From Bulk PDFs to Smart Insights: Automate Invoice Processing and Reporting with PDF.co and Make

Step 1: Set Up Google Drive to Watch for New Invoice PDFs

• Add the Google Drive > Watch Files in a Folder module.
• Choose the folder where your invoices arrive.
• Click the clock icon on the module to schedule it. Set it to run daily at 6:00 AM (or any time you prefer).

Step 2: Download Each New PDF

• Add the Google Drive > Download a File module.
• Choose to enter the File ID manually.
• Set File ID to the incoming file from Step 1.

Step 3: Split Multi-Page PDFs into Individual Invoices

• Add the PDF.co > Split a PDF module.
• Select Google Drive – Download a File as the input file (from Step 2).
• Set Split by to Page Numbers.
• For Pages, enter * to split every page individually.

Step 4: Extract Invoice Data Using AI Invoice Parser

• Add the PDF.co > AI Invoice Parser module.
• Use the split PDF file from Step 3 as the input file.
• Leave Custom Fields blank unless you want to extract additional fields (comma-separated).

Step 5: Route Data to Two Processing Paths

Add a Router module to split the flow into two paths:

• Path 1 (Top): Save files and log data to Google Sheets.
• Path 2 (Bottom): Extract custom invoice data for summary reporting.

Step 6: Upload Split PDFs to Google Drive

• In Path 1, add Google Drive > Upload a File.
• Select the folder where you want to save split invoices.
• Set the input file from the PDF Split module (Step 3).

Step 7: Search for Vendor-Specific Invoice Files in Google Drive

• Add Google Drive > Search for Files/Folders.
• Choose the folder with vendor-specific invoices.
• Set Retrieve to Files.
• In Query, map the vendor name extracted from Step 4.
• Limit results to 1 to get the most relevant file.

Step 8: Iterate Over Line Items Array

• Add the Flow Control > Iterator module.
• Map the array of line items from the AI Invoice Parser output (lineItems[]).

This processes each invoice line item separately, ensuring clean, row-by-row logging in your spreadsheet.

Step 9: Add Rows to Google Sheets

• Add the Google Sheets > Add a Row module.
• For Spreadsheet ID, use the File ID from Step 7.
• Set the Sheet Name.
• Set Table contains headers to Yes if your sheet has headers.
• Map invoice fields like:
  • Invoice Number → invoice.invoiceNo
  • Invoice Date → invoice.invoiceDate
• Map other fields as needed.

Step 10: Extract Custom Data for Summary Report

• In Path 2, add Make AI Toolkit > Extract Information from Text.
• Select your preferred AI model.
• Map the full invoice text from Step 4.
• Specify the fields to extract (e.g., vendor name, invoice amount, due date).

This gathers the data points needed for your final report.

Step 11: Aggregate Extracted Invoice Data

• Add the Array Aggregator module.
• Set the Source Module to Google Drive – Watch Files in Folder module from Step 1.
• For Target structure type, select Custom.
• Under Aggregated fields, select Extracted information.

This consolidates all invoice data into a structured array for reporting.

Step 12: Generate Invoice Summary Report

• Add the Make AI Toolkit > Ask Anything module.
• Select the same model used previously.
• In the Text field, input a prompt like the following:

Here is a list of invoices in an array format:

{{13.Array[]}}

Please:  
- Generate a summary in **HTML table format**.  
- For each invoice, list:  
  - Vendor name  
  - Invoice number  
  - Invoice date  
  - Total amount  
  - Status (mark as "Overdue" if the invoice date is before today)  
- Show **subtotals per vendor**.  
- Show the **grand total**.

• Map the output of the previous Array Aggregator module as the input array ({{13.Array[]}}).
• This module will output an HTML summary report with subtotals and status flags for overdue invoices.

Step 13: Send Invoice Summary via Gmail

• Add the Gmail > Send an Email module.
• In the To field, enter the recipient's email address.
• Add the Subject.
• For Content, map the Answer output from Step 12.