Document classification: how the system determines what an invoice is

How eConnect recognises document types, what is processed and which documents are not accepted as invoices.

When you submit an email with attachments, the system must determine the document type for each attachment. Is it an invoice, a delivery note, a reminder or a logo? This is done via the Detect API, eConnect's own document classification technology.

eConnect processes invoices and purchase orders. Documents that are not an invoice or order are filtered automatically. Some are attached to an invoice, others are not processed.

How does classification work?

The Detect API analyses each document in two steps:

  1. Visual analysis: a visual fingerprint is created for each document (vector template matching). This is compared with known document templates to recognise the type based on layout.
  2. Text analysis: on top of visual recognition, textual checks are performed via OCR. Based on the combination of visual features and text, a classification decision is made.

Classification is fully automatic. The Detect API is eConnect's own technology, not an external classification service.

Which document types are distinguished?

The system distinguishes the following categories:

CategoryWhat happensInvoiceProcessed by IDR → e-invoicePurchase orderProcessed by IDR → e-order (beta)Proforma invoiceRejected by default. Want a proforma processed anyway? Change the word "proforma" on the PDF to "invoice" before submitting.Receipt/ticketProcessed by IDR → e-invoice (with dummy values)Delivery noteAttached to the invoiceLogoFiltered (image from email signature)PayslipNot processedReminder/payment requestNot processedTax documentNot processedTerms and conditionsAttached as appendixAttachment/specificationAttached to the invoiceUnknownReviewed by the quality team
Which documents do we not process as invoices?

The table above gives an overview. Below you will find the reason and what you can do for each document type.

Documents that are not processedDocument typeWhy notWhat you can doPro forma invoiceA pro forma is not a final invoice and has no fiscal status. Processing would result in an incorrect booking.Submit the final invoice once it is available.ReminderA reminder refers to a previously sent invoice. Processing would cause a duplicate booking.Submit the original invoice if it has not yet been processed.Payment requestA payment request is not legally an invoice. eConnect processes invoices in accordance with the EU directive.If the document contains an invoice number, date and amount and was issued by a VAT-registered organisation, it may be an invoice. Report it to support for review.PayslipNot an invoice. Outside the scope of invoice processing.Cannot be processed via eConnect.Tax documentAssessments, provisional refunds and other tax documents are not invoices.Cannot be processed via eConnect.QuotationA quotation is a proposal, not an invoice.Wait for the final invoice.Documents sent as attachments

Non-invoice documents in the same email as an invoice are automatically attached to that invoice:

  • Delivery notes
  • Specification documents (timesheets, mileage overviews)
  • Terms and conditions
  • Other attachments

This only works if there is also an invoice in the same email. If you send only a delivery note without an invoice, the document is not processed.

Logos and images

Images from email signatures (company logos, banners) are automatically recognised as logos and filtered. This prevents a signature logo from being processed as a document.

::e-accordion-item{value="item-4" header="When is a "payment request" actually an invoice?"} The term "invoice" is independent of VAT liability. A document from a non-VAT-registered organisation (such as a port authority or foundation) that charges an amount for services provided may legally be an invoice, even if the organisation calls it a "payment request". It is about the content, not the label the sender puts on it.

If you believe a document was wrongly rejected, report this to support. The eConnect team will assess whether the document qualifies as an invoice. ::

Classification and rejection

An important distinction: the Detect API classifies documents but does not reject them itself. The actual rejection of a conversion task is always a manual action by the quality team. A document can be correctly classified as "not an invoice" and then reviewed by the team before it is rejected.

Reporting classification errors

If an invoice is wrongly classified as another document type (for example as a proforma invoice), you can report this to support. The eConnect team can improve the classification so that similar documents are recognised correctly in the future.

Per-sender classification corrections are not possible: classification works generically across all senders. However, the classification model can be extended to recognise specific naming (for example when a supplier writes "payment request" but the document is an invoice).

Frequently asked questions
What if my invoice is wrongly classified as another document type?

Report this to support so the classification model can be improved. Classification works generically across all senders, but the model can be extended to recognise specific naming. The actual rejection is always a manual action by the quality team, not by the Detect API itself.

Does the system automatically recognise attachments to invoices?

Yes, documents such as delivery notes, specifications and terms and conditions sent in the same email as an invoice are automatically attached to that invoice. The system classifies each document separately and determines based on that whether it is an invoice or attachment.

Can I adjust classification per supplier?

Per-sender classification corrections are not possible because classification works generically. However, the classification model can be extended to better recognise specific naming, for example when a supplier writes "payment request" while the document is an invoice. Report this to support.