Manage billing document configuration

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Zuora offers the ability to configure whether to automatically generate files for billing documents through the Zuora UI. Billing documents include invoices, credit memos, and debit memos. Credit and debit memos are available only if you have the Invoice Settlement feature enabled.

To generate files for billing documents, you can select the Enable the billing document generation check box after navigating to Billing > Manage Billing Document Configuration. By default, this check box is selected, indicating Zuora generates files for billing documents.

If the function of automatically generate files for billing documents is enabled, you can easily create and manage your billing document templates. The billing document templates are used to generate PDF invoices for your bills. You can also customize the format of the numbers for billing documents.

Navigation: click your username at the top right and navigate to Billing > Manage Billing Document Configuration.

Disable billing document file generation

To disable the function of automatically generating files for billing documents, perform the following steps:

Click your username at the top right and navigate to Billing > Manage Billing Document Configuration.
On the displayed page, clear the Enable the billing document generation check box.

Only the Document Filename Patterns tab is displayed on the page.

The following table lists the expected behaviors upon trigger events after the function of automatically generating files for billing documents is disabled.

Trigger	Expected behavior
Invoice events: changes on invoices or invoice items Draft invoice generated Invoice posted Payment or credit applied Payment refunded Invoice splitting Adjustments Invoice adjustments Invoice item adjustments Credit balance adjustments	No files are generated for invoices.
UI: view invoice PDF files	If any PDF files exist for an invoice, you can click view > Invoice PDF to download the last existing invoice PDF file. If no PDF file exists for the invoice, view > Invoice PDF is unavailable on the invoice details page.
UI: view invoice Word files	On the invoice details page, view > Invoice Word is unavailable, indicating that no Word files can be downloaded for the invoice.
UI: regenerate PDF file for an invoice	On the invoice details page, more > Regenerate Invoice PDF is unavailable, indicating that no PDF files can be generated for the invoice.
API: Synchronously or asynchronously create orders with Billing = True	No files are generated for invoices.
UI/API: email invoice files	If any files exist for an invoice and a notification is defined to include an invoice file, the last existing file is attached in the notification email. Otherwise, email invoice and more > Email Invoice are unavailable on the invoice details page. The emailing action fails with the API option for emailing invoice files.
API: regenerate files for invoices	If you call the corresponding API operation, a message “The request cannot be done because billing document generation is disabled”. is returned.
API: query invoice body	The last existing file for the invoice is downloaded if any. Otherwise, null is returned.
API: get invoice file from Zuora 360 package in SFDC	The last existing PDF file for the invoice is downloaded if any. Otherwise, a message "No invoice was found" is returned.
Export invoices	The last existing file for the invoice is downloaded if any. Otherwise, null is returned.
Email notifications with invoice or payment attachments	If any files exist for an invoice and a notification is defined to include an invoice file, the last existing file is attached in the notification email. Otherwise, the “The notification cannot be sent” message is returned.
Credit memos: same triggers as invoice UI: view credit memo PDF file UI: view credit memo Word file UI: regenerate credit memo PDF file API: regenerate credit memo PDF file UI/API: email credit memo file Email notification of credit memos	Same as invoices.
Debit memos: same triggers as invoice UI: view debit memo PDF file UI: view debit memo Word file UI: regenerate debit memo PDF file API: regenerate debit memo PDF file UI/API: email debit memo file Email notification of debit memos	Same as invoices.

Enable billing document file generation

To enable the function of automatically generating files for billing documents, perform the following steps:

Click your username at the top right and navigate to Billing > Manage Billing Document Configuration.
Click the Enable the billing document generation check box on the displayed page.
If you want to configure specifically when PDFs are generated, then there are 3 cases that you can select,

Allow PDF generation for draft billing documents
Allow PDF generation for billing documents being posted
Allow PDF generation for billing documents when Payments, Refunds, etc. are applied

To understand the behavior, hover on the tooltip. It's necessary to have access to My Tenant, which includes this feature.

The following table lists the expected behaviors upon trigger events after automatically generating files for billing documents is enabled.

