In addition to invoices, the IDR can also recognise purchase orders and convert them into structured electronic orders. Order recognition uses the same three technology layers as invoice recognition: OCR text recognition, LLM interpretation and proprietary document interpretation.

Order recognition is operational and is actively sold and used. We are rolling it out deliberately in phases to give each new customer the attention and guidance that fits the stage. Order recognition is not a beta feature but a production feature with guided rollout.

A purchase order as PDF or image is submitted in the same way as an invoice: by email to your eConnect address. The system classifies the document via the Detect API as a purchase order and sends it to the IDR for recognition.

The IDR recognises the relevant order fields (supplier, buyer, order number, lines with products and quantities) and converts the document into a structured electronic order document in UBL format.

The output of order recognition is a UBL Order document conforming to the OASIS UBL 2.1 specification. This format is widely supported by ERP systems and can be used directly in procurement workflows.

Although the underlying technology is the same, order recognition differs from invoice recognition in a few ways:

• An order contains order lines instead of invoice lines
• There is no amount validation (total amount, VAT) as with invoices
• The order contains delivery terms and delivery addresses that do not appear on invoices

The self-learning system works in the same way: the QC team checks uncertain cases and every correction improves future recognition.

Want to know more about the technology behind the recognition? Read How does Scan & Recognise (IDR/OCR) work?.