider wants the data by email, load the document in PintAE, choose the required format, copy the generated content from the Data section, and send it through your normal email process.

What should I do if Submit does not work?

Check that the document is saved, the provider is correct, the required format is selected, the credentials are complete, and a valid submission URL is entered. If you still need to proceed, use the manual send method until the provider setup is confirmed.