Reconcile supplier item codes in SamBooks

When a supplier uses their own item code that's different from yours, you link it once to your catalog: from the next invoice on, SamBooks recognizes it on its own.

What it's for

Many suppliers write their own item code on invoice lines (the CodiceArticolo block of the Italian e-invoice), different from the internal code you use in Warehouse items. Supplier code reconciliation is the memory that links, supplier by supplier, that code to your item or service: you link it once — by hand or by confirming an automatic proposal — and from then on every later invoice from the same supplier with the same code attaches itself to your catalog automatically, with the cost account proposed as a result. This is not the same as the supplier's own code in your supplier record (that identifies the supplier itself on an external system): here we're talking about the code the supplier puts on the lines of their invoices.

Before you start

• You need a supplier already registered and at least one item or service in the catalog (Warehouse items) to link the code to.
• Reconciling — confirming, editing or deleting a mapping — requires the Manager or Administrative role on the company: it uses the same generic gate as purchase invoices, so Viewer and Logistics can't use it, not even just to see a proposal.

Step by step

1. Where the supplier's code comes from

A line's item code comes from whichever channel you used to receive or create the purchase invoice: automatic SDI receipt (the code is in the XML), the manual form "New purchase invoice" (an inline Code field next to every line, editable), uploading an XML/.p7m file, or OCR of a PDF/photo. Whatever the channel, if the document reports a supplier item code on a line, SamBooks records it together with the line.

2. The first invoice with a new code: the automatic proposal

When the purchase invoice is created — from SDI, manually, from XML or from OCR — SamBooks immediately tries to match every supplier code found against an item or service in your catalog (by similar code or description). If it finds a plausible candidate, it records a proposal that's not yet confirmed; if it finds nothing, the code still shows up, with no proposal. Either way this never blocks or slows down creating the invoice: reconciliation is a later, optional step while you work.

3. Confirm (or correct) the reconciliation from the invoice detail

Open the purchase invoice (Purchase invoices) and stay on the Details tab. Under every line carrying a supplier code you'll find a small box with the code and, depending on the case: if there's a proposal, an AI badge with the confidence percentage and the Confirm proposal button; if there isn't, the Reconcile button. Pressing it opens the Reconcile supplier code dialog: the Supplier code is already pre-filled and locked (it comes from the real line), choose — or correct — Our item or service from the combobox (on some plans you can also create the item or service on the fly with "+ Create item"/"+ Create service", without leaving the dialog). Press Confirm: the line attaches immediately to the chosen catalog entry, and the item's or service's cost account is automatically proposed on that line, if it didn't already have one confirmed by hand.

4. Manage all of a supplier's mappings in one place

Go to Suppliers, open the supplier's record and look for the Item codes tab: it lists every code→item/service mapping for that supplier, with a Confirmed or To confirm badge (plus an AI badge if it's an automatic proposal not yet reviewed) and, for each one, the item or service it points to. From here you can also create a new mapping without starting from an invoice — useful if you already know the match in advance — by pressing Reconcile code: this time the Supplier code field is free text, not locked. Every row has Edit and Delete icons.

5. Later invoices resolve on their own

Once a mapping is Confirmed, every new invoice from the same supplier with the same code attaches itself automatically on arrival, whether it comes via SDI or manually: no click, no proposal to confirm. The line arrives already linked to your item or service, with the cost account proposed (AI badge, to accept or correct like any other suggested account — it's never posted on its own). This only happens if the line doesn't already have a link set by hand: automatic reconciliation never overwrites a choice you made yourself. This is why reconciling a recurring supplier pays off: the work done once pays for itself on every later invoice, without ever redoing it.

6. Delete a reconciliation

From the supplier's Item codes tab, the Delete icon removes the mapping, with a confirmation ("Delete the reconciliation for code «…»? The code will go back to being unreconciled"). From that point the code goes back to unreconciled: the next invoice with the same code generates a new proposal again (or none, if there's no automatic match), not a silent attachment — this is how you fix a mapping that pointed to the wrong item, without leaving a wrong link around.

Ask Sam

The same operations work in chat: "reconcile code ABC-123 from supplier Rossi Srl with item ART-004", "which codes from supplier Rossi Srl are still unreconciled?", "delete the reconciliation for code ABC-123 from supplier Rossi Srl", "what match does SamBooks propose for code XYZ from supplier Bianchi?". Sam has the same tools as the form — confirming, deleting, proposing and listing reconciliations — and the changes stay reversible from the AI history.

If something goes wrong

• No supplier-code box shows up on a line: it only appears if that line actually carries a supplier item code (present in the XML or recognized by OCR); if the document doesn't report one, there's nothing to reconcile for that line.
• 403 while trying to reconcile: it requires the Manager or Administrative role; Viewer and Logistics can't do it, not even just to see a proposal.
• The account isn't on the accounting entry yet: reconciliation proposes the cost account, but it stays a suggestion — it needs to be accepted or corrected before posting to the journal, like any other AI-proposed account.
• A code reconciled with the wrong item by mistake: delete the mapping (step 6) and reconcile it again with the right target — deletion is idempotent and doesn't touch invoices already posted.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to reconcile every single invoice? No: only the first new code from a supplier needs a click. Once confirmed, every later invoice with the same code attaches on its own.

What happens if the same supplier code actually matches two different items over time? The mapping is unique per supplier+code pair: if the supplier changed what the code means, delete the old mapping (step 6) and create the new one — invoices already reconciled with the previous mapping don't change.

Does reconciliation automatically post the invoice to accounting? No: it only links the item/service and proposes the cost account. Posting to the journal remains a separate step, with your confirmation.

Does reconciling a code work for invoices received via SDI too, not just manual ones? Yes: the mechanism is identical regardless of the invoice's entry channel — SDI, XML, manual or OCR.

Related guides

• Record a purchase invoice: where the lines with the supplier code to reconcile originate.
• Manage suppliers: where the Item codes tab lives, with every mapping for a supplier.
• Manage warehouse items: where you create the items and services to link supplier codes to.