Channel Configuration — Document Processing
In the Document Processing area, you define what Workist does with an incoming document once it has arrived in the channel — which fields are extracted, the confidence level above which processing happens automatically, which master data is consulted, and how documents that do not belong in the channel are handled.
This page gives an overview of the entries in the navigation under Document Processing, in their order:
- Document — general processing settings per channel (localization, automation, user assignment, date format, validation, …).
- Header Fields — which header data is extracted and with which options.
- Line Item Fields — which fields are extracted per line item.
- Agentic Extraction — optional LLM-based extraction of additional fields. In the navigation it appears as two entries, Agentic Header Extraction and Agentic Line Item Extraction; both are described in a shared guide.
- Master Data — which master data (lookups) is used for articles, customers, addresses, … (see Step 5).
- Discard — what happens to discarded documents (see Step 6).
Two reference pages complement these guides:
- Validation Checks and Assistance Reasons — when Workist automates, all checks, and the assistance reasons in Analytics.
- Matching with Order and Quote Data — offer and order matching, prefilling empty documents.
Prerequisites
- Access to the channel configuration (see Users and roles).
- For Master Data: master data set up in advance in the Master Data Hub.
- For Agentic Extraction: an understanding of which additional fields the AI should extract and which data sources are available to it for this purpose.
Step 1 — Document: central processing settings
In the navigation under Document Processing, select the Document entry. This page is organized by topic. Each topic block has a Save button; each of them saves all changes on the page.
| Topic block | Key settings |
|---|---|
| Localization | Time zone and Holiday calendar of the channel. Overrides the customer-level settings for this channel. |
| Automation | Automation enabled as a global switch. Header data / Position lines confidence threshold (%): every field must reach this value on its own for the document to be handed over without assistance. Without a saved value, 100 % applies. |
| User assignment | Automatically assigns documents to the responsible person from your master data. |
| Data formatting | Date format, Address format (street name first / street number first), and Decimal separator of the output file. |
| Unit conversion | Conversion style (none / round up / 30% rule), options for overriding the original fields, for best effort conversion, and for customer-specific conversion. |
| Validation | Validation checks — multi-select from the business checks (total amount, line item sum, position number, …), rules for min quantity and article status, and Keywords to assistance. All checks: Validation checks. |
| Document type specific | Settings that only affect the respective document type (e.g. Support order forms, Remove freight cost line items, Factur-X for invoices). |
| Backfilling | Backfill with email data and Document formats for backfilling — Workist fills missing header fields from the email body if Backfilling enabled is on for the field. |
| Document Filtering | Sort Out Document Types and Filtering Sensitivity — for emails with several attachments, Workist decides which attachments become a document. |
Automation (the global switch and confidence thresholds) is normally set up and configured together with your contact at Workist. Making your own changes here is not recommended and is done at your own risk.
You can find the complete step-by-step guide to all topic blocks under Document.
Step 2 — Header Fields
In the navigation under Document Processing, select the Header Fields entry. Here you define which header data fields (e.g. order type, order number, customer contact) Workist extracts from the document and which properties each field has.
The layout has two columns: on the left, the list of configured fields; on the right, the configuration options for the currently selected field. In day-to-day use, you mainly define here which standard fields are extracted, whether a field is required, and in which order the fields appear in assistance. Many fields also have options of their own, e.g. address fallbacks, delivery date rules, or a replacement for a missing document number.
Complete guide: Header Fields.
Step 3 — Line Item Fields
In the navigation under Document Processing, select the Line Item Fields entry. The operating logic is identical to the Header Fields; compared to the Header Fields, a few line-item-specific options are added.
Here you find, among others, Perform lookups, Allow invalid IDs, Keep external article number, and Reset imperfect article matches on the article number, and Allow decimal quantities, Allow zero quantities, and Max value on the quantity. Max field length exists on all text fields, header fields included.
Complete guide: Line Item Fields.
Step 4 — Agentic Extraction
In the navigation under Document Processing, you will find two entries: Agentic Header Extraction (per document) and Agentic Line Item Extraction (per line item). Here you set up LLM-based extractors that work in addition to the regular field extraction — typically for fields that are difficult to capture with classic extraction (e.g. free-text instructions, document-specific clauses).
When a field is not always in the same place, is embedded in free text, or requires combined logic (e.g. "derive order type from brand + shipping address"). For tightly structured fields, the regular extraction in Header Fields / Line Item Fields is sufficient.
Both variants are described in a shared guide: Agentic Extraction.
Step 5 — Master Data
In the navigation under Document Processing, select the Master Data entry. Here you define which master data the channel uses for matching.
The page has three blocks:
| Block | Entries (selection) |
|---|---|
| Master Data Lookups | Client Lookup ID (customers), Contact Lookup ID, Invoice Address Lookup ID, Delivery Address Lookup ID, Article Lookup ID, Debtor Article Lookup ID (customer-specific articles), Conversion Factor Lookup ID, Framework Contract Lookup ID |
| Master Data Mappings | Mappings stored from assistance, e.g. Article Mapping Lookup ID |
| Master Data Matching | Order Matching Lookup ID and Offer Matching Lookup ID for matching |
For each entry, you select the matching master data of your company from a list; only master data of the right type is offered. The gear icon next to it opens this master data in the Master Data Hub in a new tab. There you upload files and set up the import. Only users who may manage master data see the icon.
Matching does not take place. For the article number this means: if Allow invalid IDs is off on the line item field Article number (default), the article number stays empty unless Workist knows it from learned mappings. If the option is on, Workist takes over the number from the document unchanged.
After making changes, click Save.
Step 6 — Discard
In the navigation under Document Processing, select the Discard entry. Here you define who is notified when a document in the channel is discarded (e.g. because a user discards it manually).
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Recipient e-mail addresses | Addresses to which discarded documents are forwarded with reason, channel and link — typically an internal mailbox for manual review. Confirm each address separately. |
| Return e-mail to original sender | When enabled and the sender of the document is a Workbench user of your company, the notification goes to that user instead of the recipients above. External senders receive nothing. |
Always set at least one forwarding address. Otherwise nobody is notified when a document is discarded; the documents are only visible as discarded in the Workbench. Attachments sorted out by document filtering do not become a document and trigger no notification.
Frequently Asked Questions
In which order do the configurations run? Per incoming email: document filtering (which attachments become documents) → classic field extraction (header fields / line item fields) including master data matching for customer, contact, addresses and articles; agentic line item extraction runs per line item after the article lookup → agentic header extraction → validation checks and matching → decision between automation and assistance. The rule for that is described under When is a document automated?.
What is the difference between data label name and field label name? Both exist for custom fields. The data label name is the technical name in the output file and is fixed after the first save. The field label name is only the label that appears in the Workbench (assistance, forms) and can be changed at any time. For standard fields, you change the label with Display name.
Help and Support
If you encounter problems with processing, have the following information ready:
- the channel name and the area (Document, Header Fields, …),
- the ID or name of a specific example document that was not processed as expected,
- for master data topics: the affected master data and ideally the most recently imported file,
- for agentic extraction: the configuration name, the prompt if applicable, and the most recent successful / failed examples.