Abstract:
A system is disclosed for storing and maintaining a plurality of field orders and a corresponding plurality of invoices. This system allows a supplier and a buyer to easily view and obtain copies of one or more of the field orders and their corresponding invoices when proper security constraints are satisfied. The system includes a computer server adapted to receive input data comprising a plurality of field orders and a corresponding plurality of invoices, the field orders and the invoices being stored in a memory of the server. A processor of the server will execute a software package stored in a memory of the server called a report generation software. When the report generation software is executed by the processor of the server, a ‘special report’ is available for display on the server&#39;s recorder or display device, that ‘special report’ being adapted to be viewed by either the buyer or the supplier. On that ‘special report’, there are three columns. A first column consists of a plurality of descriptions of goods or services. A second column consists of a plurality of field orders. A third column consists of a plurality of invoices corresponding, respectively, to the plurality of field orders. The ‘special report’ can be viewed by the buyer when the buyer accesses the supplier&#39;s server via the internet and initiates an ‘automatch’ function. However, before accessing the supplier&#39;s server, the buyer must first input certain security constraints, such as username and password.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The subject matter of the present invention relates to a software system residing in a computer/server that is accessible by buyers of goods or services via the internet for displaying a ‘special report’ on the server which is adapted to be read by a buyer of particular goods and/or services, the report having three columns: a first column having a plurality of descriptions of goods or services, a second column having a plurality of field orders corresponding, respectively to the plurality of goods or services where each field order indicates exactly which goods or services were received and verified by the buyer, and a third column having a plurality of invoices corresponding, respectively, to the plurality of field orders, the buyer locating a particular field order where he personally verified receipt of the goods or services and, adjacent thereto on the ‘special report’, locating a particular invoice associated, respectively, with the particular field order.  
           [0002]    Corporations sell a multitude of products and/or services to other corporations or individuals. A buyer will place an order for goods or services, and a supplier will supply those goods/services. Upon receipt of the goods/services, the buyer will often sign a field order indicating exactly what products and/or services were received by the buyer. Later, the buyer will receive an invoice from the supplier associated with the receipt by the buyer of those goods and/or services. However, when the invoice is received, the buyer may have misplaced his copy of the field order. The buyer wants to compare his copy of the field order, which indicates exactly what products/services he received, with the owed amounts indicated on the invoice to be sure the owed amounts are correct. However, since, sometimes, the buyer has misplaced his copy of the field order, the buyer cannot compare the field order against the invoice. In addition, even if the field orders have not been misplaced, it is necessary to periodically perform certain audits. During these audits, a multitude of field orders are compared against a corresponding multitude of invoices to be sure the owned amounts indicated on the invoices are correct. Disputes sometimes result; the buyer indicating he owes a lesser amount and the supplier indicating that the buyer owes a greater amount.  
           [0003]    A better system is needed to allow a supplier and a buyer to easily obtain copies of a plurality of field orders and a corresponding plurality of invoices. As a result, when this better system is implemented, the aforementioned audits may no longer be necessary.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    Accordingly, a better system is disclosed for storing and maintaining a plurality of field orders and a corresponding plurality of invoices. This system allows a supplier and a buyer to easily view and obtain copies of one or more of the field orders and their corresponding invoices when proper security constraints are satisfied. The system includes a computer server adapted to receive input data comprising a plurality of field orders and a corresponding plurality of invoices, the field orders and the invoices being stored in a memory of the server. A processor of the server will execute a software package stored in a memory of the server, the software package being hereinafter called a ‘report generation software’. The ‘report generation software’ is also known by the following trademark: “eZView”. When the report generation software (i.e., the “eZView” software) is executed by the processor of the server, a ‘special report’ is available for display on the server&#39;s recorder or display device, that ‘special report’ being adapted to be viewed by either the buyer or the supplier. On that ‘special report’, there are three columns. A first column consists of a plurality of descriptions of goods or services. A second column consists of a plurality of field orders. A field order is a verified document, signed by a buyer, which indicates exactly what products or services were received by the buyer. A third column consists of a plurality of invoices corresponding, respectively, to the plurality of field orders. The ‘special report’ can be viewed by the buyer when the buyer accesses the supplier&#39;s server via the internet. However, before accessing the supplier&#39;s server, the buyer must first input certain security constraints, such as username and password.  
           [0005]    It was previously indicated that the computer server is adapted to receive input data comprising a plurality of field orders and a corresponding plurality of invoices. A novel method is also disclosed herein which represents a new ‘business method’ for collecting the plurality of field orders and the corresponding plurality of invoices which represents the input data being provided to the server.  
           [0006]    Accordingly, a better system is being provided, representing a novel business method and associated apparatus, for efficiently storing, in a computer server belonging to a supplier, a plurality of field orders and a corresponding plurality of invoices and for allowing a buyer to easily access the supplier&#39;s server via the internet for the purpose of viewing a ‘special report’ on the supplier&#39;s server when proper security constraints are satisfied. When the supplier&#39;s server is accessed, the buyer can view the ‘special report’ which illustrates a plurality of the buyer&#39;s field orders and a corresponding plurality of his invoices.  
           [0007]    Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description presented hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while representing a preferred embodiment of the present invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become obvious to one skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    A full understanding of the present invention will be obtained from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment presented hereinbelow, and the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only and are not intended to be limitative of the present invention, and wherein:  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 illustrates a traditional procurement process;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 illustrates a prior art method for collecting field orders (or ‘field tickets’);  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 illustrates how the method of the present invention for collecting field orders and corresponding invoices saves customer process costs and supplier process costs;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 illustrates the procurement process of FIG. 1, but this figure further illustrates where the ‘eZView’ software of the present invention operates in that procurement process for the purpose of saving the above customer and supplier process costs;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 illustrates the fact that the novel method for collecting field orders and associated invoices and the novel ‘report generation software’, also known as the ‘eZView’ software, not only captures a buyer&#39;s purchase order number and a buyer&#39;s invoice, but it also matches a buyer&#39;s field order (or field ticket) with the buyer&#39;s invoice; in addition, the unit prices in the invoice could also be compared with the corresponding unit prices as stated in the buyer&#39;s contract;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 illustrates the novel method in accordance with one aspect of the present invention for collecting field orders and collecting associated invoices for display of such field orders and such invoices on the ‘special report’ which is generated by the ‘report generation software’, also known as the ‘eZView’ software;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 illustrates a typical field order, which is also known as a field ticket or a service order;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIGS. 8 a  and  8   b  illustrate a screen display which is being viewed by a buyer on the buyer&#39;s computer, when the buyer is attempting to access the supplier&#39;s server via the internet, this screen display requiring the buyer to first enter a security constraint, such as a username and a password, and then, when the username and password is successfully entered, requiring the buyer to enter an invoice number and/or a field ticket number;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIGS. 9 a  through  12  illustrate the ‘special report’ which is generated by the supplier&#39;s server when the processor of the supplier&#39;s server executes the ‘report generation software’ which is resident on the supplier&#39;s server/computer, the ‘special report’ having a field order column associated with a description column and a corresponding invoice column, where a particular field order can be matched with a particular invoice associated with a particular product or service description;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 13 illustrates a construction of the supplier&#39;s server which stores the ‘report generation software’, otherwise known as the ‘eZView’ software in accordance with another aspect or feature of the present invention; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIGS. 14 through 18 are used in conjunction with the functional specification which describes the ‘report generation software’ illustrated in FIG. 13. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0020]    Referring to FIG. 1, a traditional procurement process is illustrated.  
         [0021]    In FIG. 1, traditionally, the procurement process includes the following steps. First, a definition of the buyer&#39;s needs results in the submission of a Request for Quotation (RFQ)  10  from a buyer to a supplier. This RFQ  10  may include products or services from the supplier&#39;s catalog, or, in the case of configurable products or services, the RFQ  10  may simply be a request for services that provide specified results. This creates a collaborative environment between buyer and supplier. The supplier sends a quote  12  that includes the price he can offer for the products or services. If they agreed on the price, the buyer replies by creating a Purchase Order (PO)  14  that identifies the items he wants to purchase. The supplier acknowledges the PO  16  and delivers products and or services which is documented by a job report  18 , also known as a Field Service Report  18 , a Field Order  18 , or a Field Ticket (FT)  18  (hereinafter, known as a “Field Order  18 ”). The Field Order  18  document includes: the products/services delivered by the supplier to the buyer, and the prices provided by the supplier for each item. Particularly in a dynamic service environment, the services delivered and itemized on the Field Order  18  may vary significantly from those services which were originally requested. The Field Order  18  is reviewed by the supplier before the supplier generates an Invoice  20 . An agreement between the Invoice  20  and the Field Order  18  represents one of the steps which are necessary in order to launch the payment process  22 .  
