Channel Configuration — Line Item Fields
This guide describes how, under Channel Configuration → Document Processing → Line Item Fields, you define which fields Workist extracts per line item (e.g. per order line) from your documents, and how those fields are validated, matched, and passed to your target system.
While the header fields apply document-wide (order number, order date, delivery address, …), the line item field configuration is applied to each individual line of your order, invoice, order confirmation, or price request. The most important field here is usually the article number — it is the key Workist uses to link your Master Data (article lookup) with the data from the document.
The layout and operation are identical — the left column lists the configured fields, and the right column shows the options of the selected field. However, there are additional line-item-specific options (lookup behavior, handling of the external article number, field length validation, handling of imperfect matches).
Prerequisites
- A Workbench account with access to the configuration of the relevant channel.
- For lookups (e.g. Perform lookups on the article number): A matching article lookup definition must be set up in the Master Data section of the same channel and populated with at least one import file. Without configured Master Data, the lookup has no effect. How to configure Master Data is described in the Document Processing overview and in the transformer configuration.
- For changes that affect the data format in the output file (data label name, data type), coordinate with your contact at Workist before saving — these fields are part of a mapping to the target system.
Step 1 — Layout of the page
In the channel navigation, open the Document Processing section and select the Line Item Fields tab. The page is divided into two columns:
- Left — "Configured fields": The fields currently extracted per line item for this channel. Each entry shows a short note below its name (Required or Optional). Using the + symbol at the top right of this column, you can add more fields.
- Right — "Configuration options for …": The options of the field currently selected in the left column. Which options appear depends on the field type (see Step 3).
Fields can be sorted by drag and drop. The order determines the sequence in which the fields appear in the assistance view and in the output file.
The note below each field name (Required / Optional) is derived from the Required toggle in the options on the right. Required fields block automation when the extraction is uncertain.
Step 2 — Select a field and adjust its options
In the left column, click the field you want to edit, e.g. Article number. The right column now shows "Configuration options for Article number" with all the options available for this field.
The options below are sorted into thematic blocks. Keep in mind: not all options appear for every field (see Step 3).
2.1 — General properties
You will find these options on nearly all fields.
| Option | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Required | When active, the value must be present in every line item. If it is missing or Workist is uncertain, the document goes into assistance. |
| Field should not block automation when below the threshold | When active, a value extracted with low confidence does not automatically go into assistance. The value remains flagged, but the document is processed further. |
| Confidence threshold (only on some fields) | Per-field threshold. If the extraction confidence is below it, the value is considered uncertain. Only applies if the threshold is offered at the field level at all. |
The global threshold for line items is set in the Document tab under Automation (Confidence threshold for line items). The per-field toggle above weakens this global threshold for this specific field.
2.2 — Field length
| Option | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Maximum field length | Maximum number of characters the field may contain in the output. Useful for fields with a fixed length in the target system (e.g. article numbers in SAP, which may be only 18 characters long). |
| Block automation when the maximum field length is exceeded | When active, the document goes into assistance if the value is too long. When off, the value is truncated to the maximum length during export. |
Both options belong together: first set the maximum field length, then decide whether a violation should block automation or whether Workist may silently truncate.
2.3 — Article-specific options
These options appear on fields that reference an article (typically the article number). They control the Master Data matching against your article lookup definition.
| Option | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Perform lookups | Enables Master Data matching for this field. Requires a matching article lookup definition to be set up and populated in the Master Data section. |
| Keep external article number | When active, Workist keeps the article number from the document in the output — in addition to the internal number determined via the lookup. Useful if you need both the customer number and your own article number in your ERP. |
| Reset imperfect article matches | When active, Workist only accepts perfect matches. Fuzzy matches (typos, partial matches) are discarded and the field remains empty or goes into assistance. |
| Allow invalid IDs | When active, Workist also accepts article numbers that were not found in the Master Data matching. When off, an unknown article number blocks automation. |
| Customer article on different perfect matches | Controls the behavior when the article number yields multiple perfect matches in the Master Data matching (e.g. because the same article is listed in multiple assortments). Workist then prefers the article that matches the customer of the document. |
Only enable this toggle once an article lookup definition with a populated import file exists under Master Data for the same channel. Otherwise the toggle has no effect and every article number is flagged as "unknown".
This combination produces two values per line item in the output file: the original article number from the customer document and the internal number determined by Workist. This lets the target system trace what was stated in the original document.
2.4 — Data naming, data type, and instructions
For custom fields (and for some technical standard fields), the options Data label name, Data type, Specify options, … (choices), Field label name, and Instructions for data labels also appear. They define what the field is called in the output file and how the value is validated.
