DATEV Unternehmen Online: Creating invoices with the Order Management module Next
Guide to creating sales documents using DATEV Auftragswesen Next. Quotations and invoices, follow-up documents, e-invoicing and transfer to the accounts department.
Introduction
Auftragswesen Next is the add-on module for DATEV Unternehmen Online (DUO) that enables you to create your sales documents: quotations, order confirmations, delivery notes, invoices, invoice corrections and payment reminders. You can also use it to create e-invoices. The completed outgoing invoices are saved and are immediately available to us for bookkeeping.
First, a few clarifications, as there are often misunderstandings regarding Auftragswesen Next:
The module is designed for outgoing documents, i.e. invoices that you issue – not for incoming invoices, which are received via Belege Online. Furthermore, issuing an invoice does not mean posting it; we take care of the posting.
‘Auftragswesen Next’ is not strictly necessary. If you only issue a few invoices a year, you can manage this in other ways. However, as soon as you need to invoice regularly or send e-invoices, the module simplifies the process and ensures that every outgoing invoice reaches us straight away.
This article shows you how to create an invoice, how to convert a quotation into an invoice, how to send e-invoices and how the module interacts with the accounting system. The overview provides a classification of all DUO modules; the article on preparatory bookkeeping explains how invoicing fits into the monthly workflow.
What Auftragswesen Next does
With Auftragswesen Next, you can create all standard sales documents within a single application. The documents build on one another: with a single click, a quotation can be converted into an order confirmation, a delivery note or an invoice. This means you don’t have to re-enter items or addresses.
In the invoice overview, you can keep track of the status of every transaction – from the quotation through the delivery note to the invoice and any corrections. You can set up a custom layout for your documents so that invoices are issued in line with your corporate identity.
Every invoice created is saved as an outgoing invoice and made available for bookkeeping. This ensures it ends up automatically where we need it for posting.
Create an invoice
Word-for-word transcript
If we want to create an invoice using DATEV Auftragswesen Next, the very first thing we need to do is go to ‘Applications’ at the top of the DATEV Unternehmen Online interface and then select ‘Auftragswesen Next’. This is an add-on, so it needs to be activated first. So if you can’t find the button, please let your firm know so that they can activate this add-on for you. I can’t see any invoices that have been created here yet. There’s a ‘Settings’ button up here. This allows you to configure certain basic settings within Auftragswesen Next, such as which document number to continue with, what should appear on the documents, and what the document layout should look like – i.e. background, logo, etc. In my view, this is relatively self-explanatory. This means you’ll find a whole host of basic settings here that you can look at first of all. You can also configure how, for example, the document is sent by email – this can be done directly from within the programme. So, the first step would be the basic settings. After that, I can use the ‘Next’ option under ‘Order Management’ in the ‘Customers’ tab to create different customers, for example. Of course, I can also import these from various systems or create them from scratch. As you can see, I now have the test customer ‘Müller’, whom I’ve already created. The same applies here to the items, of course. I can import these too, or create them from scratch. And once I’ve done all that, I’ll click on ‘Documents’ here, click the plus sign and, for example, create a new invoice as a test. I select the customer – in my case, the customer Müller. I’ll leave the document date set to today’s date by default. Here, too, we have the option to create, for example, notes, introductory texts, closing texts, delivery terms – all sorts of things. And as you can see, whenever I switch something on or off here, a small sidebar opens on the page. There, I can define text modules once and for all. I can also pre-populate them by default. Of course, I also have the option here to customise this text module for each invoice, if I wish. So that’s also explained quite clearly and is relatively easy to use, in my view. And then we can enter our first item here, for example the test item. Down here, we have the option to add further items, as well as page breaks and subtotals. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that we want to invoice one unit of the test item at a price of 100 euros per unit. We can then see that VAT is calculated automatically on top of that. I can, of course, also select the tax rate here, depending on what I’m selling. Then, on the right-hand side, I can add attachments, such as timesheets, supplementary materials lists, and so on. If I were to go ahead and simply finalise the invoice now, the whole thing wouldn’t be deleted; instead, I’d still see a draft here. So I can click on it again here. It’s worth noting that a lot of the data is now gone because I forgot to press ‘Save’. So nobody is forcing me to finalise the item or the invoice straight away. There’s this draft stage. It’s just advisable to always click ‘Save’ here at some point. Then this draft is saved. That’s why we’ll do it again. I’ll charge for one hour at 100 euros and now click ‘Save’. Now you can see some missing details. Of course, I still need to do a bit more here. But now you can see that if I exit now, the draft with my 119 euros is saved. I can then click on the pencil icon again, edit the invoice and finalise it. Let’s just do that. Right, it’s telling me that the VAT number or tax reference is still missing here – not the customer’s, mind you, but our own company’s. So I’d have to go back into the settings here and change our default settings again. That would, of course, work in the real world. Once we’ve done that – or if we’d done it – we could export the invoice directly from the programme, so you can get a feel for what it would look like at the moment. Of course, I haven’t set up any letterhead, logo or anything else here. That’s why the invoice looks rather plain, but you can style it all to look much nicer. And then I have the invoice, which I can send directly to the customer by email from the programme and which, of course, is then also transferred directly from DATEV Auftragswesen Next to DATEV Unternehmen online. So that would be the basic way of creating an invoice here in DATEV Auftragswesen Next.