         [0022]    Referring to FIG. 2, a prior art data collection method for collecting Field Order information and associated Invoice information is illustrated which enables a customer to match a Field Order with an incoming Invoice.  
         [0023]    In FIG. 2, the prior art data collection method is comprised of the following steps. At a wellsite  24 , when a supplier provides the requested goods and/or services to a buyer in response to a buyer&#39;s purchase order  14 , a Field Order  18  is prepared which itemizes the goods and services delivered by the supplier to the buyer. The Field Order  18  is signed by the buyer when the goods and services are delivered to the buyer, and it includes such things as the customer purchase order (PO) number, quality health safety and environment (QHSE) information, a set of materials or services delivered, and the quantities of such materials delivered by the supplier to the buyer. A paper format of the Field Order  18  is delivered to the customer (note that this is a paper formatted field order only); see numeral  26  in FIG. 2. In the meantime, the Field Order  18 , which represents the goods and services delivered by the supplier to the buyer and which is signed/verified by the buyer, is sent from the wellsite to a ‘digital District Inbox’  28 ; see numeral  32  in FIG. 2. Here, a Field Service Manager (FSM)  30  reviews the Field Order  18  that is stored in the District InBox  28  for accuracy, since the Field Order  18  was originally prepared by a field engineer. When the Field Order  18  in the District InBox  28  is corrected by the FSM  30 , a corrected Field Order  18  is sent to a mainframe computer  34  where the corrected Field Order  18  is stored therein; see numeral  38  in FIG. 2. The corrected Field Order  18  is also sent to an operational statistics (OpStats) collector  36 . In response to the receipt of the corrected Field Order  18  from the District InBox  28 , the mainframe computer  34  prepares an Invoice  40 , where the Invoice  40  is delivered to a customer in order to initiate a process known as a “customer review process”  42 . During the customer review process  42 , the customer seated at computer terminal  44  in FIG. 2 will compare the received Invoice  40  with the customer&#39;s original copy of the Field Order  18  to verify that the items listed on the Field Order  18 , representing the customer&#39;s received and verified goods and/or services, are accurately represented on the Invoice  40 . However, in the prior art, the match between the Field Order  18  and the invoice  40  was an entirely manual process. As a result, the prior art data collection method illustrated in FIG. 2 is undergoing improvement by virtue of the new and novel data collection method in accordance with one aspect of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 6 and discussed in detail below.  
         [0024]    In FIG. 3, as noted earlier the prior art data collection method of FIG. 2 is undergoing improvement by virtue of the present invention; however, this improvement is needed in order to reduce the “total system cost”. That is, the customer process costs can be reduced, and the supplier process costs can be reduced while maintaining the profit and the supplier material costs, as indicated in FIG. 3.  
         [0025]    Referring to FIG. 4, the traditional procurement process of FIG. 1 is illustrated again, however, the ‘report generation software’ otherwise known as the ‘eZView’ software of the present invention (illustrated in FIG. 13) will generate the ‘special report’ as previously mentioned. That ‘special report’, which is generated by the ‘eZView’ software of the present invention, will illustrate, on a line-by-line basis, the Field Order  18  and its associated Invoice  20 . After viewing the ‘special report’, the buyer will easily note that the items listed on the Field Order  18  are accurately reflected on the Invoice  20 . Since the buyer is now reassured, the payment  22  for the goods and services listed on the Field Order  18  will be made by the buyer.  
         [0026]    Referring to FIG. 5, the ‘special report’ that is generated by the ‘report generation software’ or the ‘eZView’ software of the present invention will enable the buyer to compare on a line-by-line basis: the Field Order  18  against the Invoice  20 . More particularly, buyers are particularly concerned about passing an Invoice  20  through three levels of verification and authorization before authorizing payment to the supplier: (1) An invoice  20  must be related to one Purchase Order (PO); the total Invoice  20  value should remain within acceptable limits of an approved amount as stated in the Purchase Order (PO)  14 ; (2) Each invoice  20  must be compared with the Field Order (or Field Ticket)  18  that corresponds to that Invoice  20  in order to verify and determine the fact that the items and the quantities delivered to the buyer match with the items stated in the Invoice  20 ; and (3) The unit prices in the buyer&#39;s Invoice  20  should be compared with the buyer&#39;s agreed unit prices as stated in their contract with the supplier.  
         [0027]    The ‘report generation software’ also known as ‘eZview’ software ‘web application’ of the present invention, addresses the two last points [that is, points (2) and (3) above] by providing customers with the opportunity to systematically compare Field Order  18  items and quantities against those stated in the Invoice  20 , and to validate unit prices from the Invoice  20  against an electronic representation of the customer&#39;s contract.  
         [0028]    Referring to FIG. 6, a novel data collection method, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, is illustrated for collecting the Field Orders  18  and the corresponding Invoices  20  of FIG. 4 so that the ‘report generation software’ (or the ‘eZView’ software), in accordance with another aspect of the present invention, can generate the aforementioned ‘special report’. That ‘special report’ will display the Field Orders  18  and associated Invoices  20  on a line-by-line basis. As a result, by viewing the ‘special report’, the buyer can easily verify that the goods or services listed on the Field Order  18  (representing the goods and services which were delivered to the buyer and accepted by the buyer) do, in fact, accurately match the goods or services listed on the Invoice  20 .  
         [0029]    In FIG. 6, the novel data collection method for collecting Field Orders  18  and corresponding Invoices  20  comprises the following steps:  
         [0030]    During a Field Operation, Collection and Viewing of a Field Order  18  Summary on a Field Engineer&#39;s Laptop  
         [0031]    Referring to FIG. 6, locate a field engineer&#39;s laptop  50 . The laptop  50  will display a Field Order  18 . The Field Order  18  represents a set of goods or services which were delivered by a supplier to a buyer in the field. The Field Order  18  displayed on laptop  50  reflects those goods or services.  
         [0032]    Generation of an XML Version of the Field Order  18  and Locking of the XML Field Order  18  by Capturing the Customer Field Representative&#39;s Digital Signature; in Addition, Capture the Customer Field Representative&#39;s Comments by Posting the Comments on the ‘eZView’ Server Illustrated in FIG. 13  
         [0033]    In FIG. 6, locate the ‘Digital Signature and Comments’ block  52 . Recall that the Field Order  18 , which is displayed on the field engineer&#39;s laptop  50 , comprises a customer purchase order  14  number, QHSE data, material delivered to the buyer, and quantities of the aforesaid materials delivered to the buyer. When the goods and/or services are delivered by the supplier to the buyer, the Field Order  18  will state exactly which goods were delivered to the buyer along with their quantities, and the Field Order  18  will also state exactly which services were delivered to the buyer. When the goods and/or services are delivered by the supplier to the buyer, the buyer&#39;s “Customer Field Representative” will review the Field Order  18  which is being displayed on the laptop  50  and the “Customer Field Representative” will indicate his acceptance of the goods and/or services delivered by the supplier to the buyer by supplying a unique ‘digital signature’  52  which is unique to the Customer Field Representative. If the buyer&#39;s Customer Field Representative has any comments regarding the delivered goods and/or services, those comments  52  can also be supplied by the Customer Field Representative along with his ‘digital signature’  52 .  
         [0034]    Transfer the XML Version of the Signed Field Order  18  to the ‘eZView’ Server.  
         [0035]    In FIG. 6, locate numeral  54 . Here, the XML version of the Field Order  18  is being transferred from the laptop  50  to the ‘eZView’ server  56 .  
         [0036]    Transfer of the Field Order  18 , in Electronic Form, to the Service Company&#39;s Field Operation&#39;s Office for Additional Review and Editing.  
         [0037]    In FIG. 6, locate numeral  58 . Here, the Field Order  18  in laptop  50  is transferred, in electronic form, to a Service Company&#39;s Field Operations office  60 , called the ‘office InBox’  60 , for additional review and editing of the field order  18  by a Field Service Manager (FSM)  62 . The field engineer&#39;s field order  18  in laptop  50  may contain errors. The Field Service Manager  62  will correct those errors in the field order  18 .  
         [0038]    Correction and Modification of Field Order  18  by the Supplier&#39;s Field Operations Manager and Capturing Supplier Comments Associated the Field Order or Invoice Items  
         [0039]    In FIG. 6, locate numeral  64 . Note that the Field Service Manager (FSM)  62  will review the Field Order  18  now stored in the ‘Office In Box’  60  and correct any errors. Here, the FSM  62  can place any comments as desired directly on the Field Order  18  being displayed on the ‘Office In Box’  60 , the comments being associated with the Field Order  18  or any Invoice items.  
