Channel Configuration — Header Fields
On the Header Fields page you define which header data Workist extracts from an incoming document and how each field behaves in further processing:
- whether it is a required field (so that missing values route the document into assistance),
- whether the field may block automation when its confidence is below the channel's threshold,
- how Workist recognizes, completes or looks up the field in the master data (field-specific options),
- in which order the fields appear in assistance.
This guide describes editing the existing standard header fields (order type, customer, order number, …). For the full workflow for custom fields — creating them via "Custom Field", data type, restricting options, data label name, and AI instructions — see the guide on agentic extraction under Custom fields as the target of agentic extraction. Custom header fields are usually populated via LLM extraction; the creation process therefore belongs there thematically.
Prerequisites
- A Workbench account with access to the channel.
- You know which standard header fields your target system expects in the header row of the output file.
- Before making structural changes, a brief coordination with your contact person at Workist is recommended.
Step 1 — Layout of the page
In the Workbench, switch to your channel and open the Header Fields entry under Document Processing.
The page is two-column:
-
Left — "Configured fields". A list of all header fields that are enabled for this channel. Each entry shows the field name and, below it, the status:
Status Meaning Required Required field. If the value is missing, the document goes into assistance. Optional Not a required field; an empty value does not block automation. A value below the confidence threshold does block it. Number (e.g. "3", "7") The field has sub-fields (e.g. delivery address → company, name, street and no.). The number indicates how many sub-fields are configured. The currently selected field is highlighted. Use the "+" symbol at the top right of this column to add another field, and the "×" symbol in a row to remove the respective field.
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Right — "Configuration options for
<field name>". The detailed settings of the field selected on the left. Which options appear depends on the field — not every field supports every option.
At the bottom right of the page you will find the central Save button. It saves all changes to all fields in one step; do not leave the page without saving first, otherwise edits are lost.
The order of the field list on the left is the order in which the fields appear in assistance. It can be changed via drag and drop (hover over an entry with the mouse, click the grab handle on the left, and move it).
Step 2 — Edit an existing field
In the left column, click the field you want to change — in our example "Order type". The right-hand side automatically switches to "Configuration options for Order type".
2.1 — Required
At the very top of the options you will find the "Required" toggle.
- Enabled — the field must be filled. If extraction finds no value, the document goes into assistance so that a user can set the value manually. The value must also reach the header data confidence threshold.
- Disabled — the field is optional. An empty value does not block automation. If the field contains a value, that value must reach the confidence threshold.
As soon as you flip the toggle, the status of the entry in the left field list also changes between Required and Optional.
2.2 — Display name and further options
For the prepared standard fields, all further properties are already sensibly preset. With Display name you can change how the field is labeled in assistance. When empty, the default label is used. The output file does not change.
Further properties such as Data type, Data label name, Field label name, a restricted value list, or Data label instructions only exist for custom fields. You can find the full workflow for this under Custom fields as the target of agentic extraction.
2.3 — Automation behavior
| Option | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Field should not block automation when below threshold | When active, Workist does not check this field's confidence. A value recognized with low confidence then does not send the document into assistance. If the field is required and empty, the document still goes into assistance. Useful for fields whose value is of interest to you but not critical. |
The confidence threshold applies to all header fields together and is set under Document → Automation. Every field must reach it on its own. Per field, you can only switch the check off with the option above. The complete rule is described under When is a document automated?.
2.4 — Backfilling enabled
If Backfill with email data is switched on under Document → Backfilling, the option Backfilling enabled appears on the header fields. Workist only backfills fields with this option on from the email body when the document provides no value. Default: off.
2.5 — Max field length
For text fields, you define how many characters a value may have.
| Option | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Max field length | Maximum number of characters, e.g. because your target system only allows a fixed length for the field. Empty: no limit. |
| Block automation when max field length is exceeded | On (default): a value that is too long stays unchanged; the user must shorten it before completing the document. Off: Workist shortens the value to the maximum length and shows a hint. The document still goes to assistance, but can be completed there without changes. |
2.6 — Field-specific options
Many standard fields have options of their own. The following table lists all options offered on header fields. Which ones you see depends on the channel's document type.
