EDI vs e-Invoice, The difference and why you need both

EDI and e-Invoice are complementary, not competing. EDI automates the full B2B commercial flow with retailers (orders, dispatch advices, invoices, receipts), while e-Invoice is the mandatory ANAF fiscal reporting obligation. Retail companies need both.

Main purpose

EDI: B2B commerce automation (orders, dispatches, invoices). ANAF e-Invoice: Mandatory fiscal reporting to ANAF.

Documents covered

EDI: ORDERS, ORDRSP, DESADV, RECADV, INVOIC, PRICAT, SLSRPT. ANAF e-Invoice: Invoice only (XML UBL 2.1).

Standard

EDI: EDIFACT / EANCOM / XML. ANAF e-Invoice: UBL 2.1 CIUS-RO.

Transport

EDI: AS2, SFTP, OFTP2, VAN, Peppol. ANAF e-Invoice: ANAF SPV API.

Direct beneficiaries

EDI: Retailers, distributors, manufacturers. ANAF e-Invoice: ANAF (Romanian state).

Legally mandatory in RO

EDI: No (but required by retailers). ANAF e-Invoice: Yes (B2B since 2024).

Reduces DSO

EDI: Yes, automatic daily invoicing. ANAF e-Invoice: No.

Reduces order errors

EDI: Yes, eliminates manual entry. ANAF e-Invoice: No.

EDIconnect entry cost

EDI: From €15/month. ANAF e-Invoice: Included in EDI packages.

Verdict

The right solution is EDI + e-Invoice on a single platform. EDIconnect auto-generates the e-Invoice from the EDI INVOIC and sends it to ANAF via SPV, eliminating double entry and sync errors between the two systems.