         [0040]    Posting of a Pro Forma Invoice and Attaching Supporting Documents.  
         [0041]    In FIG. 6, locate numeral  66 . Here, the FSM  62  can also create an unofficial (Pro Forma) invoice and store that invoice in the ‘eZView’ server  56 . In addition to the unofficial ‘Pro Forma’ invoice, the FSM  62  can also attach any other supporting documents to the invoice that is being stored in the ‘eZView’ server  56 , the attachment of the documents to the invoice being done in a manner that is similar to attaching a document to an email.  
         [0042]    Transfer Field Order  18  to a Mainframe Computer for Storage therein for the Purpose of Creating an Invoice  
         [0043]    In FIG. 6, locate numeral  68 . The Field Order  18  which is currently stored in the ‘Office In Box’  60  is now transferred to a mainframe computer  70  for storage therein. In the mainframe computer  70 , the Field Order  18  is used to create an official copy of an Invoice that corresponds to the Field Order  18  that is stored in the mainframe computer  70  and in the ‘Office In Box’  60 .  
         [0044]    Capturing an XML Representation of the Invoice and Passing the Invoice to the ‘eZView’ Server  56   
         [0045]    In FIG. 6, locate numeral  72 . Here, an XML representation of the Invoice stored in the mainframe computer  70  is transferred to a web database in the ‘eZView’ server  56 .  
         [0046]    Deliver the Traditional Invoice to the Customer  
         [0047]    In FIG. 6, locate numeral  74 . Here, a traditional copy of the Invoice, which is stored in the mainframe computer  70 , is delivered to the buyer/customer for his review. Locate numeral  76  and note that, at this point, a ‘customer review process’  76  will begin. During the customer review process  76 , the buyer/customer will review the invoice which was previously delivered to the buyer/customer, at numeral  74 .  
         [0048]    Automatch between the Field Order and Invoice, or Field Order and Pro Forma Invoice, or Pro Forma Invoice and Invoice, Matching Line Item Materials and Quantities; Identify Items that do not Match or are not Digitally Signed; Automatically email Notifications to a Customer Indicating that an Invoice has been posted to the ‘eZView’ Server  
         [0049]    In FIG. 6, locate numeral  78 . Here, using his own personal computer and standard browser software, the buyer/customer can access the access the internet for the purpose of accessing the ‘eZView’ server  56 , as shown in FIG. 13. When access to the ‘eZView’ server is achieved, the buyer/customer can perform the following functions: The buyer/customer can initiate an ‘automatch’ function wherein the buyer can enter a Field Order number or an invoice number, and, responsive thereto, the buyer can start performing an ‘automatch’ function. During the ‘automatch’ function, the server  56  can: (1) locate a match between the Field Order and the Invoice, or (2) locate a match between the Field Order and the Pro Forma Invoice, or (3) locate a match between the Pro Forma Invoice and the Invoice. The server  56  can also identify items, during the ‘automatch’ function, that do not match or are not digitally signed. In addition, the server  56  can automatically notify a buyer/customer via email indicating that an invoice has been posted to the ‘eZView’ server  56 . When the ‘automatch’ function is complete, a ‘special report’ is generated by the server  56 . That ‘special report’ will be discussed below with reference to FIGS. 9 a ,  9   b ,  10 ,  11 , and  12 .  
         [0050]    Customer has a Secure Access via a Web Browser into the ‘eZView’ Server  56  for Performing the ‘Automatch’ Function and Reviewing Matches between Field Orders and Invoices, and Reviewing Supplier Comments and Supporting Attachments  
         [0051]    In FIG. 6, locate numeral  80 . Here, a buyer/customer, sitting at his personal computer  82 , can access the internet and attempt to access the ‘eZView’ server  56 . When access to the ‘eZView’ server  56  is obtained, the buyer/customer can then: enter an invoice number or a field order number, and start performing the ‘automatch’ function. When the automatch function is completed, a ‘display’ or ‘output record medium’ is generated. In that ‘display’ or ‘output record medium’, a match between a field order  18  and an invoice  20  can be displayed (see FIGS. 9 through 12). Alternatively, a match between the Field Order and the Pro Forma Invoice can be displayed, or a match between the Pro Forma Invoice and the Invoice can be displayed. FIGS. 9 a  through  12  are examples of a ‘display’ or ‘output record medium’ which shows a match between a plurality of field orders and a corresponding plurality of invoices for a corresponding plurality of product or service descriptions. In addition, when the buyer has obtained access to the ‘eZView’ server  56  and the ‘automatch’ function has completed, the buyer can also review, on the ‘display’ or ‘output record medium’, any supplier&#39;s comments and any supporting attachments which may exist.  
         [0052]    Unit Price Verification Against Specific Contract in Contract Database  
         [0053]    In FIG. 6, locate numeral  82 . Recall that, with reference to numeral  72  in FIG. 6, the XML representation of the Invoice stored in the mainframe computer  70  was transferred to a web database in the ‘eZView’ server  56 . Recall again that, with reference to numeral  78 , the buyer/customer performs an ‘automatch’ function wherein a ‘display’ or ‘output record medium’ is generated; and, in that ‘display’ or ‘output record medium’, a match between a field order  18  and an invoice  20  can be displayed, or a match between the Field Order and the Pro Forma Invoice can be displayed, or a match between the Pro Forma Invoice and the Invoice can be displayed. A ‘contract’ between the buyer and the supplier is stored in a ‘contract database’  82  of FIG. 6. Now that the buyer/customer has obtained access to the ‘eZView’ server  56  and has performed the ‘automatch’ function, the buyer/customer, sitting at his personal computer  82 , can also compare the unit prices set forth in the Invoice which is stored in the ‘eZView’ server  56  with the unit prices set forth in the buyer/supplier contract stored in the contract database  82 .  
         [0054]    Customer can Initiate email Back to Supplier for Issue Resolution.  
         [0055]    In FIG. 6, locate numeral  84  representing a route  84 . Here, since the buyer/customer sitting at his personal computer  82  has obtained access to the ‘eZView’ server  56 , has performed the ‘automatch’ function, and has generated the ‘display’ or ‘output record medium’ in the form of a ‘special report’ similar to the special reports illustrated in FIGS. 9 a  through  12 , the buyer/customer may now have one or more questions concerning any of the field orders  18  and corresponding invoices  20  set forth in the ‘special reports’ of FIGS. 9 a  through  12 . As a result, the buyer/customer can now send an email containing his questions back to the supplier via route  84  in FIG. 6. This email is sent back to the supplier&#39;s Field Service Manager (FSM)  62  in FIG. 6. The FSM  62  would answer those questions.  
         [0056]    Customer can Initiate email Notification to inside Own Organization to Support Workflow Process.  
         [0057]    In FIG. 6, locate numeral  86  representing route  86 . Here, since the buyer/customer sitting at his personal computer  82  has obtained access to the ‘eZView’ server  56 , has performed the ‘automatch’ function, and has generated the ‘display’ or ‘output record medium’ in the form of a ‘special report’ similar to the special reports illustrated in FIGS. 9 a  through  12 , the buyer/customer may want to notify his own organization in order to support the workflow process. As a result, via route  86  in FIG. 6, the buyer/customer can send an email to his own organization set forth in the ‘customer review process’ block  76  in order to implement the needed workflow.  
         [0058]    Referring to FIG. 7, a typical Field Order  18 , also known as a field ticket or a service order, is illustrated.  
         [0059]    In FIG. 7, recall from FIG. 6 that a Field Order  18  was generated in the supplier/field engineer&#39;s laptop  50  indicating that the supplier delivered the required goods and/or services. Recall also in FIG. 6 that the buyer&#39;s representative was required to provide his ‘digital signature’  52  on the Field Order  18  indicating his acceptance of the goods and/or services provided by the supplier to the buyer. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a Field Order  18  which could be displayed on the field engineer&#39;s laptop  50  and which contains the buyer&#39;s ‘digital signature’  52  (here, we are digitally signing the document using PKI technology—there is not a viewable signature as such). In FIG. 7, that ‘digital signature’  52  can be seen in the lower right hand corner of FIG. 7.  
         [0060]    Referring to FIGS. 8 a  and  8   b , recall from FIG. 6 that a buyer/customer, sitting at his personal computer  82 , can access the ‘eZView’ server  56  by first accessing the internet. When the server  56  is accessed, an ‘automatch’ function is initiated by the buyer/customer.  
         [0061]    In FIG. 8 a , the buyer/customer is first asked to supply his username and password and click the ‘login’ icon before the ‘automatch’ function can begin.  
