Message Transformation

Many of the core features of PAYS rely on the Message Transformation module to correctly identify and handle individual payment elements. Multiple ERP systems provide a range of formatted data in the form of a structured message. The Message Transformation module uses format specific adapters to map payment information from these messages into a standard TWIST proposed format. Adapters have already been developed for leading ERP vendor systems such as SAP, J D Edwards and Peoplesoft.

PAYS then transforms the payments messages for the targeted delivery channel. For urgent payments, messages can be transformed into SWIFT format. For bank-specific payments, EDIFACT or bank-proprietary formats can also be used. Central to the message transformation module is a robust error-reporting capability that allows exceptions to be noted and directed to authorised users for timely investigation and resolution.

Invoice Matching

The PAYS matching module matches invoices to purchase orders, delivery notes and delivery verifications. The key feature of the matching module is the flexibility it demonstrates through being able to:

	link invoices to multiple purchase orders
	link purchase orders to multiple invoices
	be tracked by Purchaser or Supplier naming conventions
	show item status, history and progress
	interface to payment authorization module

Manual Payment Creation

The Manual Payment Creation module accommodates:

	the creation of manual and irregular payments
	the manual intervention of exception cases (invoice not matching purchase order, delivery not matching invoice, errors on invoice)
	urgent payments
	the need to enter payments offline (due to connectivity or mobility issues)

Fundamental to this module are the built in security features including:

	encryption of payment related data
	authorization limits on users ability to create payments from selected accounts and/or in selected currencies to pre-specified monetary thresholds
	authentication interfacing to customer PKI
	non-repudiation of payments through the use of digital signatures

The payment creation module also has the ability to display only the fields required for the specific payment based on payment type, payment mode, regional and regulatory requirements. This module also has configurable validation rules, which validate data at the field, instruction and type level.

Payment Authorisation

Once payments have been created, either via upstream ERP systems or via the PAYS Manual Payment Creation module, they will be consolidated within PAYS awaiting authorisation prior to release. By providing organisations with a single point of authorisation, this module has a number of key features:

	the ability to review and optionally alter payments immediately prior to release
	the ability to stop or cancel all scheduled payments to a particular supplier, bank, country or geographical region
	capabilities for multiple payment authorisation levels, optionally dependant on currency, account or payment threshold
	exception handling

The Payments Authorisation Module relies heavily on built in security features including:

	encryption of payment related data
	authentication interfacing to customer PKI
	non-repudiation of payments through the use of digital signatures

Delivery

The PAYS secure delivery capability is flexible in supporting a variety of configurations during normal operation as well as during incidents where usual channels may not be available. These configurations can include:

	partially or fully hosted payment file processing
	push or pull of payment files
	hardware and software virtual private networks (VPNs)
	dedicated host-to-host delivery
	transmission over secure sockets

The Delivery module has the flexibility to automatically transfer to alternative delivery mechanisms when failures are detected. The audit trail capability enables users to have a consolidated view of payments across all delivery channels. While enabling straight-through-processing, this module also allows the user to configure the system to map exception handling to the organisation's escalation procedures.

Reporting

Customised reporting capabilities allow users to:

	track payments
	statically analyse payment history and processes
	view batch and aggregate payments
	generically search
	define standard reports

The Reporting Module has been designed for configurations where report generation does not impact production services through use of prioritisation and data mapping.