ApprovalMax Capture data entry rules allow Organisation Owners and Administrators to override default OCR-extracted values for a given Supplier or customer based on rules specified in ApprovalMax.
For example, if Invoices from a Supplier should always have a specific Currency, Account or due date, you can define that rule once and it will be consistently applied to future documents from that Supplier.
This is how you start setting up data entry rules
Go to Workflows and settings > Contact details:
Select a Contact from the list on the left, and their rule set will open on the right where you can add or edit rules:
Document Coding rules
Document Coding rules
Document Coding rules let you override OCR-extracted values with fixed values for a specific Supplier or customer. You can define defaults for header fields (such as Due Date, Currency and date format) and line columns (such as Account, Tax code and Region).
This is how you set up a Document Coding rule
Select a Supplier or customer from the Contact details list
Under Document Coding Rules, click on + Add rule:
Fill in the header fields and line columns. Tick the checkbox for "Don’t extract Line Items" if you prefer to consolidate all Bill details into a single total line:
Click on Apply to save the rule
Once applied, you can edit the rule at any time - just click on Edit:
For example:
With these Document Coding rules in place, every invoice from City Agency will be coded in USD, default to the Purchases account, use the Tax code for Sales Tax on Imports and be assigned to the North region. The Bill's due date will always be set to the 10th of the month and dates will display in the yyyy-MM-dd format — no matter what values are extracted by ApprovalMax Capture.
Document Split rules
Document Split rules
Document Split rules let you replace Line Items extracted by ApprovalMax Capture with your own custom line setup. This is especially useful when Suppliers provide overly detailed invoices with many lines you don’t need in your accounting system. Instead, you can create simplified or reclassified lines that better match your business needs.
With split rules, you can:
Enter Fixed Amount rules to allocate set costs
Enter Percentage Amount rules to split the remaining invoice total across Accounts, Tax codes or Regions by percentage
This is how you set up a Document Split rule
Select a Supplier or customer from the Contact details list
Under Document Split rules, click on + Add rule:
Choose whether to add a Fixed Amount rule for exact amounts, or a Percentage Amount rule to spread costs as percentages of the invoice total. Then click on +Add rule:
If you want to create a Fixed Amount rule, enter the details for each line such as Item, Description, Quantity, Account, Tax, Region and Amount and click on Apply:
If you want to create a Percentage Amount rule, enter the details for each line such as Item, Description, Quantity, Account, Tax, Region and the percentage of the invoice total you want allocated. Then click on Apply:
You can also add multiple rules of each type by clicking on +Add rule. Then click on Apply to save them:
Once applied, you can edit the rules at any time, just click on Edit:
For example:
With these Document Split rules in place, invoices from Coco Cafe will post all white single golf balls with a fixed amount of $10, billed to the General Expenses account in the North region with the MB—GST/RST on Purchases tax applied. Any internal Merchandise costs will be automatically split 50/50 between the North and South regions under the Advertising account with the MB—GST/RST on Sales tax applied.
Please note: If Document Split rules are set up for a Supplier, they will override any other data entry rules for that Supplier.
Conditional Line Coding rules
Conditional Line Coding rules
Conditional Line Coding rules let you apply coding to invoice line items based on their description. This is especially useful when a Supplier invoices you for different projects or categories but doesn’t code them in a way that matches your accounting needs.
With these rules in place, you can tell ApprovalMax to look for certain keywords in the description (e.g. Product A, Consulting fees, Project X) and automatically assign the correct Account, Tax rate, Item or Region whenever that condition is met.
This is how you set up a Conditional Line Coding rule
Select a Supplier or customer from the Contact details list
Under Conditional Line Coding Rules, click on + Add rule:
In the pop-up, click on +Add rule:
Enter a rule name, then choose whether All conditions must be met or Any One condition can trigger the rule:
Pick the operator for the line description (equals / contains / ends with / starts with) and enter a description value. Use + Add condition to add multiple conditions:
Select the Account, Tax, Item and Region that should be applied when the condition(s) match:
Click on Add to save the rule:
Review the details, then click on Apply to activate it:
Please note: If you have multiple rules, they are applied in order. Meaning, the first rule that matches the Line Item description will be used.
Once applied, you can edit the rules at anytime, just click on Edit:
For example:
With Conditional Line Coding rules in place, invoices from PowerDirect are automatically coded based on the Line Item descriptions. If the description contains “Project A”, the line is mapped to Account 412 – Consulting & Accounting, with Tax on Consulting (8.25%), Item PMBr: Project management & implementation – branding, and Region = North. In the invoice below, both “Project A Equipment” and “Project A Tech Stack” matched the condition. As a result, they were coded consistently to the same Account, Tax rate, Item and Region.
Please note: Rules are applied based on OCR Contact detection:
If a Contact is detected, the rules from that Contact’s page are used.
If no Contact is detected, Organisation-level rules are applied.