Keep the documents before choosing a format
Your supplier's email has two attachments: a PDF you can easily read and an XML file you do not usually work with. It is tempting to send your accountant only the PDF and leave out the other file. First, though, find out what both attachments are for and what the accounting system needs.
The aim is not to learn to read XML manually. You just need to keep the original documents, establish whether they belong to the same invoice, and agree how to hand them over.
Two files are not necessarily a hybrid invoice
A PDF can be the readable version of a document, while XML can contain its structured data for processing. Hybrid formats also exist alongside separate attachments. Factur-X, for example, combines a readable PDF/A-3 document with structured XML data embedded directly within it. FNFE-MPE, a contributor to the Factur-X standard, describes this principle.
FNFE-MPE, a contributor to the Factur-X standard →
Simply having attachments with PDF and XML extensions does not tell you that they are Factur-X or that the receiving system can process them. Nor can you confirm that all their details match from the extensions alone. To proceed, you need information from the supplier or your accountant, rather than a guess at the format name.
Keep the originals before changing anything
Save both attachments with information about the email they came from. Open the readable PDF and check the supplier, document number and the period or purchase it relates to. If the message contains several invoices, do not assign the XML to the first PDF just because of the attachment order.
Check an unclear pair with the supplier. You can ask: ‘Which XML belongs to the invoice with this number, and what format are you supplying it in?’ Keep the answer with the documents so your accountant does not have to find the connection again.
Do not use Print to PDF or another modification to create the only version you keep and send. A copy made this way may look identical, but it does not replace the original file with all its parts, including any embedded data. You can use a copy for everyday reading; keep the original available.
Agree on the specific handover
Ask your accountant whether they need both separate attachments, the original hybrid file, or just a readable version for a particular step. If they request an import, you also need their format requirement. Converting it to a different XML yourself without this agreement can add work and uncertainty.
In a fictional example, the files faktura-184.pdf and faktura-184.xml arrive. Your accountant confirms that their system can process the XML format specified by the supplier, but also wants the PDF for checking. Send both originals and state in your message that they concern the same invoice, as confirmed by the supplier.
If your accountant has no use for the XML, you do not need to convert it manually. Keep it with the other original documents and use the agreed file for the current task. If the import fails or details differ between versions, pass the specific error or discrepancy to the supplier and your accountant. Do not try to fix the inconsistency by rewriting the original invoice.