| Field | Option | Effect | Document types |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB No | Document number fallback | If the document has no document number: Processing date fills in date and time of processing. Email subject (default) and Email timestamp only apply when the email itself is the document, not for attachments. | Order confirmation |
| Billing address | Use customer address as fallback | If the document has no address, Workist uses the recognized customer's address. Default for orders: on for the invoice address, off for the delivery address. | Order |
| Billing address | Use MD address as fallback (if unique) | If the document has no address and the customer has exactly one address of this kind in the address master data, Workist uses it. | Order |
| Buyer → number | Allow invalid IDs | Off (default): if no master data record is found, the number stays empty and users must pick a master data entry in assistance. On: the number from the document is kept. | Order confirmation |
| Buyer → number | Perform lookups | Looks up the business partner in the customer or supplier master data. Default: on. | Order confirmation |
| Client | Numeric locale per client | Number format (decimal separator) per customer number, e.g. [{"client_id": "12345", "locale_numeric": "en"}]. Takes precedence over master data and automatic detection. | Order, RFQ |
| Client | Words to ignore when extracting this field | Text areas containing one of these words (whole word, case-insensitive) are ignored entirely during recognition. Meant for details of your own company on the document (company name, your own contact persons). Do not enter legal forms such as “GmbH”: that removes almost every company name. | Order, RFQ |
| Client → number | Allow invalid IDs | Off (default): if no master data record is found, the number stays empty and users must pick a master data entry in assistance. On: the number from the document is kept. | Order, RFQ |
| Client → number | Perform lookups | Looks up the business partner in the customer or supplier master data. Default: on. | Order, RFQ |
| Customer contact | Allow invalid IDs | As for the customer: on allows contacts that are not in the master data. | Order, RFQ |
| Customer contact | Perform lookups | Looks up the contact person in the contact master data. Default: on. | Order, RFQ |
| Customer contact | Words to ignore when extracting this field | Text areas containing one of these words (whole word, case-insensitive) are ignored entirely during recognition. Meant for details of your own company on the document (company name, your own contact persons). Do not enter legal forms such as “GmbH”: that removes almost every company name. | Order, RFQ |
| Delivery address | Only allow addresses coming from Master Data | A delivery address without a match in the address master data is cleared. | Order, Order confirmation, Delivery note |
| Delivery address | Remove delivery address threshold (%) | If the delivery address is at least this similar to the customer's address (for order confirmations and delivery notes: the supplier's), Workist clears the delivery address. | Order, Order confirmation, Delivery note, RFQ |
| Delivery address | Use buyer address as fallback | If the document has no delivery address, Workist uses the buyer's address. | Order confirmation, Delivery note |
| Delivery address | Use customer address as fallback | If the document has no address, Workist uses the recognized customer's address. Default for orders: on for the invoice address, off for the delivery address. | Order, RFQ |
| Delivery address | Use MD address as fallback (if unique) | If the document has no address and the customer has exactly one address of this kind in the address master data, Workist uses it. | Order, RFQ |
| Delivery confirmation number | Document number fallback | If the document has no document number: Processing date fills in date and time of processing. Email subject (default) and Email timestamp only apply when the email itself is the document, not for attachments. | Delivery note |
| Delivery date | Allow past delivery date | Off (default): dates before the order date are not taken as delivery date. On: allows them and switches off the Order date check. | Order, Order confirmation, RFQ |
| Delivery date | Autofill empty delivery date | If Workist finds no delivery date, it fills in the processing date plus this number of business days (confidence 100 %). Empty: no autofill. | Order, Order confirmation, Delivery note |
| Delivery date | Processing rules | Rules made of a condition and an expression that adjust the delivery date, e.g. per customer or taking the holiday calendar into account. The first matching rule applies. Set up rules together with Workist. | all |
| Delivery date | Replace delivery date range with weekday | With the delivery date range off: the weekday within the period that is set as delivery date (default: Friday). | Order |
| Delivery date | Use delivery date range | On: a delivery period on the document (e.g. a calendar week) is kept as start and end date. Off (default): Workist sets a single date within the period. | Order, Order confirmation, Delivery note, RFQ |
| Discharge types | Mapping | Maps notations on the document to your unloading methods. | Order, Order confirmation, Delivery note, RFQ |
| Incoterm | Mapping | Maps notations on the document to your Incoterm values. | Order, Order confirmation, Delivery note |
| Inquiry number | Document number fallback | If the document has no document number: Processing date fills in date and time of processing. Email subject (default) and Email timestamp only apply when the email itself is the document, not for attachments. | RFQ |
| Invoice number | Document number fallback | If the document has no document number: Processing date fills in date and time of processing. Email subject (default) and Email timestamp only apply when the email itself is the document, not for attachments. | Invoice |
| Order number | Document number fallback | If the document has no document number: Processing date fills in date and time of processing. Email subject (default) and Email timestamp only apply when the email itself is the document, not for attachments. | Order |
| Order type | Value | Fixed value for all documents of the channel. If set, Workist does not read the order type from the document. | Order |
| Sender / Supplier | Words to ignore when extracting this field | Text areas containing one of these words (whole word, case-insensitive) are ignored entirely during recognition. Meant for details of your own company on the document (company name, your own contact persons). Do not enter legal forms such as “GmbH”: that removes almost every company name. | Invoice |
| Sender: Contact | Allow invalid IDs | As for the customer: on allows contacts that are not in the master data. | Invoice |
| Sender: Contact | Perform lookups | Looks up the contact person in the contact master data. Default: on. | Invoice |
| Sender: Contact | Words to ignore when extracting this field | Text areas containing one of these words (whole word, case-insensitive) are ignored entirely during recognition. Meant for details of your own company on the document (company name, your own contact persons). Do not enter legal forms such as “GmbH”: that removes almost every company name. | Invoice |
| Supplier | Numeric locale per client | Number format (decimal separator) per customer number, e.g. [{"client_id": "12345", "locale_numeric": "en"}]. Takes precedence over master data and automatic detection. | Order confirmation, Delivery note |
| Supplier | Words to ignore when extracting this field | Text areas containing one of these words (whole word, case-insensitive) are ignored entirely during recognition. Meant for details of your own company on the document (company name, your own contact persons). Do not enter legal forms such as “GmbH”: that removes almost every company name. | Order confirmation, Delivery note |
| Supplier → number | Allow invalid IDs | Off (default): if no master data record is found, the number stays empty and users must pick a master data entry in assistance. On: the number from the document is kept. | Order confirmation |
| Supplier → number | Perform lookups | Looks up the business partner in the customer or supplier master data. Default: on. | Order confirmation |
Step 3 — Add a standard field
If you want to add another header field to the channel, click the "+" symbol at the top right of the left column.
