All for One KSeF is a platform available as SaaS that enables sending structured invoices from the SAP system and other domain systems to the National System of e-Invoices. We offer the KSeF in SAP solution for the following systems: S/4HANA and SAP ERP (ECC, SAP R/3). In addition, we also support integration with other systems in which invoices are issued, e.g. Ariba, EDI platforms. The solution supports both sales and purchase invoices.

Although the government has postponed the obligation to send structured invoices to the Ministry of Finance until 2024, our solution is already mature and well tested. Currently, implementation projects of the All for One KSeF solution are already underway for more than 50 customers. The projects are in various stages of implementation. Most companies want to be ready before the due date and only gradually launch sending e-invoices to their customers via the Ministry of Finance’s KSeF platform during the optional period.

Providing the platform in the form of a cloud service allows for efficient and fast delivery of subscription-based updates resulting from both the development of the platform, SAP updates, and changes introduced by the Ministry of Finance.

Since December 1, 2022, All for One teams have been working on preparing a solution for KSeF in the mandatory version. On that day, the new requirements were published. Although for now they are available only in the draft version – for consultation, they allow us to prepare for the final version of the requirements.

Distinguishing features of All for One KSeF

When designing All for One KSeF, we drew on our experience from developing many integration solutions, such as the Edistrada platform, E-Billing Portal, JPK Transfer and Partner Checker. These tools are already working for several hundred of our customers and have handled millions of electronic documents exchanged between companies, meeting the legislative requirements arising from integration with government platforms. When designing the system, we put special emphasis on its security, efficiency, failure-free operation and a high degree of automation regarding maintenance and updating.

As a comprehensive provider of SAP services and other IT solutions (including hosting services), All for One has prepared a solution that uses all the best features of our products. They include:

  • Handling sales invoices from various SAP modules (SD/FI/FICA/other add-ons) and other systems as well as manual invoices issued in Excel;
  • Ability to support two types of invoice issuing runs: SD->FI->KSeF (a posted structured invoice is sent to the MF) and SD->KSeF->FI (an invoice issued in SD is blocked for posting and sent to the Ministry; if its status is correct, the block is released and the invoice is posted, possibly with a changed date);
  • A scalable solution easy to maintain, easy to update, secure;
  • Numerous configuration options, few programming adjustments required;
  • Authorization and session management using a token. Electronic signature or seal available on KSeF Hub (signature is required for invoices over 1 MB and for a collection of invoices);
  • Data visualization in accordance with Ministry of Finance guidelines (HTML,PDF);
  • Handling all invoice types, including data correction notes (e.g. Podmiot2k);
  • Full feedback visible in SAP;
  • Email dispatch to the customer upon completion of dispatch to KSeF;
  • Default integration with other products: JPK, All for One Partner Checker (White List) and purchasing workflow (All for One ECM – currently Rockawork);
  • Adaptation of standard FBL* reports to data from KSeF;
  • Handling employee invoices (an option for BeeOffice customers);
  • Ability to make the solution available to other countries;
  • Ability to integrate with EDI processes and other platforms;
  • Setting locks before sending (e.g., for invoices above a given amount), waiting for approval;
  • Ability to make changes without a transport layer (requires highest privileges);
  • Easy handling of multiple companies – both in the Extractor and the Hub Monitor. Management of multiple sessions and limits on the KSeF Hub side;
  • Ability to spin off the solution into a Private Solution ();
  • Automation of regression testing;
  • Access to a support service with Polish-speaking consultants;
  • Ability to report errors by email;
  • Queuing of sent invoices;
  • Automatic re-sending of invoices.

Solution architecture

All for One KSeF consists of three basic components:

  • a data extractor for invoices from SAP (KSeF Extractor);
  • KSeF Hub – an integration platform that sends e-invoice documents via API to the system of the Ministry of Finance and is a document repository (KSeF Archive; an additional option);
  • KSeF Hub Monitor – the customer’s control cockpit allowing them to view the status of individual documents;
  • KSeF Archive – an invoice archive;
  • And other components and integrations on request.

KSeF Extractor is a door connecting SAP and the Ministry of Finance. It is responsible for communication with the customer’s system and downloading the data necessary to generate an invoice in a defined structure. It is worth noting here that the solution is prepared in our namespace, so the customer is guaranteed that their configuration will remain intact

KSeF Hub is responsible for the correctness and continuity of communication with the National System of e-Invoices and provides buffering mechanisms in case the Ministry’s system is unavailable. It supports document validation, pdf visualization, significantly reduces the delivery time of updates and the risks associated with their installation. It is designed for quick and easy horizontal and vertical scaling. This architecture allows us to provide better support services.

For security reasons, the Hub does not store documents that pass through it. Built-in archive integration makes it easy to launch archiving options in All for One repositories, right after activating the service. Storage can include structured purchase invoices, sales invoices, as well as UPO files, for example. In addition, it is possible to download PDF visualizations and, of course, the original document in a structured format.

