# How to add document OCR to Macola

> Source: https://netray.co/integrations/macola-document-ocr
> Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems.
> Section: Integrations

## Short answer

Run OCR and field extraction on invoices, packing slips and certificates, match the results to open POs and receipts in Macola's database, and route low-confidence fields to a reviewer before anything posts. Keep the documents and models in-house when the content is sensitive.

## System

Macola

## Capability

document-ocr

## Intro

Macola's accounts payable and receiving teams still handle a large amount of paper and PDF: vendor invoices, packing slips, freight bills, mill certs and certificates of conformance. Each one needs to be matched to a purchase order, keyed and filed. The work is repetitive, but errors are costly because a wrong invoice amount or quantity creates payment disputes.

OCR on its own only turns pixels into text. The value comes from the layer that knows Macola: that a PO number maps to a poordhdr-style record, that a vendor has specific remit-to data and that a three-way match depends on received quantity.

The design that works is conservative. Extract, validate against the database, show a reviewer the document next to the fields, and post only what passes.

## Use Cases

### Vendor invoice capture

**Description:** Extract vendor, invoice number, date, totals and PO reference, then match to open PO lines and propose an AP voucher for review.

### Packing slip to receipt

**Description:** Read packing slips at the dock, match item and quantity to the PO, and prepare a receiving entry for confirmation.

### Certificate of conformance filing

**Description:** Extract lot or heat numbers and PO references from certs and attach them to the receipt record or document store.

### Freight bill matching

**Description:** Match carrier invoices to shipments and flag charges outside expected ranges.

### Customer PO scanning

**Description:** Convert scanned customer POs into draft order lines with item cross-reference lookups.

### Drawing and revision capture

**Description:** Index drawing numbers and revisions from attachments so engineers can find the right document for an item.

## System Surface

- Open PO and receipt data in SQL Server provides the reference for three-way matching; confirm exact tables for your version.
- Vendor master data supports validation of remit-to addresses and payment terms.
- AP entry and receiving are the target transactions. Use a licensed web service, import routine or supported entry screen automation; avoid direct table inserts.
- Macola document management or attachment features vary by version and add-ons; if absent, store files in a network share keyed by document number.
- An integration-owned database holds OCR text, field confidences, reviewer actions and file hashes.

## How It Works

### Ingest documents

**Detail:** Pull from a scan folder, scanner-to-email address or a mailbox, and compute a file hash to prevent double processing.

### Run OCR and layout analysis

**Detail:** Use a local OCR engine for scans and direct text extraction for digital PDFs, keeping bounding boxes for review.

### Extract structured fields

**Detail:** Pull header and line items with rules per vendor where formats are stable and a model for variable layouts.

### Match to Macola

**Detail:** Look up the PO, vendor and received quantities, and check price, quantity and tax tolerances.

### Score and route

**Detail:** High-confidence, fully matched documents go to quick approval. Anything else lands in an exception queue.

### Review interface

**Detail:** Show the image beside the fields with highlighted source regions so a clerk can correct in one place.

### Post and archive

**Detail:** Create the voucher or receipt through the supported interface and link the original file to the transaction.

## Example Flows

### Invoice three-way match

**Trigger:** A vendor invoice PDF arrives in the AP mailbox.

**Steps:**

- The pipeline extracts invoice number, PO number, lines and total.
- It checks the PO and receipt quantities in Macola.
- Price and quantity fall within tolerance, so the voucher is proposed.
- An AP clerk approves and the voucher is created.

**Result:** Clean invoices are processed with a quick check, and the clerk's time goes to exceptions.

### Dock receipt with cert

**Trigger:** A packing slip and certificate are scanned at receiving.

**Steps:**

- OCR reads the slip and matches the PO lines.
- Heat or lot numbers are extracted from the cert.
- The receiver confirms quantities on a tablet and the receipt is staged.

**Result:** Receiving records carry traceability data without separate manual entry.

## On Prem

Invoices, certs and drawings frequently contain pricing, customer and technical data that you may not want in an external OCR cloud. Run OCR and extraction on a server in your own network using open-source OCR engines and an open-weight vision or language model, and keep the document store on internal storage. The Macola connection needs read access to PO, receipt and vendor data and a controlled write path for approved vouchers and receipts. For air-gapped or restricted sites, package models and OCR dependencies for offline installation and update them through a controlled process.

## Security

- Store documents in encrypted internal storage with role-based access and retention rules.
- Validate file types, scan for malware and treat document text as untrusted data, not instructions.
- Use a read-only SQL role for matching and a single approved write path for posting.
- Keep bank detail and remit-to changes behind a separate human verification step to prevent payment fraud.
- Log reviewer corrections with user, time and before/after values.

## Options

### Off-the-shelf AP automation or capture product

**Fit:** Fits shops that want a packaged AP workflow and have a vendor with a Macola connector or file-based import.

**Effort:** Weeks, plus subscription and mapping work.

### Build in-house with open-source OCR

**Fit:** Fits teams with development resources and a few high-volume vendors with consistent formats.

**Effort:** Roughly four to eight weeks for invoices with review UI.

### Partner build with Netray

**Fit:** Fits mixed document types, traceability needs and a requirement to keep documents on-prem.

**Effort:** A pilot on one document type typically takes a few weeks.

## Pitfalls

- Trusting OCR totals without checking that lines sum to the total.
- Posting vouchers without confirming received quantity, which defeats three-way match.
- Treating vendor remit-to or bank changes found in a PDF as valid updates.
- No duplicate-invoice detection by vendor, number and amount.
- Training only on clean samples and failing on skewed or faxed scans.

## Faq

### Does Macola include OCR?

**Answer:** Do not count on it as a core feature. Some versions or add-ons may offer document capture, so ask your reseller. Otherwise you add a separate OCR and extraction layer that feeds Macola through a supported interface.

### How accurate is OCR on invoices?

**Answer:** It depends on scan quality and vendor layout. Digital PDFs are far better than scans. Measure field-level accuracy on your own documents, set confidence thresholds, and keep human review for exceptions.

### Can this run without sending documents to the cloud?

**Answer:** Yes. Open-source OCR and local models run on your own servers, and the Macola connection stays inside your network. This suits sensitive pricing and defense-related documents.

### How is three-way matching handled?

**Answer:** The pipeline compares invoice lines to PO lines and received quantities in Macola, applies price and quantity tolerances, and flags mismatches for a clerk instead of posting automatically.

### Can it attach documents to Macola records?

**Answer:** Depending on your version and add-ons, attachments may be supported natively. If not, store files on a managed share named by document number and keep the link in your integration database.

## Search terms

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