The dropdown lists two kinds of entries:
- "Custom Field" (the topmost entry, separated by a divider) — creates a custom field that you can name freely. You can find the full workflow for this under Custom fields as the target of agentic extraction.
- Prepared standard fields (e.g. "(expected) goods issue date", "carrier provider", "order type", "carrier account number", "document type", …). These are already supported by Workist's standard logic, and you only need to configure their options.
Select a standard field. It appears immediately in the field list on the left — selected — and the right-hand side shows its (preset) configuration options.
For a standard field, the important options are preset — in most cases you can click Save directly. If you want to mark the field as optional, switch off "Required" beforehand.
Until you click Save, the change is not applied. If you leave the page before saving, the Workbench discards the new entry.
Step 4 — Remove a field
If you no longer want to extract a field, hover over the corresponding entry in the left list — a "×" symbol then appears at the right edge.
Click the "×" to remove the field. For fields with sub-fields (e.g. delivery address), all sub-fields are removed as well.
If a field is removed, Workist no longer extracts it from the next processing onward; in the output file it stays empty or is missing. If your target system still expects the field, the downstream imports will fail. Therefore remove fields only in coordination with those responsible for your ERP / target system.
Removal also only takes effect upon Save.
Step 5 — Save
Click Save at the bottom right to apply all changes.
- All changes to all fields (adding, removing, editing, ordering) are applied in a single save operation.
- If Workist finds an error during saving (e.g. a duplicate data label name, an empty required field), the Workbench marks the affected field in red — the save operation is aborted in this case.
- After a successful save, the new configuration takes effect from the next incoming document. Already processed documents are not re-evaluated retroactively.
Which setting when?
| Your situation | Recommended setting |
|---|---|
| Your target system requires the field; otherwise the import breaks. | Required = on. Leave "Field should not block automation …" off. |
| The field is nice to have, but an empty or uncertain value is okay. | Required = off, "… not block …" on. |
| Only a fixed value range is allowed (e.g. only 4 permitted order types). | For custom fields: enter all permitted values under "Restrict options" — see Agentic header extraction → Custom fields. For standard fields with a Mapping (e.g. Incoterm): map the notations there. |
| You want to see a custom field in the output that is not included in the standard. | „+" → Custom Field — workflow in the LLM header guide. |
| Workist recognizes your own company as the customer. | Enter your company name on the field Client under Words to ignore when extracting this field. |
| Your target system only allows a limited number of characters. | Set Max field length; use Block automation when max field length is exceeded to decide whether values are shortened. |
Frequently asked questions
Why can I no longer edit the data label name? The data label name only exists for custom fields. After the first save, it is fixed because it is used as a key in the output file. If it really needs to change, create a new field with the desired name and remove the old one — and coordinate this in advance with the team that manages the target system.
What happens if I leave "Restrict options" empty? Workist then accepts any values of the configured data type. The list is therefore purely optional.
Can I set a separate confidence threshold for a single field? No. The threshold applies to all header fields and is set under Document Processing → Document → Automation. Per field, you can only switch the confidence check off with Field should not block automation when below threshold.
How does the order of the field list on the left take effect? The order determines the display order in assistance. How the fields are arranged in the output file is defined by the output format.
What is the difference between "Required" and the confidence threshold? "Required" acts on the value (is the value missing? → assistance). The confidence threshold acts on the certainty of the extraction (the value is there, but Workist is not sure? → assistance). Both apply together. Field should not block automation … only switches off the confidence check; an empty required field still sends the document into assistance.
Where do I see which header fields the standard logic already supports? In the dropdown of the "+" symbol. Everything above the divider is Custom Field; everything below it is a prepared standard field.
Help and support
If a field is not extracted or output as expected after a change, contact your contact person at Workist and have the following information ready:
- the channel name and the tab (Header Fields),
- the field name in the Workbench as well as the data label name in the output file,
- a specific example document that shows the problem,
- for required-field topics: whether the field is set to Required and whether the value is clearly recognizable in the source,
- for agent-based topics: whether the field is additionally referenced in Agentic header extraction.