Reading
How AutoBooks reads documents
Digital bank PDFs are read as tables, photos and other PDFs are read by an AI service, and spreadsheets are parsed as tables.
Updated 10 October 20261 min read
Upload never waits for reading. A background worker picks each file and reads it in one of three ways.
| File | How it is read |
|---|---|
| Digital bank statement PDF | Read locally as a table. Each movement becomes its own row. |
| Photos and other PDFs | Read by a paid AI document-reading service, which returns the date, party, totals, tax, and line items. |
| Excel and CSV | Parsed as a table. The numbers are never sent to an AI service, so amounts stay exactly as printed. |
What is read from an invoice or receipt
- Date and document number.
- Supplier or customer name, TIN, and VAT registration number when printed.
- Totals, tax, and the net amount.
- Line items with their descriptions and amounts.
A few rules AutoBooks follows
- One physical slip becomes one row. Two Z-Reports side by side stay separate.
- An invoice and its fiscal receipt on the same page become one transaction.
- A photo with no printed amounts fails clearly instead of creating an empty row.
Was this article helpful?
Related articles
- ReadingSpreadsheet imports and column mappingMap the columns of a new spreadsheet layout once. Later files with the same headers map themselves.
- ReadingBank and mobile-money statementsEvery movement on a statement becomes its own row with a limited set of voucher types.
- DataAI and your documentsPhotos and PDFs are read by a paid AI service. Spreadsheet numbers are never sent to it. An accountant reviews every result.
Still need help?
Write to us with your workspace name and what you saw. A person reads every message.