Delivery note is one of important documents in managing transactional activities between seller and customer. This document type functions as a companion to the shipment of goods, encompassing the details of to who and where it will be delivered. For many business purposes, it is essential to extract information from delivery notes. Such as for ensuring that the invoices are correctly billed, or to serve as official records that goods have been dispatched to customers.
Among all the information on a delivery note, there are several key details that commonly need to be extracted as follow:
- Delivery date: When the goods were shipped or delivered.
- Order number: The unique identifier for the shipment.
- Customer information: Details such as name, address, and contact information.
- Item description: Details about the products delivered, including quantity and specifications.
- Supplier information: Details of the sender or supplier of the goods.
- Invoice number: The reference number for billing purposes.
In this article, we put together three methods for extracting data from delivery notes that you can choose from. Each method has its advantages, and choosing the right one depends on your requirements and the volume of documents you handle.
[Method 1] Copy-Pasting
This method is the most basic and straightforward approach, typically used when the amount of information being transferred is very small. Because it involves minimal complexity and simple steps, it works well for quick, low-volume data exchanges. However, due to its limited capacity and efficiency, it is generally not suitable for transferring larger amounts of information or handling more complex data needs.
Step 1: Open your PDF delivery note and the platform where you plan to put the data
Step 2: Select text or number you want to copy and press CTRL+C
Step 3: Go to the target platform and paste the data by pressing CTRL+V
Step 4: Keep going until all your preferred data is fully entered
[Method 2] PDF to XLS Conversion
This method can be used as an alternative when the delivery note is available in PDF format and the data needs to be transferred to Excel more quickly. It is usually done by using an online PDF-to-XLS converter tool, many of which are widely available today. While this approach can significantly speed up the data transfer process compared to manual copy-pasting, using online converter tools may introduce potential security and confidentiality concerns.
Step 1: Open online PDF to XLS conversion
Step 2: Drop your PDF delivery note and start the conversion
Step 3: Download the resulting file
Step 4: Now that your document is editable, you can organize specific data in the way you need
[Method 3] OCR Automated Data Extraction
This method offers a more scalable solution for extracting data from delivery notes, whether they are captured as images or provided as PDF files. By leveraging OCR by Fintelite, information such as item details, quantities, dates, and reference numbers can be automatically extracted from the document. This makes it an ideal solution for large-scale business operations where speed, consistency, and accuracy are critical, helping teams significantly reduce manual workload while minimizing the risk of human error.
Step 1: Sign in to OCR dashboard. Try Fintelite OCR for Free.
Step 2: Choose delivery note as the document type
Step 3: Upload your file, start the extraction process, and wait a moment
Step 3: After that, you can review the result on ‘scanned document’ page and make adjustments if necessary
Step 4: Export the extraction result into structured XLS file or directly send it to your accounting system like Xero and Quickbooks
