Recipe: How to onboard Invoice-Based Vendors

Introduction

This recipe is a step-by-step guide for Distributors who need to onboard Sellers to work with Vendors that use invoice-based integration in the Platform. Unlike standard Vendor integrations where you configure Products, Pricing, and Subscriptions through the Product Management Portal, invoice-based Vendors operate through a simplified one-way synchronization model. The Vendor's system remains the single source of truth, and the Platform automatically mirrors Subscription and billing information through direct Invoice parsing.

By following this recipe, you will link one existing Vendor Partner account to the Platform, add synchronized Products to your Customer Catalog, and verify that Subscriptions and Invoices appear correctly in the Platform interface.

The example used throughout this article is SecureBackup Pro, a fictional invoice-based Vendor that provides cloud backup services. The Seller already has an active Partner account with SecureBackup Pro and needs to connect it to the Platform.

In this article:

• Prerequisites
• Expected outcome
• Phase 1: Linking the Seller's Vendor Partner account
• Phase 2: Adding synchronized Products to the Catalog
• Phase 3: Verifying the Customer view
• Phase 4: How the integration works after setup
• Limitations
• Summary

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure the following are in place:

• The Vendor has been onboarded to the Platform by the Platform team (invoice-based Vendors cannot be added through the UI). See Assisted Vendor onboarding guide.
• You have Distributor access to the Disti Portal.
• The Seller has an active Partner account with the Vendor.
• The Seller has their Partner Tenant ID (or equivalent Vendor identifier) from the Vendor's Partner Portal. In this example, the SecureBackup Pro Partner Tenant ID format is: SBP-XXXX-XXXX.
• The Partner Tenant ID must be active and in good standing in the Vendor system.

Expected outcome

After completing all phases in this recipe, your Platform will be configured as follows:

• The Seller's Vendor Partner account is linked to their Platform account.
• Products and Offers from the Vendor are synchronized automatically into the Platform. All synchronized Products display with a Price of 0.00 in the Catalog — this is expected behavior, because pricing is managed through Invoice synchronization rather than Catalog configuration.
• Subscriptions and Customer Organizations from the Vendor system are automatically mirrored in the Platform.
• Invoices from the Vendor are parsed and available in the Platform's Billing section with complete line-item details, including actual pricing information.
• All Subscription lifecycle management (creating, modifying, cancelling) continues to happen in the Vendor's Partner Portal. The Platform synchronizes data one-way from the Vendor.

Phase 1: Linking the Seller's Vendor Partner account

In this phase, you link the Seller's existing Vendor Partner account to their Platform account. This step is performed by the Distributor in the Disti Portal.

1. Navigate to the Sellers list in the Disti Portal. 

   

   [Screenshot: Sellers list in the Disti Portal with the target Seller highlighted] 
    

2. Click Edit Info next to the Seller you want to onboard. 

   

   [Screenshot: Edit Info button highlighted in red] 
    

3. Scroll down to the Vendor contracts section. 

   

   [Screenshot: Vendor contracts section with red arrow] 
    

4. Choose the invoice-based Vendor from the available Vendors list. In this example, select SecureBackup Pro. 

   

   [Screenshot: Vendor selection dropdown with SecureBackup Pro highlighted] 
    

5. Select the option to Add Existing Contract. 

   

   [Screenshot: Add Existing Contract option highlighted in red] 
    

   NOTE! New contract creation is not available for invoice-based Vendors. You can only link existing contracts.

   
    

6. Enter the Seller's Partner Tenant ID from the Vendor system. In this example: SBP-1234-5678. 

   

   [Screenshot: Partner Tenant ID input field with example value entered] 
    

7. Click Validate to verify the Partner Tenant ID through the Platform's verification process. 

   

   [Screenshot: Validate button highlighted in red] 
    

The validation process confirms that the Partner Tenant ID exists in the Vendor system and links it to the Seller's Platform account. If validation is successful, the Seller's Vendor integration is automatically enabled.

Common validation issues

If Partner Tenant ID validation fails, common causes include:

• Invalid identifier format — check the Vendor's documentation for correct format requirements
• Partner Tenant ID not found in the Vendor system
• Partner account suspended or inactive in the Vendor system
• API connectivity issues between the Platform and the Vendor

For detailed instructions on Seller onboarding and contract management, see: How to create new Seller

Phase 2: Adding synchronized Products to the Catalog

After the Seller's Vendor Partner account is linked, the Platform automatically synchronizes Products and Offers from the Vendor's product catalog. However, synchronized Products are not visible to Customers until you add them to your Catalog.

Understanding the zero-price display

All Products from invoice-based Vendors display with a Price of 0.00 in the Platform Catalog. This is expected behavior and does not indicate a configuration error. Actual pricing is only visible on synchronized Invoices received from the Vendor (see Phase 4).

Adding Products to the Customer Catalog

Once Products have synchronized from the Vendor, follow the standard process to add them to your Customer Catalog:

1. Navigate to Catalog → Customer Catalogs. 

   

   [Screenshot: Catalog navigation menu with Customer Segments highlighted] 
    

2. Select the appropriate Customer Catalog. 

   

   [Screenshot: Customer Segment selection screen] 
    

3. Click Edit Catalog. 

   

   [Screenshot: Edit Catalog button in red] 
    

4. In the left panel, locate the Not Published section. Filter by your Vendor to find the synchronized Products. In this example, you will see SecureBackup Pro Products with a Price of 0.00. 

