How to Extract Vendor Invoice Details from PDFs to Google Sheets Using Pabbly Connect

Learn how to automate the extraction of vendor invoice details from PDFs to Google Sheets with Pabbly Connect. Step-by-step tutorial included. Build sophisticated automated workflows in less time than you think. This guide translates complex integrations into straightforward steps for immediate implementation.

Watch Step By Step Video Tutorial Below

1. Accessing Pabbly Connect for Invoice Extraction

To automate the extraction of vendor invoice details from PDFs to Google Sheets, you need to access Pabbly Connect. Start by visiting the Pabbly Connect homepage at Pabbly.com/connect/inr. Here, you can either sign in if you are an existing user or sign up for free if you are new.

After signing in, navigate to the dashboard where you can create a new workflow. Click on the ‘Create Workflow’ button, and a dialog will prompt you to name your workflow. Name it something like ‘Extract Vendor Invoice Details from PDFs to Google Sheets’ and choose a folder to organize your workflow.

2. Setting Up the Trigger with Google Drive

Next, you will set up the trigger in Pabbly Connect to initiate the workflow whenever a new invoice is uploaded. Select Google Drive as your trigger application. This step is crucial as it tells Pabbly Connect to monitor a specific folder for new files.

• Choose the trigger event as ‘New File in Folder’.
• Connect your Google Drive account by clicking on ‘Connect’ and following the prompts to authorize Pabbly Connect.
• Select the folder where you will upload the invoices, typically named ‘New Invoices’.

Once the folder is selected, click on the ‘Save and Send Test Request’ button to ensure that Pabbly Connect can access the latest invoice uploaded in that folder. This confirms that your trigger is correctly set up.

3. Extracting Invoice Details with OpenAI

After setting up the trigger, the next step involves extracting the details from the invoices using an AI agent like OpenAI integrated through Pabbly Connect. Choose OpenAI as your action application and select the action event as ‘Extract Content from PDF or Image’.

To connect OpenAI, ensure you are logged into your OpenAI account. You will need to add a new connection and provide the API token. Once connected, map the web content link from the previous step to the input field for the AI to process the invoice.

• Enter the prompt for the AI, such as ‘Extract the required details from the given invoice’.
• Provide a JSON schema to structure the output, ensuring the AI returns the data in a format that can be easily mapped to Google Sheets.

Click on the ‘Save and Send Test Request’ button to test the extraction process and ensure that you receive the necessary invoice details in a structured format.

4. Adding Extracted Details to Google Sheets

Once the invoice details are extracted, the next step is to add them to Google Sheets using Pabbly Connect. Select Google Sheets as your action application and choose the action event ‘Add New Row’.

Connect your Google Sheets account by following the same steps as before. After establishing the connection, select the specific spreadsheet where you want to save the invoice details. Map each extracted field from the invoice to the corresponding columns in your Google Sheet.

Map the vendor name, email, contact number, invoice date, products, and total amount fields. Click on ‘Save and Send Test Request’ to verify that the data is correctly added to your Google Sheets.

Once the test is successful, your workflow is fully set up. Every time a new invoice is uploaded to Google Drive, the details will be automatically extracted and added to your Google Sheets.

5. Testing and Optimizing the Workflow

After setting up the complete workflow in Pabbly Connect, it’s important to test the entire process to ensure everything works smoothly. Upload a sample invoice to the designated Google Drive folder and monitor the workflow.

Check your Google Sheets to see if the details from the invoice appear correctly. If any issues arise, revisit the mapping steps in Pabbly Connect to ensure that all fields are correctly configured. This is crucial for maintaining accurate records.

For further optimization, consider adding additional actions or filters in your workflow to handle different types of invoices or to send notifications upon successful uploads. This will enhance the functionality of your automation.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we explored how to automate the extraction of vendor invoice details from PDFs to Google Sheets using Pabbly Connect. By setting up triggers with Google Drive and using OpenAI for data extraction, you can streamline your invoice management process efficiently. This automation saves time and reduces errors, allowing for better organization of vendor information.