# How to add document OCR to Infor VISUAL > Source: https://netray.co/integrations/infor-visual-document-ocr > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Integrations ## Short answer To add OCR to Infor VISUAL, scan or collect documents into a watched folder or inbox, extract fields with an OCR and language model pipeline, match them to POs and receipts in VISUAL, and queue low-confidence items for review. Post through a supported interface or a staging table. ## System Infor VISUAL ## Capability document-ocr ## Intro Paper still moves through VISUAL shops: vendor invoices, packing slips, material certificates, inspection reports and customer drawings. The accounting team keys invoices against receipts, receiving staff look up POs from packing slips, and quality files certificates by hand. OCR on its own is not the solution, because reading the text is the easy part. The value comes from matching what was read to what VISUAL knows: the PO, the receiver, the vendor, the part. That matching is what lets you flag discrepancies instead of just digitizing paper. This page covers the document types that matter in a manufacturer and how to attach them to VISUAL records without compromising data quality. ## Use Cases ### Vendor invoice capture **Description:** Invoices are read, matched to PO and receipt lines, and a payable voucher draft is prepared with differences highlighted. ### Packing slip receiving **Description:** A slip is scanned at the dock, the PO is found, and quantities are suggested for the receiving transaction. ### Certificate of conformance filing **Description:** Certs and mill test reports are read for heat or lot numbers and attached to the matching receipt or lot record. ### Inspection report indexing **Description:** Scanned reports are tagged with part, work order and serial number so they can be found later. ### Customer drawing intake **Description:** Drawing title blocks are read for part number and revision, and the file is linked to the part for engineering review. ## System Surface - Purchasing and receiving tables: PO, PO line and receiving structures supply the match targets. Confirm names and keys in your own schema and version. - Payables: vendor invoice and voucher entry in VISUAL, which should be filled through a supported path and not by direct inserts. - Lot and trace data: lot or heat records used when attaching certificates, depending on how you configure traceability. - Attachments and document links: VISUAL supports attaching or linking files to records in various modules, though the exact mechanism depends on version and configuration. - VISUAL API Toolkit: where licensed, the cleanest way to create or update transactions without bypassing business rules. ## How It Works ### Define document types **Detail:** Start with one, such as vendor invoices from your top ten suppliers. Each type needs its own fields and checks. ### Set up capture **Detail:** Use a scanner folder, an inbox, or a mobile photo upload. Store originals in a read-only archive immediately. ### Run OCR and extraction **Detail:** Use OCR for the text, then layout-aware and language-model extraction for fields. Record a confidence value per field. ### Match to VISUAL **Detail:** Find the vendor and PO, compare lines and quantities to receipts, and compute differences in price and quantity. ### Review exceptions **Detail:** Send anything below the threshold, or any mismatch beyond tolerance, to a review screen. Let clean documents flow through. ### Post and link **Detail:** Create the draft transaction through a supported route and link the original document to the record. ## Example Flows ### Three-way match on an invoice **Trigger:** A vendor invoice PDF lands in the accounts payable folder. **Steps:** - Fields are extracted: vendor, invoice number, date, lines and totals. - The service finds the PO and the receipts against it. - Quantities and prices are compared within tolerance. - A clean match becomes a draft voucher, and a mismatch goes to review. **Result:** Accounts payable checks exceptions instead of typing every invoice. ### Material cert filing **Trigger:** Receiving scans a mill test report with a shipment. **Steps:** - The heat number and material spec are read from the cert. - The receipt line for that PO is found. - The cert is compared against the required spec on the part. - A pass is linked to the receipt, and a mismatch alerts quality. **Result:** Traceability records are complete before the material reaches the floor. ## On Prem Run the whole pipeline inside your network. OCR engines and open-weight vision-language models can run on a single GPU server, and the document archive and review screen can sit beside your VISUAL database. This avoids sending invoices, certs and drawings to an outside OCR service, which matters for ITAR, EAR or customer contract restrictions. Plan hardware by pages per day, not by headcount. A modest GPU handles typical job-shop volumes, but handwriting and poor scans lower accuracy whatever the platform, so keep a review step for those. ## Security - Store originals in an access-controlled archive and never overwrite them. - Restrict the review screen by role, since invoices and certs contain pricing and technical data. - Require approval for changes to vendor bank details found on invoices. - Log which fields were machine-read, which were corrected, and by whom. - Exclude controlled documents from any external OCR service. ## Options ### Dedicated AP or OCR product **Fit:** Good for invoices alone, if it has a tested path into VISUAL payables and the volumes justify the license. **Effort:** Weeks ### Build in-house **Fit:** Feasible for one or two document types if you have staff to tune extraction and maintain the VISUAL posting step. **Effort:** Many weeks ### Partner build with Netray **Fit:** Useful for an on-prem pipeline covering several document types with matching to VISUAL records and a review queue. **Effort:** A few weeks per document family ## Pitfalls - Measuring OCR success by character accuracy instead of correct posted transactions. - Ignoring unit of measure and currency differences when comparing lines. - Auto-approving invoices without a receipt to match. - Mixing document types in one confidence threshold. - Forgetting multi-page documents and attachments split across emails. ## Faq ### Does Infor VISUAL include OCR? **Answer:** Not as a general capability that I know of. VISUAL can store and link documents, but reading and matching them needs additional software. Infor and its partners have offered document tools over time, so check what is available for your version before building your own. ### How accurate will it be? **Answer:** It depends on document quality and layout variety. Clean, typed invoices from repeat vendors can reach high accuracy, while scans, handwriting and unusual layouts do worse. Plan on a review queue and measure the share of documents that post without edits, rather than relying on a vendor claim. ### Can it create the voucher automatically? **Answer:** It can prepare one. A reasonable start is a draft voucher that a clerk approves. After a vendor has run cleanly for a while, you can allow automatic posting only when the PO, receipt, price and quantity all match within tolerance. ### Can we keep drawings and certs off the cloud? **Answer:** Yes. Local OCR and open-weight vision models can run on your own server, with the archive and review tool next to VISUAL. This is the usual approach for defense and aerospace suppliers whose contracts restrict where technical data can be processed. ### How are scans connected to VISUAL records? **Answer:** The pipeline stores the file in an archive and writes a link or attachment against the PO, receipt, lot or part, using the mechanism your VISUAL version supports. The key is to link through the record ID, not through a file name someone can rename. ## Search terms infor visual document ocr, infor visual invoice automation, ocr for visual manufacturing, automate accounts payable infor visual, certificate of conformance ocr erp, packing slip scanning receiving erp, infor visual three way match, on-prem ocr manufacturing erp, infor visual document management --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json