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Tell it what to pull, in plain words

Invoices and reports rarely have a clean table. When you add a PDF to Mammoth, pick Custom and type the fields you want, like "invoice number, date, total". Mammoth pulls just those, as one row you can check against the page.

Follow along

Download the sample invoice used in the video. It's a made-up supplier invoice with no table on it, so the usual table extraction finds nothing.

Steps

  1. In Data, start a new dataset and upload your PDF.
  2. In Review data import, under What to import, choose Custom.
  3. Describe the fields in plain words. The video uses: "One row per invoice: vendor, invoice number, issue date, amount due".
  4. Click Extract. Mammoth reads the page using your instruction.
  5. Check the row against the PDF on the left.
  6. Click Looks right, name the dataset, then click Create dataset.

The dataset works like any other in Mammoth: you can clean it, join it to other data or build a dashboard on it.

Write instructions that work

Name each field the way you want the column to be called, and add the format when it matters:

  • "Invoice number, vendor name, invoice date (MM/DD/YYYY) and total amount (numeric)"
  • "All line items: product name, quantity, unit price and line total"
  • "Only the summary table on page 1"

A vague instruction such as "get the data" leaves Mammoth guessing which fields matter.

If it doesn't look right

  • A field is empty or wrong. Click the pencil icon next to your instruction, make it more specific, and extract again. You don't need to upload the file again.
  • It's a scan or a phone photo. Mammoth reads scans and images too, but text-based PDFs give the most reliable results. Use a clear, straight image.
  • You get more than you asked for. Narrow the instruction to a page or a section, as in the third example above.

Next month's invoice

When you save the dataset you choose how it refreshes. With Manual, upload next month's file and the same instruction runs over it. If the new file looks different, Mammoth pauses and asks you before changing your data. Refreshing When a new file arrives in a folder depends on your plan.

  • PDF extraction: every option in the import dialog, supported file types and more example instructions.

Report an issue · support@mammoth.io