The process is designed to take just a few steps. You enter master data such as customers and items once and then refer back to it.
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Open Auftragswesen Next
In DUO, open Auftragswesen Next and select ‘Create a new document’.
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Select the document type
You choose the document type, for example an invoice or a quotation.
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Select the recipient
Select the customer from the master data or create a new one.
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Enter the line items
You add the items – either from the product master or as a custom item. Amounts and tax are calculated.
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You create and send the document
You create the document and send it. The invoice is saved as an outgoing invoice and is ready for accounting.
From quotation to invoice
Order Management Next is designed around the typical order process. You first create a quotation and send it out. If the customer accepts, you can convert the quotation into a follow-up document with a single click.
The quotation is thus converted into an order confirmation, a delivery note or an invoice directly – without the need for further data entry. Every step is stored in accordance with GoBD standards, ensuring that the entire process remains traceable.
From the end of 2025, it will also be possible to create consolidated invoices from multiple delivery notes or orders, as well as recurring invoices at fixed intervals. Partial and final invoices, as well as VAT credit notes, are planned as future enhancements.
Creating and sending e-invoices
Since 1 January 2025, businesses in the B2B sector must be able to receive e-invoices. The obligation to issue e-invoices themselves will be phased in: from 1 January 2027 for companies with a total turnover in 2026 exceeding 800,000 euros, and from 1 January 2028 for all others.
It is the format that matters, not the method of delivery
This is where most misunderstandings arise. An e-invoice is an invoice in a structured, machine-readable format in accordance with the EN 16931 standard. The law does not specify how this file is to be delivered to the recipient.
Auftragswesen Next generates your invoice either as an XRechnung or as a ZUGFeRD from version 2.0.1 onwards (the MINIMUM and BASIC-WL profiles do not meet the requirements and are therefore not used). This fulfils the formal requirement – regardless of how you subsequently send the file.
You do not need a platform or a network to send e-invoices. An e-invoice that you send to your customer by email from Auftragswesen Next is a fully valid e-invoice. This is the standard practice in business-to-business transactions.
Integration with the accounts department
The real added value of this collaboration lies in what happens next: every invoice created using Auftragswesen Next is saved as an outgoing invoice and is available to us. This means you do not need to upload your outgoing invoices separately or send them to us.
Your outgoing invoices are automatically transferred to DUO and are visible to us. There is no need for separate dispatch, and your sales figures are thus recorded in full.
Common sources of error
- Incoming invoices mistakenly entered in Auftragswesen Next: This module is for outgoing documents. Incoming invoices are received via ‘Documents online’; see ‘Upload documents ’. Anyone who confuses the two will be looking in the wrong place.
- Sending a PDF instead of an e-invoice: If a customer requests an e-invoice, a PDF is no longer sufficient. It must be created as an XRechnung or ZUGFeRD.
- Master data not maintained: Incomplete customer or product data leads to incorrect invoices. Master data that has been properly maintained once saves time on every invoice.
- Invoice stored locally only: If invoicing takes place outside of ‘Auftragswesen next’, automatic provision is not available. The invoice must then be uploaded separately.
Your tasks and our tasks
Your tasks:
- Create and send sales documents
- Maintain customer and product master data
- Create e-invoices in the correct format and enter the recipient ID
Our tasks:
- Post the outgoing invoices provided
- Provide support with any queries regarding e-invoices and formats
- Set up the delivery method for e-invoices with you
How many you create yourself depends on your business. We post the outgoing invoices as soon as they are ready.
Frequently asked questions
Do I absolutely need ‘Order Management Next’?
No. If you only issue a very small number of invoices, there are other ways to manage this. As soon as you start invoicing regularly or sending e-invoices, the module simplifies the process and automatically makes the invoices available to us.
How much does Auftragswesen next cost?
The module is billed monthly. We will settle the terms and conditions as part of our agreement with you. We will discuss the exact costs for your specific situation on a case-by-case basis.
What documents can I create?
Quotations, order confirmations, delivery notes, invoices, invoice corrections and payment reminders. A quotation can be converted into a follow-up document with a single click.
Can I issue e-invoices with it?
Yes. Auftragswesen next generates e-invoices in the XRechnung and ZUGFeRD formats. To send them via the network, you enter the recipient’s TRAFFIQX® ID.
Can I customise the layout of my invoices?
Yes. You can set up your own document layout for your quotations and invoices so that the documents are sent out in your own branding.
Do I need to upload my outgoing invoices separately?
No. Invoices created using Auftragswesen next are automatically made available as outgoing invoices and are visible to us.
Legal notice
This article provides an overview and is not a substitute for individual advice. The range of functions, formats and menu navigation in DATEV Auftragswesen next may change as a result of updates; the requirements for e-invoicing are also being gradually expanded.
If you have any questions about invoicing or sending e-invoices, please contact us directly.
As at: May 2026