         [0062]    In FIG. 8 b , when the buyer&#39;s username and password is supplied and the login icon is clicked, the buyer/customer will then supply either an invoice number  92  and/or a field order number  94  and then click on the word ‘search’  90 . When the ‘search’ word  90  is clicked in FIG. 8 b , the ‘automatch’ function begins its operation.  
         [0063]    Referring to FIGS. 9 a  through  12 , a plurality of ‘special reports’ are illustrated, these ‘special reports’ being generated by the processor of the ‘eZView’ server  56  when the ‘report generation software’, otherwise known as the ‘eZView’ software, is executed by the processor of the ‘eZView’ server  56  (see FIG. 13 for an illustration of the ‘eZView’ server  56  and its associated processor and its ‘eZView’ software stored in memory).  
         [0064]    In FIGS. 9 a - 9   b , an example of the ‘special report’ is illustrated. The most important part of the ‘special report’ pertains to the fact that the Field Order  18  column  96  is immediately adjacent the Invoice column  98  on the ‘special report’ and, for any one line  100  on the ‘special report’, information concerning a particular Field Order  100   a  is immediately adjacent other information concerning a particular Invoice  100   b  that corresponds to that particular Field Order  100   a . In other words, in FIGS. 9 a - 9   b , since the Field Order  100   a  representing receipt by the buyer of a particular set of goods and/or services corresponds to Invoice  100   b  representing payment of certain money due the supplier for the aforementioned particular set of goods and/or services, it is highly desirable that the Field Order  100   a  information in FIGS. 9 a - 9   b  be located immediately adjacent its associated Invoice  100   b  information in FIGS. 9 a - 9   b . In FIGS. 9 a - 9   b , it is noted that a description  102  of the goods and/or services delivered by the supplier to the buyer is also illustrated; as a result, in FIGS. 9 a - 9   b , for a particular set of goods and/or services  100   c , a particular Field Order  100   a  was delivered to the buyer which was acknowledged by the buyer (in the form of the ‘digital signature’  52  in FIG. 6), and a particular Invoice  100   b  was also delivered to the buyer/customer. When the ‘automatch’ function is completed, the ‘special report’ in FIG. 9 is generated by the processor of the server  56  in FIGS. 6 and 13, that ‘special report’ allowing the buyer/customer to easily see and verify the fact that certain goods and/or services  100   a  were delivered by the supplier to the buyer and a particular invoice  100   b  associated with those goods and/or services was delivered to the buyer setting forth amounts of money due the supplier for those goods and/or services.  
         [0065]    [0065]FIGS. 10, 11, and  12  illustrate other examples of the ‘special report’ which includes a Field Order  18  column including a plurality of Field Orders, and an Invoice column  20  including a plurality of Invoices which correspond, respectively, to the plurality of Field Orders in the Field Order column.  
         [0066]    In FIG. 10, for example, column  104  includes a description of a plurality of goods and/or services which were delivered by the supplier to the buyer. Column  106  represents a plurality of Field Orders  18  which correspond, respectively, to the plurality of goods and/or services in the description column  104 . Recall that the Field Orders  18  resemble the Field Order  18  in FIG. 7 of the drawings containing a digital signature  52 . Column  108  represents a plurality of Invoices  20  which correspond, respectively, to the plurality of Field Orders in column  106 . The ‘special report’ shown in FIG. 10 was generated by the ‘report generation software’ (i.e., the ‘eZView’ software) when the ‘automatch’ function was executed.  
         [0067]    In FIGS. 11 and 12, the ‘special reports’ shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 are identical in format to the ‘special reports’ shown in FIGS. 9 and 10; however, in FIGS. 11 and 12, a plurality of comments are displayed. The comments may originate from the buyer when the buyer questions a particular amount on an invoice, or a comment may originate from the supplier when an explanation of an amount or a service is needed. For example, in FIG. 11, comments  110  and  112  are illustrated. In FIG. 12, comments  114  and  116  are illustrated.  
         [0068]    Referring to FIG. 13, a more detailed construction of the ‘eZView’ server  56  in FIG. 6 is illustrated. In FIG. 13, the supplier&#39;s server  56  (i.e., the ‘eZView’ server  56 ) of FIG. 6 includes a processor  56   a , a memory  56   b , and a recorder or display device  56   c . The memory  56   b  stores the ‘report generation software’ also known as the ‘eZView’ software  56   b   1 . The memory  56   b  is a computer readable medium and a program storage device, the contents of which are readable by a processor or other machine, such as the processor  56   a . The processor  56   a  may be, for example, a microprocessor, microcontroller, or a mainframe or workstation processor. The memory  56   b , which stores the ‘report generation software’ or ‘eZView’ software  56   b   1 , may be, for example, a hard disk, ROM, CD-ROM, DRAM, or other RAM, flash memory, magnetic storage, optical storage, registers, or other volatile and/or non-volatile memory. When the processor  56   a  executes the ‘report generation software’  56   b   1 , the ‘special report’ is generated by the recorder or display device  56   c . Recall that a buyer, at the buyer&#39;s personal computer  82  attempts to access the supplier&#39;s server  56  via the internet  118 . When the server  56  is accessed, when the username and password of FIGS. 8 a  and  8   b  are supplied, the ‘automatch’ function is initiated, whereupon the ‘special report’ of FIGS.  9 - 12  is generated enabling the buyer to view one or more field orders  18  and their corresponding invoices  20 .  
         [0069]    In operation, with reference to FIGS. 1 through 13 of the drawings, when a buyer/customer orders goods and/or services, those goods and/or services are delivered by a supplier to a buyer. When those goods and/or services are delivered by the supplier to the buyer, the buyer will indicate acceptance of the goods and/or services by signing a Field Order  18  in FIGS.  4  or  5 . In FIG. 6, the buyer can view the Field Order  18  on a field engineer&#39;s laptop  50 , the Field Order  18  including such things as buyer purchase order number, materials and quantities. In FIGS. 6 and 7, the buyer indicates his official acceptance of the goods and/or services by providing his ‘digital signature’  52 . An XML version of the ‘signed Field Order’  18  is then transmitted to the ‘eZView’ server  56  in FIG. 6. In addition, in FIG. 6, the ‘signed Field Order’  18  is also transmitted to the supplier&#39;s Field Operations office, the ‘Office In Box’  60  in FIG. 6, for additional review and editing of the ‘signed Field Order’  18 . The supplier, viewing the ‘signed Field Order’  18  in the ‘Office In Box’  60 , can attach any supplier comments and attach any supporting documentation to the ‘signed Field Order’  18 , in the manner illustrated in the example Field Orders illustrated by comments  110 ,  112 ,  114 , and  116  in FIGS. 11 and 12. In addition, the supplier&#39;s Field Operations office  60  in FIG. 6 can also transmit a ‘pro forma’ invoice along with any other associated supporting documents to the supplier&#39;s server  56  in FIG. 6. In the meantime, a ‘signed and edited Field Order’  18  is transferred from the ‘office In box’  60  in FIG. 6 to a mainframe computer  70  in FIG. 6 for the purpose of creating an ‘official Invoice’. Now that the ‘official invoice’ has been created in the mainframe computer  70 , an XML representation of the ‘official invoice’ is transmitted from the mainframe computer  70  to the ‘eZView’ server  56  in FIG. 6. In addition, a ‘traditional invoice’ is also transmitted from the mainframe computer to the buyer/customer. Assume that the buyer/customer, having the ‘traditional invoice’ in his hand, wants to see the ‘particular Field Order’  18  that corresponds to the ‘traditional invoice’ in order to match the goods/services on the ‘particular Field Order’  18  with the goods/services on the ‘traditional invoice’. Consequently, in order to see the ‘particular Field Order’  18 , the buyer/customer, sitting at his personal computer  82  in FIGS. 6 and 13, accesses the internet  118  in FIG. 13 and then accesses the supplier&#39;s server  56  in FIG. 6. As illustrated in FIGS. 8 a  and  8   b , the buyer/customer provides his username and password (FIG. 8 a ) and the buyer also provides an invoice number  92  and/or a Field Order number  94  (FIG. 8 b ). At this point, the buyer clicks the “Search” icon  90  in FIG. 8 b . When the “search” icon  90  in FIG. 8 b  is clicked-on by the buyer, the ‘automatch’ function is immediately initiated. During the execution of the ‘automatch’ function, the Field Order number  94  in FIG. 8 b  is automatically matched with its associated ‘official invoice’ stored in the server  56 , or, alternatively, the Invoice number  92  in FIG. 8 b  is automatically matched with its associated Field Order  18  stored in the server  56 . When a match is found, between the Field Order number  94  and its ‘official invoice’ or between the Invoice number  92  and its Field Order, the ‘special report’ of FIGS. 9 a - 9   b ,  10 ,  11 , or  12  is generated. Note in FIGS. 9 a - 9   b  that the ‘special report’ has three columns: a first column having one or more descriptions of the goods and/or services, a second column having one or more Field Orders corresponding, respectively, to the one or more descriptions of the goods and/or services, and a third column having one or more invoices corresponding, respectively, to the one or more field orders under the second column. As noted in FIGS. 9 a - 9   b , each Field Order  18  is printed directly adjacent to its ‘official invoice’; as a result, the buyer can now easily see and verify the fact that the goods/services listed on the Field Order  18  do, in fact, match with the goods/services listed on the ‘official invoice’. For example, in FIGS. 9 a - 9   b , under “Field Order”, a quantity, unit price, and net amount is printed, whereas, under “Invoice”, a quantity, unit price, and net amount is also printed. The quantities, unit prices, and net amounts should match between the Field Order  18  and the Invoice  20  on the ‘special report’ illustrated in FIGS. 9 a  through  12 . If items do not match, or if the Field Order was not digitally signed, these discrepancies will be noted on the ‘special report’. In addition, the unit prices appearing in the ‘special report’ will be matched with the unit prices appearing in the supplier/buyer contract stored in the contract database  82 . The buyer/customer, viewing the ‘special report’ on his personal computer  82 , can also email the supplier&#39;s Field Operations Manager  62  in FIG. 6 (via route  84  in FIG. 6) to resolve any remaining issues.  