The Hub is also responsible for authorization in KSeF – for recording, opening and managing sessions. It manages the limits imposed by the ministry to avoid communication blocks. In addition, it checks whether the documents that require a signature have been provided with it and suspends the dispatch if it is missing.

Another component included in the solution is KSeF Monitor. This is a web application that provides access to information on the status of processed documents. The application enables the connection to the customer’s system using tokens that authenticate the company in the Ministry of Finance’s systems, and the management of companies, users who have access to the application, the available pool of documents that are sent monthly. It also allows for generating reports.

The most important view of the Monitor is the invoices tab, where we can see all invoices processed in KSeF Hub. We can sort them, filter them, check the feedback (e.g. if a document is rejected by the MF, we can verify the reason for the rejection).

The monitor allows us to gather all the information in one place, which is especially useful when the company uses multiple invoicing systems – SAP and non-SAP.

The entire process is available from a single transaction. The solution makes it possible to handle both outgoing and incoming invoices. We can select any documents (e.g. date of sending, business units, sending status). We can select documents from the sales and distribution module as well as the financial module.

By default, we have configured several views: division into business units, dates, statuses. Statuses can also be displayed per-user. There is also an option of viewing only your own invoices. Furthermore, a view with only incorrect or correct invoices can be prepared.

Integration capabilities

KSeF Hub offers extensive integration capabilities, both with products in the All for One portfolio and systems from other providers. An example is the integration with our E-Billing Portal system, which is used for mass distribution of invoices to customers. The most common scenario is to send an invoice to the portal directly from KSeF.

We can integrate the systems involved in receiving or issuing invoices in a customer’s infrastructure in several ways. Each has its own advantages and limitations, but it is important that all of these systems are connected through a centralized component that manages communications in a way that avoids MF blocks and limits. In our architecture, this is the KSeF Hub. The first possible approach is to pass documents from and to other systems through SAP and the KSeF Extractor component. Then all systems connect to the KSeF Hub via one channel and information about the processing of each document is available in SAP.

However, it is not always a good idea to load all this data into SAP. The second option is to establish a direct connection between the KSeF Hub system via an API available in the SOAP standard. In this case, the system that issues or receives invoices on the customer’s side must be able to implement the connection via API and support the structured invoice format.

For systems that are unable to meet these requirements, the KSeF Integrator add-on is the solution. This is a service that supports advanced integration of systems that issue or receive invoices with KSeF Hub. It supports the mapping of any format to a structured invoice format and the mapping of a structured invoice format to any format that is required by the customer’s system. It supports a wide range of integration methods, so the method of connection can be tailored to the capabilities of virtually any system.

Security

For a service that processes such sensitive data, security is a priority. In All for One KSeF, all communication takes place via an encrypted https connection using TLS version 1.2 at the minimum, with the use of SSL certificates with secure encryption algorithms. Communication between the systems and KSeF Hub is always initiated by the system on the customer’s side, in the case of SAP – it is KSeF Extractor. In addition, as mentioned earlier, we do not archive documents in KSeF Hub. We only store technical data related to company data and invoice data that are necessary to provide the service.

The data is stored in the territory of the European Union, on servers located in Poland, in All for One data centers. The solution encrypts all sensitive data and provides the option of encrypting temporary files. We have ISO 27001 certification for infrastructure. With regard to the application layer, we use ISO 27018 standards focused on the security of data processing in the cloud.

The solution records all events relevant to the security of data processing. It is possible to set up connections for test and development environments. We have policies for incident and information security management and security policies related to passwords. We comply with the requirements of the GDPR.

The solution is monitored 24/7. It detects any logged issues within 10 seconds. It is a highly available service (24/7), at a level similar to our other services, i.e. between 99.6% and 100%. We perform security risk analysis according to OWASP guidelines. The platform supports the division of authorizations. The systems on which it is built are regularly patched. We have documented administrative procedures, such as the procedure for monitoring the data management system, deactivating the service or returning data.

The solution is offered on the standard basis in the multi-tenant architecture model, however we also offer the Private Solutions model (a dedicated solution instance).

Costs of SAP and KSeF integration

When considering the cost of integrating SAP with KSeF, customers usually compare our solution offered in the SaaS model with other products offered in the on-premise model. In the case of on-premise solutions, it is necessary to take into account various types of costs that the customer bears individually (costs of infrastructure, software, implementation, risk). In cloud solutions, the biggest cost is the subscription, which includes most of the costs that in the case of the on-premise model are borne by the customer individually. The customer does not have to worry about the cost of licenses, databases, operating systems, installation of the integration layer or preparation of monitoring and maintenance of the application.

The only additional costs at the start are the cost of launching the extractor (a component installed on the SAP side) and the costs associated with training and launching time, which are relatively low in the case of our solution.

The same is true for the maintenance of the solution. For on-premise tools, these are the costs of hardware resources, software, system maintenance and updates, which are expected to be quite big, especially in the initial period of KSeF operation due to the changing guidelines of the Ministry of Finance. In our solution, most of these costs, as in the case of system launching costs, are included in the subscription price.

After taking into account the entire life cycle of the solution, there is no doubt that the subscription model is definitely more cost-effective.