The Standard Business Document Header (SBDH) is the XML envelope that Peppol wraps around every business message, such as an invoice. It is OpenPeppol's profile of the UN/CEFACT SBDH, and names the sender, the receiver, the document type, the process and the sender's country, so that access points can route the message without opening the invoice. Klarbon opens SBDH-wrapped files in beta and shows the invoice inside.
What is in an SBDH?
| Element | Holds |
|---|---|
HeaderVersion |
fixed value 1.0 |
Sender |
the Peppol participant identifier of the sender |
Receiver |
the Peppol participant identifier of the receiver |
DocumentIdentification |
standard, type version, instance identifier, creation time |
BusinessScope |
scopes such as DOCUMENTID, PROCESSID and COUNTRY_C1 |
| payload | the business document itself, for example a Peppol BIS Billing invoice |
The Peppol envelope is a true subset of the UN/CEFACT schema, so a Peppol envelope is also a valid SBDH. It must be applied to every message exchanged in the Peppol network, and the receiver identifier must match a participant registered in the network's address lookup, the SML and SMP (OpenPeppol envelope 2.0.2).
Envelope or invoice?
| SBDH | Invoice inside | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | routing in the Peppol network | the business document |
| Written by | usually the sender's access point | the seller's software |
| Proves | who the message is addressed to | the invoice content |
The envelope is not evidence that a message was delivered, accepted or paid. See Peppol or UBL? for how the network, the specification and the syntax differ.
What does Klarbon do with an SBDH?
| Task | Status |
|---|---|
| Read the sender, receiver and document/process identifiers | beta |
| Open the invoice inside, if Klarbon can read its format | beta, in open an e-invoice |
| Check the envelope against the Peppol rules | not yet |
Klarbon is not a Peppol access point. It does not send or receive Peppol messages.
Related
Frequently asked questions
What is an SBDH in Peppol?
The Standard Business Document Header, an XML envelope from UN/CEFACT that Peppol wraps around every business message. It names the sender, the receiver, the document type and the process, so access points can route the message without reading the invoice.
Is the SBDH part of the invoice?
No. It is a transport envelope around the invoice. The invoice inside, such as a Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 file, is unchanged and can be read on its own once the envelope is removed.
Why did I receive an XML file that starts with StandardBusinessDocument?
Some access points or software pass on the whole Peppol message, envelope included. The invoice is inside it. Klarbon can open such a file and show the invoice, in beta.
Does an SBDH prove that an invoice was delivered?
No. The envelope says who the message was addressed to. Delivery is confirmed by the Peppol network's own receipts, not by the header.
Sources
- OpenPeppol, Peppol Business Message Envelope (SBDH) 2.0.2 (PDF) docs.peppol.eu
- OpenPeppol, eDelivery specifications docs.peppol.eu