         [0070]    A detailed construction of the ‘report generation software’  56   b   1 , also known as the ‘eZView’ software  56   b   1 , of FIG. 13 is set forth below in the form of a Functional Specification. That Functional Specification of the ‘report generation software’  56   b   1  is provided in detail below, as follows:  
         [0071]    Functional Specification of the ‘Report Generation Software’  56   b   1   
         [0072]    Refer now to FIGS. 14 through 18 of the Drawings.  
         [0073]    Oil &amp; Gas (O&amp;G) companies are attempting to improve supply chain execution tasks by leveraging web-based functionality. Clearly today there are a number of areas where cycle time and administrative costs can be reduced by having better accessibility to the right documents at the right decision levels between Schlumberger and these companies. An immediate focus is an electronic invoice approval process, in which Schlumberger invoices can be processed and approved on-line by O&amp;G Company customers, potentially reducing payment delays and administrative work.  
         [0074]    In general terms, each O&amp;G Company would like to pass a Schlumberger invoice through three levels of verification and authorization before proceeding with payment. 
         [0075]    1) Each invoice must refer to a specific purchase order (PO) number, and the total invoice value must be within acceptable limits of an approved amount that is explicitly stated in the reference PO.  
         [0076]    2) Each invoice then has to be compared with a Field Service Report (also called Field Ticket or Delivery ticket) in order to verify items and quantities of products or services rendered.  
         [0077]    3) Finally, unit prices, as expressed in each invoice, must be verified against agreed prices, which are typically itemized on a contract basis.  
         [0078]    The purpose of the eZView application is to allow Customers web access to compare Field orders and final Invoices.  
         [0079]    In FIG. 14, a schematic representation of the pilot project access and data flow to the web application and database is illustrated.  
         [0080]    Application Development Specifications  
         [0081]    Database Connection  
         [0082]    The Application is connected to an Oracle Database containing the tables:  
         [0083]    The Table ‘USER’ contains all User Accounts having an access to the eZView. This table is maintained by the web application administrator.  
         [0084]    The Table COMPANY contains the entries that relate a global company code to individual sold_to or payer codes contained in the INVOICE_HEADER. Company is an entry in the user table. This table is maintained by the web application administrator.  
         [0085]    The Table FIELD_ORDER_HEADER contains all header data uploaded from the field order generation system For the pilot project, this will be the OFS WRS application.  
         [0086]    The Table FIELD_ORDER_LINE_ITEM contains all line item data uploaded from the field order generation system For the pilot project, this will be the OFS WRS application.  
         [0087]    The Table INVOICE_HEADER contains all header data (except trading partners) uploaded from the invoicing system. For the pilot project, this will be the NAM SAP system.  
         [0088]    The Table INVOICE_HEADER_TP contains the trading partner data. For the pilot project, the source will be the NAM SAP system.  
         [0089]    The Table INVOICE_LINE_ITEM contains all line item data uploaded from the invoicing system. For the pilot project, this will be the NAM SAP system.  
         [0090]    Each INVOICE will be referenced to a FIELD_ORDER. This relationship will be indexed for faster search and retrieval.  
         [0091]    Entries for the USER table and COMPANY table will be maintained via an administration view for the web application. Entries for the FIELD_ORDER and INVOICE tables will be loaded via interfaces to the WRS and SAP systems. The interfaced data will be received by the web application as XML documents.  
         [0092]    Core Interface—Security  
         [0093]    This includes the login page and the main menu from which the user can select the web application functions. This also includes the user management interfaces allowing the Web site administrator to add, remove and modify Users from the User Account Access table.  
                                                                     User Table:            Field   Type/Size   Description               ID   Number(4,0)   Primary Key Autonumbered with a               trigger and a sequence       UserIDInternal   Varchar2(50)   SLB Corporate Directory (LDAP)               identifier of the user       UserIDExternal   Varchar2(60)   Trusted Web Server Directory               identifier of the user       Name   Varchar2(100)   Full name (based on the “cn”               attribute from SLB Corporate               Directory or Trusted Web Server               Directory)       Email   Varchar2(250)   Email Address (based on the “mail”               attribute from SLB Corporate               Directory or Trusted Web Server               Directory)       UserLevel   Varchar2(50)   Access Level of the user within the               site       Company   Varchar2(50)   Company data user is authorized to               access—may be multiple entries       Seller   Number(10,0)   Seller data user is authorized to               access—may be multiple entries                    COMPANY Table:            Field   Type/Size   Description               ID_Company   Number(4,0)   Autonumbered with a trigger and a               sequence       Company   Varchar2(50)   Key—Reference entered into user               table       Company_code   Number(10,0)   Key—Invoicing system company               code(s)—may be multiple entries       Company_text   Varchar2(50)   Descriptive text                  
 
         [0094]    Internal users will validate via the standard HTK SLB Corporate Directory authentication tool. External users will be validated via PKI identification to the Trusted Web Server Directory.  
         [0095]    Data Model  
         [0096]    Table FIELD_ORDER_HEADER:  
         [0097]    The FIELD_ORDER_TABLE will capture the header information from the field order upload, including the digital signature of the Customer wellsite representative.  
                                       Field   Type/Size   Description                   ID_FIELD_ORDER_HEADER   Number(10,0)   Autonumbered with               a trigger and a               sequence       &lt;DocumentPurpose&gt;   Varchar2(60)   Text field       &lt;OriginalInvoiceNumber&gt;   Number(10,0)   **will not be used               in pilot, but fill be a               future Key       &lt;PurchaseOrderDate&gt;   Date   Date of PO       &lt;PurchaseOrderNumber&gt;   Varchar2(50)   PO number       &lt;ReleaseNumber&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Reserve for future       &lt;ChangeOrderSequenceNumber&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Reserve for future       &lt;FieldServiceOrderNumber&gt;   Number(10,0)   Key—Reference               number to               FIELD_ORDER               tables       &lt;ContractNumber&gt;   Varchar2(50)   **Will not be used               in pilot, but will be               future Key       &lt;Currency&gt;   Varchar2(10)   Currency of invoice               amount       &lt;AFENumber&gt;   Varchar2(50)   AFE Number       &lt;DeliveryTicketNumber&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Reserve for future       &lt;IntemalCustomerNumber&gt;   Number(10,0)   Reserve for future       &lt;JobNumber&gt;   Number(10,0)   **Will not be used               in pilot, but will be               future Alternate               Key—Reference               number to               FIELD_ORDER               tables       &lt;WellNumber&gt;   Varchar2(30)   Well Number       &lt;WellName&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Well Name       &lt;WellLocation&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Well Location       &lt;LocationNumber&gt;   Varchar2(10)   Well location               number       &lt;WellCountyParishBorough&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Well location       &lt;OffshoreZone&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Well location       &lt;FieldName&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Well location       &lt;ShipDate&gt;   Date   Date       &lt;ServiceStartDate&gt;   Date   Date       &lt;ServiceEndDate&gt;   Date   Date       &lt;Carrier&gt;   Varchar2(60)   Reserve for future       &lt;CustomerShipToNumber&gt;   Number(10,0)   Customer ship to               number       &lt;CustomerShipToName&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Customer Name       &lt;CustomerShipToAddress1&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Customer Address               line       &lt;CustomerShipToAddress2&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Customer Address               line       &lt;CustomerShipToPOBox&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Customer Address               line       &lt;CustomerShipToCity&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Customer Address               line       &lt;CustomerShipToState-   Varchar2(50)   Customer Address       ProvinceCode&gt;       line       &lt;CustomerShipToPostalCode&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Customer Address               line       &lt;CustomerShipToCountryCode&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Reserve for future       &lt;CustomerDUNSPlus4Number&gt;   Number(15,0)   DUNS       &lt;CustomerDUNSNumber&gt;   Number(10,0)   DUNS       &lt;SellerNumber&gt;   Number(10,0)   **Will not be used               in pilot, but will be               future Key       &lt;SellerName&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Seller Name       &lt;SellerAddress1&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Seller Address               line       &lt;SellerAddress2&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Seller Address               line       &lt;SellerPOBox&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Seller Address               line       &lt;SellerCity&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Seller Address               line       &lt;SellerState-ProvinceCode&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Seller Address               line       &lt;SellerPostalCode&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Seller Address               line       &lt;SellerCountryCode&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Seller Address               line       &lt;CustomerJobRepName&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Customer contact               name       &lt;CustomerJobRepTelephone&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Customer contact               telephone number       &lt;CustomerJobRepFax&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Customer contact               fax number       &lt;CustomerJobRepEmail&gt;   Varchar2(250)   Customer contact               email address       &lt;OrderAmountBeforeTax&gt;   Currency(10,2)   Amount       &lt;DigitalSignatureCookie&gt;   Binary(1024)   Field Order Digital               Signature                  
 
         [0098]    Table FIELD_ORDER_LINE_ITEM  
         [0099]    This table will capture the line items uploaded for each field order.  
