This functionality is available in the Pro and Complete subscriptions. Configuration at environment level is only possible with the Complete subscription.
Introduction
With custom recognition fields, you decide which information Zenvoices should extract from an invoice. You set up these fields yourself using a prompt in natural language and use them for situations where standard recognition is not sufficient. You easily determine what the AI should recognize with your own prompt, such as a license plate, project number, or consumption period. You can then use the recognized value as a variable in your transaction or template. Want to learn more or see it in action? Watch the webinar on custom field recognition here.
Does the result not fully match what you are looking for? Then you can easily adjust your prompt or settings and try again. If you do not want to work with a prompt, then use fixed fields for automatic invoice recognition. Read more about this here.
This guide describes the following steps:
1. Set up custom recognition fields
2. Create custom recognition fields
3. View custom recognition fields
4. Use custom recognition fields
5. Prompt examples
1. Set up custom recognition fields
The functionality below is enabled by default. Using this feature incurs costs. Please refer to our pricing page for the current rates.
The steps below explain how you can enable or disable the functionality per Organisation , administration, or user.
Enable the functionality in the Organisation
Navigate to Manage / Organisation / Settings / tab: General and locate the field Allow generative AI usage.
Activate the functionality per administration
Navigate to Manage / Organisation / Companies / Pencil icon for the relevant administration / tab: Preferences and under the category Miscellaneous, locate the field Allow generative AI usage.
Make app permissions available to users
The app permissions below can be viewed via user roles (Manage / Organisation / Roles) or per user (Manage / Organisation / Users / Button with horizontal lines to the left of the user).
Tip: Use the search bar to find app permissions faster. For the permissions below, for example, you can search for the word “Custom”.
Pages | Manage | Company | Custom recognition fields |
- Add custom recognition fields
- Delete custom recognition fields
- Edit custom recognition fields
Pages | Manage | Organisation | Custom recognition fields |
- Add custom recognition fields
- Delete custom recognition fields
- Edit custom recognition fields
Note: After setting up and assigning the app permissions, we recommend refreshing the web browser so that all changes are applied correctly.
2. Create custom recognition fields
This functionality is available at both administration level (Manage / Company / Custom recognition fields) and Organisation level. In the remainder of this guide, we assume a setup at Organisation level. These Organisation recognition fields can be accessed via Manage / Organisation / Custom recognition fields. On the right, click the green “New Custom recognition field” button to create a new custom recognition fields.
Name: The name of the recognition field that will be available in the transaction screen under Recognized data (this data must be unique and is checked across both Organisation and administration level).
Localized names:: Only applicable when there are users working in other languages. When used, this overrides the Name field (above), meaning this translation will be shown under Recognized data.
Level: If Header is selected, this is applied to all documents. If Line is selected, this only applies when line recognition is used as the posting suggestion and the line type in the booking template is set to Line Recognition. This only works when the lines are correctly recognized.
Data type: Select the relevant data type from the dropdown list:
- Boolean: True or false.
- Date: Recognizing a date on the document.- Integer: Number without decimals.
- Integer list: A list of numbers (recognizing multiple values).
- Number: Recognizing a number with decimals.
- Number list: A list of decimal numbers (recognizing multiple values).
- Text: Recognizing text. This can be a single word or a longer piece of text.
- Text list: Recognizing multiple text values.
- Timespan: From–to date.
Note:
- Only the selected data type will be recognized (for example, text cannot be recognized for a date field, and vice versa).
- After saving, the settings above can no longer be changed.
Mode: When Simple is selected, the field name to be recognized can be entered in the Field name field, for example: License plate.
When Advanced is selected, a question can be entered in the Prompt field describing which field should be recognized.
For example: “Which customer reference is mentioned on the first page?”
Note:
- Prompts are not yet supported for e‑invoices (UBL) without a PDF.
- The maximum number of characters is 1000.
- Formulas can be used, such as multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. See Chapter 5 Prompt examples for the full list under Calculation examples. A maximum of five calculations is supported per prompt.
- Want to see more prompt examples? See Chapter 5 Prompt examples.
Make available as transaction variables: The variables can be used in Booking Templates and become available by starting the relevant field with a curly brace (“{”). Only letters, numbers, and a hyphen are supported. Variables can also be used in the booking screen.
Line field variables are only available in booking templates for lines of the type line recognition.
Available in transaction automation rules: When this is enabled, the custom recognition field can be used to automate every booking when using Relation assignment rules, Booking method assignment rules, and Approval rules.
Available in authorization schemes: When this is enabled, the custom recognition field can be used to authorize every booking.
Availability
Available for all administrations (environment level): or selected per administration using tags, or excluded from administration using tags.
Within this feature, we use generative AI. Does the result not fully match what you are looking for? You can easily adjust your prompt or settings and try again.
Booking Suggestions
Both in the journal and for the relation, you can configure that custom recognition fields are recognized when using the booking methods Last booking and Master data.
Journal: Manage / Organisation / Companies / Pencil icon for the relevant administration / tab: Journals / Pencil icon for the relevant journal / tab: Proporsals, and then at the bottom: Which custom recognition fields must be recognized for the "Last transaction" and "Master data" proposal strategies?