   

   [Screenshot: Not Published section showing synchronized Vendor Products] 
    

5. Drag the Vendor Product card from the left panel into the desired category on the right side of the catalog editor. 
    

6. In the Select available offers pop-up, confirm the Offer is checked, then click Save changes. 

   

   [Screenshot: Select available offers pop-up with Save changes button] 
    

7. A notification confirms that changes are being processed. Wait for the Catalog update to complete. 

   

   [Screenshot: Catalog update notification] 
    

For complete instructions on Catalog management, see: How to add Products in Catalog?

Phase 3: Verifying the Customer view

Once the Product is added to the Catalog, verify the end result by logging in on the Customer's behalf to confirm that the Offer is displayed correctly.

1. Log in on the Customer's behalf and navigate to the Catalog.
    

2. Find the SecureBackup Pro Product in the category you assigned it to.

   
   [Screenshot: SecureBackup Pro Product in the Catalog category]
    

3. Click View offers to open the Offer details page. Confirm the Offer name and description are displayed.

   
   [Screenshot: Offer details page for SecureBackup Pro]
    

The Offer will display with a Price of 0.00. This is the expected behavior for invoice-based Vendors and does not indicate a configuration error. Actual pricing will appear on Invoices synchronized from the Vendor after a Customer places an Order.

The Offer is now configured and available for Customers to Order.

How the integration works after setup

Once the setup is complete and a Customer Orders an Offer from an invoice-based Vendor, the Platform handles Subscription, Customer, and billing data automatically. This section explains what the Platform does without any additional configuration from the Distributor or Seller.

Synchronization flow

1. The Seller creates or manages Subscriptions in the Vendor's Partner Portal using their existing Partner account.
2. The Vendor processes the Subscription and begins billing according to their schedule.
3. The Platform synchronizes Subscription data, Customer information, and Invoice details automatically during scheduled synchronization cycles.
4. The Seller accesses everything in one place through the Platform interface: Subscription details, Customer data, and billing information from synchronized Invoices.

Subscription management

All Subscription lifecycle management must be performed directly in the Vendor's Partner Portal. This includes creating, modifying, upgrading, downgrading, suspending, reactivating, and cancelling Subscriptions. Changes are reflected in the Platform after the next scheduled synchronization.

Sellers can view synchronized Subscriptions in the Platform by navigating to the Customer Organization page, where they can review Subscription statuses (Active, Suspended, Cancelled), billing history, and Invoice information.

Pricing and invoicing

The Platform automatically retrieves and parses Invoices from the Vendor system on a scheduled basis. While Catalog prices display as 0.00, the synchronized Invoices contain actual pricing information including:

• Product pricing based on the Seller's Partner tier or negotiated rates
• Quantity-based charges
• Usage-Based Subscription billing (if applicable)
• Prorated charges for mid-cycle changes
• Promotional Discounts or credits
• Taxes and fees

All Invoice data is available in the Platform's Billing section. Sellers should reference synchronized Invoices for accurate pricing information rather than the Platform Catalog.

Limitations

Pre-existing requirements

• Partner relationships must exist before Platform onboarding — the Platform cannot create new Vendor partnerships.
• Partner Tenant IDs or Vendor identifiers must be obtained from the Vendor's Partner Portal.
• Sellers must maintain active Partner status with the Vendor to continue accessing Products.

Integration direction

• Data flows one-way from Vendor to Platform — Platform changes do not influence the Vendor system.
• Real-time synchronization is not available — changes in the Vendor system appear in the Platform only after scheduled synchronization.
• Subscription management must occur in the Vendor's system, not through the Platform interface.

Product and pricing management

• Products cannot be added, removed, or configured through the Product Management Portal.
• Pricing is not visible in the Platform Catalog — only on synchronized Invoices.
• New contracts cannot be created through the Platform — only existing contracts can be linked.
• Offer customization options are limited compared to standard Platform Products.

Customer migration

Customer Organizations with existing Subscriptions in the Vendor system may require:

• Manual review and mapping before they appear correctly in the Platform
• Coordination between Distributor, Seller, and Vendor to ensure proper data synchronization
• Additional configuration to link existing Vendor Customers to Platform Organizations

Summary

This recipe walked through the process of onboarding an invoice-based Vendor in the Platform in three phases: linking the Seller's Vendor Partner account by validating the Partner Tenant ID, adding the automatically synchronized Products to the Customer Catalog, and verifying that the Offer appears correctly with the expected 0.00 Price display.

After setup, the Platform automatically handles Subscription mirroring, Customer Organization mapping, and Invoice synchronization with actual pricing details. All Subscription lifecycle management must be performed directly in the Vendor's Partner Portal.

Related content

• Assisted Vendor onboarding guide
• How to create new Seller
• How to add Products in Catalog?
• Recipe: How to set up a License-Based Offer for Distributors
• How to set up a Usage-based Offer for Distributors