Intelligent document processing, or IDP, is the automated reading of documents to extract structured information — invoice totals, identity numbers, dates, line items — so the data can be used by another system without being retyped.
How it differs from OCR
Optical character recognition converts an image into text. IDP goes further: it works out which text is the invoice number, which is the date, and which is the supplier, then validates them. OCR gives you words; IDP gives you fields.
Confidence is part of the output
A well-designed IDP flow returns not just a value but how sure it is. High-confidence fields pass through; uncertain ones are routed to a person. A system that returns every field with equal confidence pushes the checking burden back onto the reader, which removes most of the benefit.
Where it earns its place
- Supplier invoices arriving in many formats.
- Employee documents collected at onboarding.
- Identity documents captured at a gate.
- Delivery notes and weighbridge slips reconciled against orders.
See BeyondBoxAI AI solutions and document management systems.
