This demonstrates a straight-forward approach to processing invoices and is a great starting point for future workflows. As you become comfortable with the process, we encourage you to add in approval steps to round out the full process.


Setup Steps

    1. Add yourself into the AP-Indexing team so you get all the work items assigned to you

In order to work through the process you need to be sure you have added a user to the  AP-Indexing team. The easiest way to set this up is to add your own user to that team so you don't have to log in and out between users while working through the process.



Walk Through Steps

    1. Add a Record with one or more Invoice documents into the AP-Batches record type

As explained in the AP Automation User Guide section, you can bring invoice documents into the system a number of ways - scanning, importing, uploading, etc. The important thing is to remember that the Record must be created in the  AP-Batches record type. You can (and should) just use the default values. The fields will be filled in as the invoices get processed automatically.


    1. Route the new AP-Batches record

When you add the new AP-Batches record, make sure it is routed for processing. Routing the AP-Batches Record will create the invoice Record(s) and will send them through the entire process to be split, indexed and reviewed. With Importer Service, be sure to turn on the Route Records check box. If uploading manually, be sure to turn on the Workflow check box in the entry screen. If scanning, make sure not to route the Record before the documents have been scanned in.


    1. When the process is ready you will get one or more invoices to review/approve in your workflow list

You can open the AP-Batches Record while it is being processed to see the Linked Records panel. This will show you the progress of the entire processing queue for the batch. As the documents are being OCR'd then routed for indexing you can refresh that panel to get updates. When all the invoices have the "Awaiting Approval" status you can refresh your workflow to see the invoices that have been routed to you for your review.


    1. When you complete an invoice the system will check the vendor to see if it is a new one

The system will review the vendor name you assigned to the invoice as you complete it. If it is a new vendor then new Vendor record will be created and routed for 'approval'. See step #7 below for more details. 


    1. After the invoice is completed it will go to the Export to Accounting step

The Export to Accounting step is designed to auto-complete without exporting. This gives the impression of an automated export.


    1. New vendors are sent into the Vendor Approval 

Sending the new vendors for "approval" demonstrates that you can have new vendors sent off for other processing such as collecting W9's, adding to the accounting system, etc. A copy of the invoice from which the vendor was created will also be attached so the approver can see what invoice triggered the new vendor. The next time you index an invoice for that vendor it will auto-match the vendor record.




* This step-by-step guide assumes you are using the standard AP Automation config that was imported using the Config Manager.