Glossary · Intelligent document processing
What is intelligent document processing?
Definition: Intelligent document processing (IDP) uses AI to classify documents, extract and validate their data and turn them into structured information.
An intelligent document processing system combines several layers. First it obtains the text, using OCR if the document is an image. An AI model then identifies the type of document and extracts the relevant fields, such as supplier, amounts, dates or references. Finally, each item is validated against rules and against the company's systems before it is recorded.
It is applied to documents that someone currently reads and keys in: supplier invoices, delivery notes, customer orders, contracts, payslips or certificates. Unlike fixed templates, an AI model can read the different layouts used by each sender without configuring them one by one. The result is data ready for the ERP, the CRM or an approval workflow, with no manual transcription.
No system reads every document without errors, so the design matters more than the model. Each item should be checked against reliable information, such as the purchase order in the ERP, and anything that does not match should go to human review. Accuracy should be measured on real samples, and it should be documented where each document is processed, especially if it contains personal data.
Example: orders that customers email as PDFs, each in its own layout, are read automatically and recorded in the ERP; those containing unknown items go to review.