Since these options are in practice almost always used in connection with Agentic Extraction, the detailed step-by-step guide — including data type selection, the choices list, sensible AI instructions, and inclusion as an output field — is documented there: Custom fields as the target of Agentic Extraction.
The workflow described there applies identically to line item fields — you simply work on this page instead of on Header fields, and the created field then appears per line item instead of once per document.
The name is part of the mapping to the target system (ERP/SAP/…) — if it is changed after go-live, downstream processing breaks.
2.5 — Mapping
Some fields additionally offer a mapping — a table that maps values from the document to standardized Workist values. Example unit: the texts in the document (Stk, STK, St, Stück, …) are mapped to a single standardized Workist unit (STK).
The order of the entries matters: units listed first are preferred when several valid units are found.
Step 3 — Which options appear when?
Which options are shown on the right side depends on the type of the currently selected field. For comparison, click a quantity field in the left column — you will immediately see that the article-specific options are missing.
Rough orientation:
| Field type | Typical options |
|---|---|
| Article number, Article description | General properties, field length, article-specific options (lookups, external number, imperfect matches, …). |
| Quantity | Required, threshold, Allow decimal quantities, Allow zero quantities, Maximum value. |
| Unit | Required, field length, mapping (mapping to standardized units). |
| Delivery date (at the line item field) | Required, threshold, Date format, rules for delivery periods. |
| Custom field | Required, Data label name, Data type, Field label name, Instructions for data labels. Full guide: Agentic header extraction → Custom fields. |
If an option described in section 2 does not appear on a specific field, it means it is not relevant for that field type — you do not need to do anything.
Step 4 — Add a standard field
Click the + symbol in the header of the left column ("Configured fields"). A selection opens with all fields offered for this document type that are not yet configured.
The menu is divided into two areas:
- At the very top, "Custom field" (set off by a divider) — this is how you create your own field that is not included in the standard catalog. You can find the full workflow under Custom fields as the target of Agentic Extraction.
- Below that, the standard fields of the document type that are not yet enabled.
Select a standard field. The field appears immediately in the left column and is opened on the right with its preset options.
Newly added fields are inserted at the end of the list. If needed, you can move them to the desired position by drag and drop using the grip symbol to the left of the name.
To remove a field again, click the × to the right of the field name in the left column.
Step 5 — Save
Click Save at the bottom right to apply your changes.
Only after saving do the new settings take effect for subsequent document processing. Already processed documents are not re-extracted retroactively.
Workist validates the input against the target schema. Common causes are:
- an empty data label name on a custom field;
- an identical data label name in two fields (must be unique);
- a data type without a sensible choices list for strings, when you want to restrict the selection.
Error texts appear directly below the affected field in red.
Tips on the interplay with Master Data
The line item field configuration unfolds its full potential only together with your Master Data. Three common starting points:
- You have not uploaded an article list yet. Do not enable "Perform lookups" — it would have no effect. First upload an article list via Master Data (see Document Processing overview, section Master Data).
- You want to import an existing article list with different column names. This is where the transformer configuration helps — it is the lever you use to map columns of your file to the Workist schema.
- You have fuzzy matches in the article list. Enable "Reset imperfect article matches" if you would rather accept empty fields than incorrect matches — or use "Allow invalid IDs" in combination with "Keep external article number" to retain the original entry in every case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I not see any lookup options on "Quantity"? Lookup options are tied to fields that reference Master Data — typically the article number. For pure numeric fields such as quantity or maximum value, a lookup makes no sense and the options are hidden.
What happens if I disable "Required" for a field that may be missing in the document? Workist then lets the document through automatically, even if the field is empty in a line item. Additionally set "Field should not block automation when below the threshold" if values extracted with low confidence should also not lead to assistance.
Can I change the "Data label name" afterwards? No. The name is immutable after the first save because it is part of the mapping to the target system. If a typo has crept in, contact your contact at Workist — the field can only be renamed by intervening in the configuration.
What does the * next to a field name mean?
In the right column, * marks a required field that you must fill in before saving.
Does the new configuration take effect immediately? It takes effect as soon as the next document is processed. Already completed documents are not re-extracted retroactively.
Help and Support
If you are unsure which options are right for your target system, please have the following information ready for your contact at Workist:
- the channel name and the document type (e.g. "Orders, Test"),
- the field in question (e.g. "Article number"),
- the desired effect in the target system (e.g. "Keep the SAP article number, but additionally output our internal number"),
- if applicable, a sample document on which the behavior can be observed.