                                           ID_FIELD_ORDER_LINE_ITEM   Number(10,0)   Autonumbered               with a trigger and               a sequence       &lt;FieldServiceOrderNumber&gt;   Number(10,0)   Key—Reference               number to               FIELD_ORDER               tables       &lt;JobNumber&gt;   Number(10,0)   **Will not be               used in pilot, but               will be future               Alternate Key—               Reference               number to               FIELD_ORDER               tables       &lt;LineItemLineNumber&gt;   Number(10,0)   Line Item               Number       &lt;LineItemHighLevelReference&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Line item               reference code       &lt;LineItemCustomerItemNumber&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Line item               reference code       &lt;LineItemCustomerItemDescription&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Text       &lt;LineItemSellerItemNumber&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Line item               reference code       &lt;LineItemSellerItemDescription&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Line item               reference code       &lt;LineItemQuantity&gt;   Number(10,0)   Line item               quantity       &lt;LineItemUOM&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Unit of measure       &lt;LineItemUnitPrice&gt;   Currency(10,2)   Amount       &lt;LineItemGrossValue&gt;   Percent(4,2)   Amount       &lt;LineItemDiscountAmount&gt;   Currency(10,2)   Amount       &lt;LineItemDiscountPercent&gt;   Percent(4,2)   Percent       &lt;LineItemSurchargeAmount&gt;   Currency(10,2)   Amount       &lt;LineItemSurchargePercent&gt;   Percent(4,2)   Percent       &lt;LineItemNetValue&gt;   Currency(10,2)   Amount       &lt;Comment&gt;   Varchar2(100)   Comment Text                  
 
         [0100]    Table INVOICE_HEADER:  
         [0101]    The INVOICE_HEADER table will capture the header information from the invoice upload.  
                                       Field   Type/Size   Description                   ID_INVOICE_HEADER   Number(10,0)   Autonumbered with               a trigger and a               sequence       InvoiceDate   Date   Invoice Date       DocCreatedDate   Date   Date Idoc was               created       InvoiceNumber   Number(10,0)   Primary Key-               Invoice Number       DocumentPurpose   Varchar2(5)   Text field       OriginalInvoiceNumber   Number(10,0)   **will not be used               in pilot, but fill be               a future Key       PurchaseOrderDate   Date   Date of PO       PurchaseOrderNumber   Varchar2(25)   PO number       ReleaseNumber   Varchar2(25)   Reserve for future       ChangeOrderSequenceNumber   Varchar2(25)   Reserve for future       SLBOrderNumber   Number(10,0)   Schlumberger Order               Number       FieldServiceOrderNumber   Number(10,0)   Foreign Key-               Reference               number to               FIELD_ORDER               tables       ContractNumber   Varchar2(50)   **Will not be used               in pilot, but will be               future Key       Currency   Varchar2(5)   Currency of invoice               amount       AFE   Varchar2(50)   AFE Number       DeliveryTicketNumber   Varchar2(50)   Reserve for future       InternalCustomerNumber   Number(10,0)   Reserve for future       JobNumber   Number(10,0)   **Will not be used               in pilot, but will be               future Alternate               Key-Reference               number to               FIELD_ORDER               tables       WellNumber   Varchar2(25)   Well Number       WellName   Varchar2(50)   Well Name       WellLocation   Varchar2(50)   Well Location       LocationNumber   Varchar2(25)   Well location               number       WellCountyParishBorough   Varchar2(50)   Well location       OffshoreZone   Varchar2(50)   Well location       FieldName   Varchar2(50)   Well location       ShipDate   Date   Date       ServiceStartDate   Date   Date       ServiceEndDate   Date   Date       Carrier   Varchar2(50)   Reserve for future       Data1   Varchar2(50)   Required trading               partner information.               Varies depending               on TP       Data2   Varchar2(50)   Required trading               partner information               Varies depending               on TP       Data3   Varchar2(50)   Required trading               partner information               Varies depending               on TP       Data4   Varchar2(50)   Required trading               partner information               Varies depending               on TP       Data5   Varchar2(50)   Required trading               partner information               Varies depending               on TP       Data6   Varchar2(50)   Required trading               partner information.               Varies depending               on TP       Data7   Varchar2(50)   Required trading               partner information               Varies depending               on TP       Data8   Varchar2(50)   Required trading               partner information               Varies depending               on TP       TermsDiscountDueDate   Date   Date       TermsDiscountDaysDue   Number(10,0)   Days due       TermsNetDueDate   Date   Date       TermsNetDays   Number(10,0)   Net days       TermsDescription   Varchar2(50)   Text       TermsDiscountAmount   Number(10,2)   Amount       TotalGrossInvoiceAmount   Number(10,2)   Amount       TotalDiscountAmount   Number(10,2)   Amount       InvoiceAmountBeforeTax   Number(10,2)   Amount       GrossReceiptsTaxBasis   Number(10,2)   Amount       GrossReceiptsTaxPercent   Number(4,3)   Tax percentage       GrossReceiptsTaxAmount   Number(10,2)   Tax amount       CountyParishBoroughTaxBasis   Number(10,2)   Amount       CountyParishBoroughTaxPercent   Number(4,3)   Tax percentage       CountyParishBoroughTaxAmount   Number(10,2)   Tax amount       MetropolitanTaxBasis   Number(10,2)   Amount       MetropolitanTaxPercent   Number(4,3)   Tax percentage       MetropolitanTaxAmount   Number(10,2)   Tax amount       Local1TaxBasis   Number(10,2)   Amount       Local1TaxPercent   Number(4,3)   Tax percentage       Local1TaxAmount   Number(10,2)   Tax amount       Local2TaxBasis   Number(10,2)   Amount       Local2TaxPercent   Number(4,3)   Tax percentage       Local2TaxAmount   Number(10,2)   Tax amount       Local3TaxBasis   Number(10,2)   Amount       Local3TaxPercent   Number(4,3)   Tax percentage       Local3TaxAmount   Number(10,2)   Tax amount       StateTaxBasis   Number(10,2)   Amount       StateTaxPereent   Number(4,3)   Tax percentage       StateTaxAmount   Number(10,2)   Tax amount       WellServiceTaxBasis   Number(10,2)   Amount       WellServiceTaxPercent   Number(4,3)   Tax percentage       WellServiceTaxAmount   Number(10,2)   Tax amount                  
 
         [0102]    Table INVOICE_HEADER_TP  
                                       Field   Type/Size   Description                   ID_INVOICE_HEADER_TP   Number(10,0)   Autonumbered with a               trigger and a sequence       InvoiceNumber   Number(10)   Foreign Key,               referencing the               Primary Key               INV_NO in               INVOICE_HEADER               table       Type   Varchar2(20)   Trading Partner Type,               ie Bill-To, Ship-To,               etc       Number   Number(20)   Number assigned to               this trading partner       NumAtCost   Number(20)   SLB number at the               trading partner&#39;s               location Not always               meaningful       Name1   Varchar2(50)   1st name assigned to               trading partner       Name2   Varchar2(50)   2nd name assigned to               trading partner       Name3   Varchar2(50)   3rd name assigned to               trading partner       Name4   Varchar2(50)   4th name assigned to               trading partner       Address1   Varchar2(50)   1st address of trading               partner       Address2   Varchar2(50)   2nd address of trading               partner       POBox   Varchar2(20)   PO Box number of               trading partner       City   Varchar2(50)   City of trading partner       CountyParishBorough   Varchar2(50)   County of trading               partner       District   Varchar2(50)   Trading partner&#39;s               district       StateProvince   Varchar2(5)   State or province of               trading partner       PostalCodeStreet   Varchar2(15)   Street address zip code       PostalCodePOB   Varchar2(15)   PO box zip code       Country   Varchar2(5)   Trading partner&#39;s               country       Telephone   Varchar2(15)   Trading partner&#39;s               telephone number       Fax   Varchar2(15)   Trading partner&#39;s               fax number       YourRef   Varchar2(50)   Data required by               trading partner       Language   Varchar2(1)   Language code       DataEntryAlias   Varchar2(30)   Data entry personnel&#39;s               alias       Organization   Varchar2(50)   Schlumberger division               corresponding to               product line codes, ie               STCW, STCD, etc                  
 
         [0103]    Table INVOICE_LINE_ITEM  
         [0104]    The INVOICE_LINE_ITEM table will capture the line item information from the invoice upload. It will also have an additional entry to mark each line item with a binary digital signature token.  
