Automated Accounts Payable: PDFelement OCR to QuickBooks Online (Make.com)

1. **Trigger Module**: Add the 'Google Drive - Watch Files' (or OneDrive) module. Since PDFelement desktop saves locally, set up a watch on the folder where you save finalized PDFs. Set 'Limit' to 5 to avoid overwhelming the scenario. 2. **PDFelement Processing**: Use the 'Wondershare PDFelement' module (or a generic 'OCR/AI' module if using PDFelement’s Cloud API). Select the action 'Extract Form Data' or 'Perform OCR'. Map the `File Buffer` from the Trigger. 3. **Search for Vendor**: Add the 'QuickBooks Online - Search for Vendors' module. Use the extracted 'Vendor Name' from PDFelement. Wrap the search term in the `lower()` function to ensure case-insensitive matching. 4. **Router for Logic**: Add a 'Router'. - Path A (Filter): If 'Total number of bundles' equals 0, add 'QuickBooks Online - Create a Vendor'. - Path B (Filter): If 'Total number of bundles' is greater than 0, proceed to Create Bill. 5. **Create Bill**: Add 'QuickBooks Online - Create a Bill'. Map the extracted `Total Amount`, `Due Date`, and `Vendor ID`. Use the `parseDate()` function to convert PDF date strings into ISO format for QuickBooks. 6. **Upload Attachment**: Add 'QuickBooks Online - Create an Attachable'. Map the 'Bill ID' from Step 5 and the `File Content` from Step 1. This ensures the digital audit trail is maintained. 7. **Error Handling**: Right-click the QuickBooks modules and select 'Add Error Handler'. Use a 'Commit' or 'Rollback' directive depending on your preference, or an email module to notify the admin if a tax mismatch occurs. 8. **Scheduling**: Set the Scenario schedule to 'Every 15 minutes' or 'On demand' to control operation consumption.

| Source: PDFelement (OCR/AI) | Transformation (Make.com Syntax) | Destination: QuickBooks Online | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Extracted Vendor Name | `{{trim(1.vendor_name)}}` | Vendor: DisplayName | | Invoice Total | `{{parseNumber(1.total_amount)}}` | Bill: Total Amount (Required) | | Invoice Date | `{{parseDate(1.date; "MM/DD/YYYY")}}` | Bill: TxnDate | | Due Date | `{{parseDate(1.due_date; "MM/DD/YYYY")}}` | Bill: DueDate | | Raw PDF Content | `{{1.data}}` | Attachable: File Content | | Summary/Notes | `{{substring(1.ai_summary; 0; 4000)}}` | Bill: PrivateNote |

• **Date Format Mismatch**: PDFelement may extract dates as 'Oct 12, 2023'. QuickBooks requires 'YYYY-MM-DD'. Always use the `parseDate()` and `formatDate()` functions in tandem. • **Operation Quotas**: Processing high volumes through 'Watch Files' can consume many operations. Use 'Filters' immediately after the trigger to ignore non-invoice files (e.g., .txt or .png). • **Decimal Accuracy**: Ensure extraction handles currency symbols ($). Use `{{replace(1.field; "$"; "")}}` before mapping to 'Amount' fields in QuickBooks, as QuickBooks expects a Clean Number. • **The 'Sleep' Module Requirement**: Sometimes QuickBooks takes seconds to index a new Vendor. If 'Create Vendor' is followed instantly by 'Create Bill', use a 'Tools - Sleep' module (set to 2 seconds) to prevent 'Object Not Found' errors.

- [ ] Use the 'Run Once' button and manually upload a PDF to the monitored folder. - [ ] Check the 'Execution Log' to ensure the OCR data was successfully mapped to variables. - [ ] Verify in QuickBooks Online that the 'Bill' exists and the PDF is visible in the 'Attachments' section. - [ ] Test the 'New Vendor' logic by uploading a PDF from a vendor that doesn't exist in your ledger. - [ ] Ensure the 'Status' of the scenario is flipped to 'ON' after testing.