Relation: Manage / Company / Accounts / Pencil icon for the relevant relation / tab: Proporsals, and then at the bottom: Which custom recognition fields must be recognized for the "Last transaction" and "Master data" proposal strategies?
3. View custom recognition fields
The custom fields are added to the Recognized data, which can be viewed via the transaction screen.
Recognized lines can be expanded using the button with the three dots.
If the custom recognition fields are not yet recognized in the booking screen, they will still be recognized when applying a booking template and/or changing a relation.
4. Use custom recognition fields
In addition to being used as transaction variables, custom recognized fields are also available in transaction templates. This applies both to Line type: Line recognition and when selecting Match with custom recognition field.
For example: an custom recognized field has been created for Cost center. When matching with an custom recognition field, this created field (Cost center) can be selected, so that the recognized value is automatically booked to the correct cost center.
Note: When the type “Recognized amount” does not contain a recognized value, a line is created with an amount of zero.
This option is available for:
Header
Payment term
VAT scenario
Cost center
Spreading transactions
Currency
Spreading transactions
Select Recognized period for Period determination * **
Lines
Article **
Payment term
VAT code **
VAT scenario
General ledger account **
Cost center **
Cost unit **
Employee **
Project **
Project phase **
Project item **
Spreading transactions (select Recognized period for Period determination) *
Spreading transactions in line field **
Currency
Analysis axis 1 through 5 **
Obligation *
* When creating an custom recognition field, the Data type field must be set to Period.
** Also available when Line type: Line recognition is selected.
5. Prompt examples
Unbundling soft drinks and non-alcoholic beer
For this invoice, it is desirable to book the soft drinks (9% VAT) and the non-alcoholic beer (also 9% VAT) separately.
Prompt for recognizing non-alcoholic beer:
"Recognize the amounts that relate to non-alcoholic beer, such as Leffe Bruin 0.0, Hoegaarden 0.0. For non-alcoholic beer, the description always contains '0.0'. The amount is in the right-most column under the word 'Net'. Add these amounts together."
Prompt for recognizing delivered deposit crates minus returned deposit crates:
"Recognize the debit amount for 'Emballage Delivered' and the credit amount for 'Emballage Returned' and add these amounts together."
Via a transaction template, the following can then be set up:
Recognized amount Emballage delivered minus returned to general ledger account 3090 without VAT
Recognized amount Non‑alcoholic beer to 7004 with VAT code 9%
VAT base amount 21% to 7004 with VAT code 21%
Remainder to 7006 with VAT code 9%
Specifically indicating the location on the invoice
Example prompts for the invoice layout below:
Recognize the total amount below the barcode on the line after the words "Travel expenses reimbursement" under the column header "Reimbursement calculation".
Recognize the total amount below the barcode on the line after the words "Travel time reimbursement" under the column header "Reimbursement calculation".
Recognize the total amount below the barcode on the line after the words "Fixed cost reimbursement" under the column header "Reimbursement calculation".
Recognize the first total amount below the barcode on the line under the column header "Reimbursement calculation".
Recognizing amounts at line level
Use the prompts below when recognizing amounts at line level:
Recognize the amount after "1 - COFFEE, TEA, COCOA AND ACCESSORIES" in the table under "Splitsing t.b.v. uw administratie"
Recognize the amount after "3 - BEERS AND PILSNERS" in the table under "Splitsing t.b.v. uw administratie"
Recognize the amount after "5 - MEALS AND INGREDIENTS" in the table under "Splitsing t.b.v. uw administratie"
Recognize the amount after "7 - MARGARINE, OILS AND FATS" in the table under "Splitsing t.b.v. uw administratie"
Recognize the amount after "14 - VEGETABLES AND FRUIT" in the table under "Splitsing t.b.v. uw administratie"
Recognize the amount after "17 - DAIRY, CHEESE AND EGGS" in the table under "Splitsing t.b.v. uw administratie"
Recognize the amount after "26 - PACKAGING" in the table under "Splitsing t.b.v. uw administratie"
Recognizing license plates and proposing at line level
In the Mode field, not ‘Advanced’ but ‘Simple’ must be selected (see the green marking in the image below).
Use the custom recognized field License plate in the transaction template.
When using the transaction template, the relevant license plates are proposed at line level in the transaction proposal.
Example of a calculation
Add together the amounts shown after ‘Seller has paid selling costs’ and ‘Refund of selling costs’ in the columns ‘Partial payment’ and ‘Credits’, and make the result positive. The total amount is inclusive of 21% VAT. Then calculate the amount excluding VAT.
All calculation options:
Making numbers absolute (converting a negative number into a positive number)
Multiplying
Dividing
Adding
Subtracting
Determining the number of days in a month (for example: February = 28)
Calculating the number of days between two dates
Adding days to a date
Subtracting days from a date
Recognizing the payment condition / payment method
Example of a prompt: "Recognize the payment method on the invoice. This can be via Direct Debit or manual bank transfer.
For 'Direct Debit', return the outcome: 'IN'.
For 'manual bank transfer', there are two options. When the due date is 30 days after the invoice date, the outcome is '30'. When the due date is 14 days after the invoice date, the outcome is '14'.
The due date is stated on the invoice in American format."
When using the transaction template, the Payment condition field can be used.