                                       Field   Type/Size   Description                   ID_INVOICE_LINE_ITEM   Number(10,0)   Autonumbered               with a trigger and               a sequence       &lt;InvoiceNumber&gt;   Number(10,0)   Key—Invoice               Number       &lt;DigitalSignatureCookie&gt;   Binary(1024)   Invoice item               Digital Signature       &lt;LineItemLineNumber&gt;   Number(10,0)   Line Item               Number       &lt;LineItemHighLevelReference&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Line item               reference code       &lt;LineItemCustomerItemNumber&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Line item               reference code       &lt;LineItemCustomerItemDescription&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Text       &lt;LineItemSellerItemNumber&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Line item               reference code       &lt;LineItemSellerItemDescription&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Line item               reference code       &lt;LineItemQuantity&gt;   Number(10,0)   Line item               quantity       &lt;LineItemUOM&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Unit of measure       &lt;LineItemUnitPrice&gt;   Currency(10,2)   Amount       &lt;LincItemGrossValue&gt;   Percent(4,2)   Amount       &lt;LineItemDiscountAmount&gt;   Currency(10,2)   Amount       &lt;LineItemDiscountPercent&gt;   Percent(4,2)   Percent       &lt;LineItemSurchargeAmount   Currency(10,2)   Amount       &lt;LineItemSurchargePercent&gt;   Percent(4,2)   Percent       &lt;LineItemNetValue&gt;   Currency(10,2)   Amount       &lt;LineItemGrossReceiptsTaxBasis&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Tax Basis       &lt;LineItemGrossReceiptsTaxPercent&gt;   Percent(4,2)   Tax percentage       &lt;LineItemGrossReceiptsTaxAmount&gt;   Currency(10,2)   Tax amount       &lt;LineItemCountryPar-   Varchar2(50)   Tax Basis       ishBoroughTaxBasis&gt;       &lt;LineItemCountryPar-   Percent(4,2)   Tax percentage       ishBoroughTaxPercent&gt;       &lt;LineItemCountryPar-   Currency(10,2)   Tax amount       ishBoroughTaxAmount&gt;       &lt;LineItemMetropolitanTaxBasis&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Tax Basis       &lt;LineItemMetropolitanTaxPercent&gt;   Percent(4,2)   Tax percentage       &lt;LineItemMetropolitanTaxAmount&gt;   Currency(10,2)   Tax amount       &lt;LineItemLocal1TaxBasis&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Tax Basis       &lt;LineItemLocal1TaxPercent&gt;   Percent(4,2)   Tax percentage       &lt;LineItemLocal1TaxAmount&gt;   Currency(10,2)   Tax amount       &lt;LineItemLocal2TaxBasis&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Tax Basis       &lt;LineItemLocal2TaxPercent&gt;   Percent(4,2)   Tax percentage       &lt;LineItemLocal2TaxAmount&gt;   Currency(10,2)   Tax amount       &lt;LineItemLocal3TaxBasis&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Tax Basis       &lt;LineItemLocal3TaxPercent&gt;   Percent(4,2)   Tax percentage       &lt;LineItemLocal3TaxAmount&gt;   Currency(10,2)   Tax amount       &lt;LineItemStateTaxBasis&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Tax Basis       &lt;LineItemStateTaxPercent&gt;   Percent(4,2)   Tax percentage       &lt;LineItemStateTaxAmount&gt;   Currency(10,2)   Tax amount       &lt;LineItemWellServiceTaxBasis&gt;   Varchar2(50)   Tax Basis       &lt;LineItemWellServiceTaxPercent&gt;   Percent(4,2)   Tax percentage       &lt;LineItemWellServiceTaxAmount&gt;   Currency(10,2)   Tax amount       &lt;Comment&gt;   Varchar2(100)   Comment Text                  
 
         [0105]    Key Functions  
         [0106]    The eZView web application is where the field service report and invoice are compared. This application will allow selection of a requested invoice, comparison of items and quantity between field service report and invoice, plus capture of digital signature of customer approving any displayed differences by line item. This application will also secure access to the invoices between different customers.  
         [0107]    The underlying application database will capture field orders, invoices and digital signatures.  
         [0108]    Navigation in the Application  
         [0109]    Access  
         [0110]    External users will access the application via an extranet facing web server and have their PKI key validated by a Customer Directory.  
         [0111]    Internal users will access the application directly via the intranet, and will validate themselves via standard HTK objects to the SLB Corporate Directory (LDAP).  
         [0112]    Once both External and Internal users have passed initial checks to access the eZView application, they will need to be validated against the User table before gaining access to Invoice records. Users will be assigned one of three levels of access:  
         [0113]    a) Administrator—Full rights to create users and maintain the application.  
         [0114]    b) Customer—View Field orders and Invoices in approved customer companies, add comments to Invoice line items, and digitally sign Invoice line items not matched against the Field order.  
         [0115]    c) Seller—View Field orders and Invoices in approved Customer Companies and add comments to Field Order Line Items.  
         [0116]    d) View—View Field orders and Invoices in approved customer companies.  
         [0117]    The initial application screen will offer all users the choices to:  
         [0118]    a) Search by Invoice Number  
         [0119]    b) Search by Field Order Number  
         [0120]    c) Log out and exit  
         [0121]    In addition, users assigned administrator access will have an additional selection to:  
         [0122]    d) Access User Administration  
         [0123]    to create or change user access.  
         [0124]    Select Invoice and Order to Match  
         [0125]    The user will enter either the Invoice number or Field order number to initiate the search. The indexed INVOICE_HEADER or FIELD_ORDER_HEADER tables will be searched for a matching entry.  
         [0126]    If an Invoice number is used for the search and a match is found in &lt;InvoiceNumber&gt; of the INVOICE_HEADER table, the &lt;FieldServiceOrderNumber&gt; from the matched INVOICE_HEADER entry will be used as the source of a search in &lt;FieldServiceOrderNumber&gt; of the FIELD_ORDER_HEADER table.  
         [0127]    If a Field Order Number is entered for a search, the &lt;FieldServiceOrderNumber&gt; of both INVOICE_HEADER and FIELD_ORDER_HEADER will be searched for a match. If a record in the INVOICE_HEADER selected is matched by either search method, users assigned Customer access rights will have the &lt;CustomerBillToNumber&gt; and &lt;CustomerShipToNumber&gt; in the INVOICE_HEADER table compared to the Company_code in the Company table referenced by the users Company entry in the User table. If either the &lt;CustomerBillToNumber&gt; or &lt;CustomerShipToNumber&gt; match a Company_code assigned to user, the use will be authorized to access the Invoice data. If no Company_code match is found, the user will be returned to the selection screen with a message indicating they do not have access to the referenced Company_code.  
         [0128]    If no &lt;InvoiceNumber&gt; match is found for an Invoice number search, the user will be returned to the selection screen with a message that no match was found.  