Triggers	Expected results when: Enable Billing Document Generation = False	Expected results when: Enable Billing Document Generation = True Upon Billing Document Posting = true only	Expected results when: Enable Billing Document Generation = True Upon Billing Document applied with Payments, etc = true only	Expected results when: Enable Billing Document Generation = True Upon Draft Billing Document Creation = true only
Event: changes on invoice & invoice item Payment/credit applied Payment refunded Split invoice Adjustments Invoice adjustment Invoice item adjustment Credit balance adjustment	No file generated.	No file generated.	PDF file generated.	No file generated.
Click the View Invoice PDF or the Regenerate Invoice PDF button of the draft invoices.	No file generated.	No file generated.	No file generated.	PDF file generated.
Invoice posted	No file generated.	PDF file generated.	No file generated.	No file generated.
UI: regenerate invoice	Hide the menu.	Return a msg “The request cannot be done because billing document generation for Draft documents is disabled“ when the Invoice is in Draft status. Generate a new PDF file when the Invoice is Posted status.	Return a msg “The request cannot be done because billing document generation for Draft documents is disabled“ when the Invoice is in Draft status. Generate a new PDF file when the Invoice is Posted status.	Return a msg: “The request cannot be done because billing document generation for Posted documents is disabled“ when the Invoice is in Posted status. Generate a new PDF file when Invoice is in Draft status.
API: regenerate invoice	Return a msg that “The request cannot be done because billing document generation is disabled”.	Same as above	Same as above	Same as above
API (Sync/Async) Create Order with Billing = True	No file generated.	Should not trigger PDF generation when invoice is draft. Trigger PDF generation when invoice is posted.	Should not trigger PDF generation when invoice is draft or posted.	Should not trigger PDF generation when invoice is Posted. Trigger PDF generation when invoice is Draft.
UI: view PDF invoice	Download the latest PDF file if any. Otherwise, hide the menu.	Download the latest PDF file if any.	Download the latest PDF file if any.	Download the latest PDF file if any.
UI: view Word invoice	Hide the menu.	Hide if HTML template is being used. Download the Word file, if any.	Hide if an HTML template is being used. Download the Word file, if any.	Hide if an HTML template is being used. Download the Word file if any.
API: query invoice body	Download the latest file, if any. Otherwise, return null.	Download the latest file, if any. If the latest file doesn’t exist, Return null if the invoice is in Draft status. Generate a PDF if the invoice is in Posted status.	Download the latest file, if any. If the latest file doesn’t exist, Return null if the invoice is in Draft status. Generate a PDF if the invoice is in Posted status.	Download the latest file if any. If the latest file doesn’t exist, Generate PDF regardless the status.
API: get invoice file from 360 package in SFDC	Download the latest PDF file, if any. Otherwise, show a message informing the user that “No invoice was found”.	Same as above.	Same as above.	Same as above.
Export invoice	Download the latest file if any. Otherwise, return null.	Same as above.	Same as above.	Same as above.
UI/API: email invoice	If the latest file exists and notification is defined to include an invoice file, attach the latest file. Otherwise, return a msg that “The invoice cannot be emailed”.	If the latest file exists and notification is defined to include an invoice file, attach the latest file. If the latest file doesn’t exist and a notification is defined to include an invoice file, Return a msg that “The invoice can’t be emailed.” if the invoice is in Draft status. Generate a PDF if the invoice is in Posted status.	If the latest file exists and notification is defined to include an invoice file, attach the latest file. If the latest file doesn’t exist and a notification is defined to include an invoice file, Return a msg that “The invoice can’t be emailed.” if the invoice is in Draft. Generate a PDF if the invoice is in Posted status.	If the latest file exists and notification is defined to include an invoice file, attach the latest file. If the latest file doesn’t exist and a notification is defined to include an invoice file, Generate PDF regardless of the status.
Email notifications w/ invoice/payment attachment	If the latest file exists and notification is defined to include an invoice file, attach the latest file. Otherwise, return a msg that “The notification cannot be sent”.	If the latest file exists and notification is defined to include an invoice file, attach the latest file. If the latest file doesn’t exist and notification is defined to include an invoice file, Return a msg that “The notification can’t be sent.” if the invoice is in Draft status. Generate a PDF if the invoice is in Posted status.	If the latest file exists and notification is defined to include an invoice file, attach the latest file. If the latest file doesn’t exist and notification is defined to include an invoice file, Return a msg that “The notification can’t be sent.” if the invoice is in Draft status. Generate a PDF if the invoice is in Posted status.	If the latest file exists and notification is defined to include an invoice file, attach the latest file. If the latest file doesn’t exist and notification is defined to include an invoice file, Generate PDF regardless of the status.
Credit memo: same triggers as invoice View Credit Memo PDF via UI View Credit Memo Word via UI Regenerate Credit Memo PDF via UI Regenerate Credit Memo PDF via API Email Credit Memo via UI/API Email Notification of Credit Memo	Same as the invoice.	Same as the invoice.	Same as the invoice.	Same as the invoice.
Debit memo: same triggers as invoice View Debit Memo PDF via UI View Debit Memo Word via UI Regenerate Debit Memo PDF via UI Regenerate Debit Memo PDF via API Email Debit Memo via UI/API Email Notification of Debit Memo	Same as the invoice.	Same as the invoice.	Same as the invoice.	Same as the invoice.

Manage billing document templates

From the Manage Invoice Rules and Templates tab, you can view your list of existing invoice templates and create new templates. If you have the Invoice Settlement feature enabled, the Manage Invoice, Credit/Debit Memo Templates tab is displayed. You can also manage credit and debit memo templates in this setting.

You can use template Actions to set a template as your default, edit, preview, or remove a template. You can also show the ID of a template. Template IDs are used with the Zuora API. Billing document templates are set at the customer level, not at the product level.

System default template

The format of default billing document template is HTML. You can see that a template called System Default Template as the system default one the Manage Invoice, Credit/Debit Memo Templates tab. After understanding the relationship between the system default template and default custom invoice template, you might either change the default custom invoice template, or edit the system default template or the copied one.

Set system default template

You can select the default invoice template for Customer Accounts in the following ways:

For more information about custom invoice templates, see Create custom HTML templates for invoices.

For more information about managing memo templates, see Generate memo PDFs with custom memo template.

Enable JavaScript for HTML templates

From the Settings tab, you can activate a security setting by selecting the Enable JavaScript for HTML templates check box after navigating to Billing > Manage Billing Document Configuration.

This setting applies to all existing and subsequently created HTML templates. With this setting enabled, XSS vulnerabilities can be effectively prevented.

Limitation

When this setting enabled, existing HTML templates that were previously error-free may be disrupted and require remediation of new errors if existing templates are to be used to generate documents.

Prefix & Numbering

See Prefix and Numbering Configuration for Billing Documents for more information.