PDF4me

Overview

The node provides an AI-powered invoice parsing operation that extracts structured data from invoice documents. It supports multiple input methods for the invoice file, including binary data from a previous node, a base64-encoded string, or a URL pointing to the invoice file.

This node is beneficial in automating accounts payable workflows, expense management, and financial data entry by converting unstructured invoice files into structured JSON data. For example, it can be used to automatically extract vendor details, invoice numbers, dates, line items, and totals from PDF invoices without manual data entry.

Properties

Output

The node outputs JSON data representing the parsed invoice information extracted by the AI parser. This typically includes fields such as invoice number, date, vendor details, line items, amounts, taxes, and totals in a structured format suitable for further processing or storage.

If the input was provided as binary data or URL, the output JSON will contain the parsed invoice data corresponding to that input. There is no indication that the node outputs binary data itself.

Dependencies

• Requires access to an AI-powered invoice parsing service (likely via an API).
• Needs appropriate API authentication credentials configured in n8n to connect to the external invoice parsing service.
• Internet connectivity is required if providing invoice files via URL or if the parsing service is cloud-based.

Troubleshooting

• Common Issues:

  • Providing an incorrect binary property name when using binary data input may cause the node to fail to find the invoice file.
  • Invalid or inaccessible URLs will result in errors fetching the invoice file.
  • Malformed base64 strings will cause decoding failures.
  • Unsupported invoice file formats or corrupted files may lead to parsing errors.

• Error Messages:

  • Errors related to missing or invalid input data usually indicate misconfiguration of the input properties.
  • Authentication errors suggest issues with the API key or credential setup.
  • Network errors imply connectivity problems or invalid URLs.

• Resolutions:

  • Verify the binary property name matches the actual binary field from the previous node.
  • Ensure URLs are accessible and point directly to the invoice file.
  • Validate base64 strings before input.
  • Confirm API credentials are correctly set up and have necessary permissions.

Links and References

• General AI Invoice Parsing Concepts
• Example of Invoice Data Extraction APIs
• n8n Documentation on Working with Binary Data