         [0129]    If no &lt;FieldServiceOrderNumber&gt; match is found for a Field Order Number search in the INVOICE_HEADER table, a user with Customer access rights will be returned to the selection screen with a message that no match was found. If the user has Seller access rights and there is a &lt;FieldServiceOrderNumber&gt; match in the FIELD_ORDER_HEADER table, they will be forwarded to the comparison screen. A browser ‘Back’ button should also log the user out.  
         [0130]    Refer to FIG. 15.  
         [0131]    Display and Comparison of Field Order and Invoice—This screen has seven different Areas populated from the INVOICE_HEADER, INVOICE_HEADER_TP, INVOICE_LINE_ITEM and FIELD_ORDER_LINE_ITEM tables. (In the event a user has Seller access rights and no INVOICE_HEADER match was found, the FIELD_ORDER_HEADER table will be used in place of the INVOICE_HEADER table)  
         [0132]    In FIG. 16, the screen layout is illustrated in FIG. 16.  
         [0133]    Area  1 —This area contains the Well Header information. It is populated from the INVOICE_HEADER and INVOICE_HEADER_TP tables (unless no Invoice yet exists..see above). It is formatted to appear as a standard Schlumberger OFS Invoice header (see appendix  1 ).  
         [0134]    Area  2 —This area contains Line Item line number, material and description. It is populated from the INVOICE_LINE_ITEM table as primary, or FIELD_ORDER_LINE ITEM table if no match exists in the INVOICE_LINE_ITEM table. All line items that reference the &lt;InvoiceNumber&gt; in the selected INVOICE_HEADER table record will be checked for match. This area must lock with Areas  3 ,  4 ,  5  and, when the entries that populate area  3  match the entries in area  4 , the default text font color will be used. When there is no match., a high lighting color will be used for the line item font (red as an example).  
         [0135]    The INVOICE_LINE_ITEMs and FIELD_ORDER_LINE_ITEMs will be checked, then grouped by &lt;LineItemHighLevelReference&gt;. Within each group the low level materials description &lt;LineItemSellerItemDescription&gt; will be displayed by &lt;LineItemSellerItemNumber&gt; in the order  6 VDESURCH,  6 XDEPCHG,  6 XOPECHG,  6 XFLATCH,  6 XGRDEPH- 1 ,  6 XGROPE- 1  if present.  
         [0136]    Area  3 —This area contains the Field Order quantity &lt;LineItemQuantity&gt;, Unit Price &lt;LineItemUnitPrice&gt;, % discount &lt;LineItemDiscountPercent&gt; and Net amount &lt;LineItemNetValue&gt;. It is populated from the FIELD_ORDER_LINE_ITEM table. All line items that reference the &lt;FieldServiceOrderNumber&gt; in the selected INVOICE_HEADER table record will be displayed. Each line item will be aligned with the corresponding High &lt;LineItemHighLevelReference&gt; and Low &lt;LineItemSellerItemNumber&gt; level material sorted in Area  2 . When the Field Order quantity &lt;LineItemQuantity&gt; and Net amount &lt;LineItemNetValue&gt; in area  3  matches a line item in area  4 , the default text font color will be used. When there is no match., a high lighting color will be used for the line item font (red as an example).  
         [0137]    Area  4 —This area contains the Invoice &lt;LineItemQuantity&gt;, Unit Price &lt;LineItemUnitPrice&gt;, % discount &lt;LineItemDiscountPercent&gt; and Net amount &lt;LineItemNetValue&gt;. It is populated from the INVOICE_LINE_ITEM table. All line items that reference the &lt;InvoiceNumber&gt; in the selected INVOICE_HEADER table record will be displayed. Each line item will be aligned with the corresponding High &lt;LineItemHighLevelReference&gt; and Low &lt;LineItemSellerItemNumber&gt; level material sorted in Area  2 . When the Invoice quantity &lt;LineItemQuantity&gt; and Net amount &lt;LineItemNetValue&gt; in area  4  matches a line item in area  3 , the default text font color will be used. When there is no match., a high lighting color will be used for the line item font (red as an example).  
         [0138]    Area  2 ,  3 , &amp;  4 —If any line item contains a non-null value in &lt;Comment&gt;, the text in &lt;Comment&gt; should appear in a text box when the cursor passes over the appropriate line item.  
         [0139]    Area  5 —This area will contain a check symbol           if the line item quantity &lt;LineItemQuantity&gt; and Net amount &lt;LineItemNetValue&gt; in areas  3  and  4  match on the same line.  
         [0140]    Area  6 —This area will contain a star symbol □ if the line items in areas  3  and  4  match and the referenced FIELD_ORDER_HEADER table &lt;DigitalSignatureCookie&gt; contains a digital signature cookie. If the line item in Area  3  does not match the corresponding line item in Area  4 , the Area will contain a star symbol □ if the INVOICE_LINE_ITEM table &lt;DigitalSignatureCookie&gt; contains a digital signature cookie. Otherwise, the line will contain an empty box □.  
         [0141]    Area  7 —This area will contain summary information, navigation and digital signature action buttons. The summary information to be displayed:  
         [0142]    1. Field Order has been digitally signed (&lt;DigitalSignatureCookie&gt; from FIELD_ORDER_HEADER).  
         [0143]    2. Number of non-tax lines that match between Field order and Invoice.  
         [0144]    3. Number of non-tax lines that do not match between Field order and invoice that have been digitally signed on the invoice (&lt;DigitalSignatureCookie&gt; from INVOICE_LINE_ITEM).  
         [0145]    4. Indicator that all line items resulting in Invoice pre-tax total have been digitally signed.  
         [0146]    5. Percentage difference between Field order and pre-tax Invoice totals.  
         [0147]    Action buttons that will be available:  
         [0148]    1. Digitally sign a selected unmatched Invoice line item.  
         [0149]    2. Digitally sign ALL remaining unmatched line items.  
         [0150]    3. Return to selection screen.  
         [0151]    4. Log off and exit application.  
         [0152]    Refer to FIG. 17.  
         [0153]    Generic Manipulation of #Objectname 1 # (Attached to Tablename 1 )  
         [0154]    Search  
         [0155]    #Fieldname# Selection type  
         [0156]    &lt;InvoiceNumber&gt; INVOICE_HEADER Match from screen input  
         [0157]    &lt;FieldServiceOrderNumber&gt; FIELD_ORDER_HEADER Match from screen input  
         [0158]    Display  
         [0159]    When the criteria has been defined and accepted on the 1 st  screen the 2 nd  screen is displaying the result into the previously described format showing the following information in several columns:  
                                       Field   Area 2 Source   Area 3 Source                   1. &lt;LineItemHighLevelReference&gt;   FIELD_ORDER_LINE_ITEM   INVOICE_LINE_ITEM       2. &lt;LineItemSellerItemNumber&gt;   FIELD_ORDER_LINE_ITEM   INVOICE_LINE_ITEM       3. &lt;LineItemSellerItemDescription&gt;   FIELD_ORDER_LINE_ITEM   INVOICE_LINE_ITEM       4. &lt;LineItemQuantity&gt;   FIELD_ORDER_LINE_ITEM   INVOICE_LINE_ITEM       5. &lt;LineItemUnitPrice&gt;   FIELD_ORDER_LINE_ITEM   INVOICE_LINE_ITEM       6. &lt;LineItemGrossValue&gt;   FIELD_ORDER_LINE_ITEM   INVOICE_LINE_ITEM       7. &lt;LineItemDiscountAmount&gt;   FIELD_ORDER_LINE_ITEM   INVOICE_LINE_ITEM       8. &lt;LineItemNetValue&gt;   FIELD_ORDER_LINE_ITEM   INVOICE_LINE_ITEM                  
 
         [0160]    Add  
         [0161]    See sections  4 . 2 . 1  and  4 . 2 . 2  for fields and tables to be added for new user accounts. INVOICE and FIELD_ORDER HEADER and LINE_ITEM data will be delivered from external applications in XML format. The application should read from a FIELD_ORDER directory for Field orders, and an INVOICE directory for Invoices. The XML tag definitions should be referenced by the application from external files XML_TAG_FIELD_ORDER and XML_TAG_INVOICE to provide maintenance capability for the XML tags.  
         [0162]    The naming convention to be used for the Field Order files in FO(field order #).xml  
         [0163]    The naming convention to be used for Invoice files are INVOICE(invoice #).xml  
         [0164]    Update  
         [0165]    See sections  4 . 2 . 1  and  4 . 2 . 2  for fields and tables to be updated for user accounts. The &lt;DigitalSignatureCookie&gt; field of the INVOICE_LINE_ITEM can be updated with the digital signature of the Customer logged in.  
         [0166]    Refer to FIG. 18. 
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
 
         [0167]    The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.