When you submit a document to the Costs/Sales workspace in Dext, the automated extraction engine reads the document and captures key information. This information appears in a structured format on the Item details page so you can review, edit, and export it to connected accounting software.
How does Dext process Costs and Sales documents?
After you submit a Costs or a Sales document, Dext scans the image and extracts important fields automatically. These fields are organised on the Item details page so you can quickly check the data before exporting or publishing it.
Note: Extraction usually completes automatically after upload. Processing times can vary depending on document complexity and system load.
What technology does Dext use to extract document data?
Dext uses machine learning algorithms, AI technology, and bespoke heuristics to extract information from receipts, invoices, and other financial documents. These technologies analyse the visible data on a document and convert it into a structured digital format that is ready to review and export to your accounting software.
Dext continuously improves its machine learning models to increase the accuracy and speed of data extraction as more documents are processed.
Important: All processed data is protected using 256-bit encryption to keep your financial information secure.
What fields does Dext extract from Costs and Sales documents?
Dext extracts several key fields from each document so you can review and process them efficiently.
The extracted fields typically include:
Original document image
Document type - for example, receipt, invoice, or credit note
Document date
Due date
Supplier
Currency
Purchase order number
Total
Tax amount
VAT number – extracted from the document, validated against HMRC, and automatically filled in the VAT number field (Costs documents, UK only)
Invoice number (when the document is identified as an invoice or credit note)
Reference number (for other document types)
Payment method - the last 4 digits of the card used for the payment (for Costs documents only)
Category (with Auto-categorisation)
Customer (for Sales documents only)
Projects (with smart suggestions)
Description (with smart suggestions)
How do I fix an extraction mistake on a costs or sales document?
If Dext extracts a field incorrectly on a costs or sales document, correct it on the Item details page. Your change saves automatically and appears in the item's History. There's no separate mistake to report.
If a field is frequently extracted incorrectly from a supplier's documents, contact the Dext support team with the Item IDs of a few affected documents, and they will investigate. The Item ID is the 11-digit number at the top of the Item details page.
Bank statement extraction errors
Bank statement extraction works differently. If the extracted data looks incorrect, you need to report the mistake manually so Dext can resubmit the statement for reprocessing.
To report a bank statement extraction error, go to How to upload bank statements in Dext.
Supplier statement extraction errors
For supplier statements, select Report mistake on the statement's details page.
Reporting a mistake on a supplier statement excludes it from your processed item count. You'll also no longer be able to view extracted line items, mark the statement as reconciled, or send paperwork requests for that statement. Try re-submitting the item first - if the issue persists, then report the mistake.
For full details, go to How to upload and manage supplier statements in Dext.
Automatically apply information with supplier and customer rules
You can speed up document processing by using supplier rules and customer rules. These rules automatically apply settings and information when Dext detects documents from the same supplier or customer.