Batch Process Invoices
Automate invoice processing by collecting, analyzing, and uploading data to Google Sheets for easy tracking and management.
Last updated
September 28, 2025
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Key Takeaways
- Automated invoice validation - Each invoice is checked for required fields like Amount, Beneficiary Name, Bank Name, and more
- Flagging incomplete invoices - Invoices with missing or invalid fields are automatically flagged with a comment explaining what is missing
- Google Sheets output - Validated invoice data is written directly to a Google Sheet for easy tracking
- Runs on a daily schedule - The workflow processes invoices from your Needle collection every day at midnight UTC
What This Workflow Does
This workflow automates invoice processing by collecting invoices from a Needle collection, analyzing each one with AI to validate required fields, and uploading the structured data to Google Sheets. Invoices missing key information are flagged automatically so you can focus your attention on the ones that need it.
Use cases:
- Validating batches of invoices for completeness before payment
- Building an organized invoice tracker in Google Sheets
- Catching missing fields like bank details or beneficiary information early
How It Works
| Step | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Scheduled Trigger | The workflow runs daily at midnight UTC |
| 2. List Files | Retrieves all invoice files from your Needle collection |
| 3. Transform (Flatten) | Flattens the file list into individual items for processing |
| 4. Get File Contents | Extracts the actual text content from each invoice file |
| 5. AI Validation | An AI node inspects each invoice for required fields and flags missing ones |
| 6. Transform (Parse JSON) | Parses the AI output and flattens results into individual rows |
| 7. Google Sheets Upsert | Writes each validated invoice row to your Google Sheet |
Workflow Nodes
| Node | Role |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Trigger | Runs the workflow daily at midnight UTC |
| List Files | Retrieves all files from the configured Needle collection |
| Transform (Flatten) | Flattens the list of files for individual processing |
| Get File Contents | Reads the content of each invoice file |
| AI Agent (Validation) | Checks each invoice for required fields (Amount, Beneficiary Name, Beneficiary Address, Bank Name, Bank Address) and flags incomplete ones (model: gpt-4.1) |
| Transform (Parse JSON) | Parses AI output and flattens the results into individual rows |
| Google Sheets Upsert | Writes each invoice row to the configured Google Sheet |
Setup Instructions
- Add the "Batch Process Invoices" workflow template to Needle
- Create a Needle collection and upload your invoice files, or connect a Google Drive connector to pull them in automatically
- Set the collection ID in the List Files and Get File Contents nodes
- Prepare a Google Sheet with these header columns: Invoice, Invoice Name, Amount, Beneficiary Name, Beneficiary Address, Bank Name, Bank Address, Flagged, Comment
- Connect your Google Sheets account through the Pipedream connector and update the sheet link in the Google Sheets Upsert node
Customization
| What You Can Change | How |
|---|---|
| Required fields | Edit the AI Agent prompt to add, remove, or change which fields are validated |
| Flagging rules | Modify the AI prompt to define what counts as a missing or invalid field |
| Google Sheet columns | Update the column headers in both the AI prompt and the Google Sheets node instructions |
| Schedule | Change the cron expression in the Scheduled Trigger (default: 0 0 * * *, which is daily at midnight UTC) |
| AI model | Change the model in the AI Agent node (default: gpt-4.1) |
FAQ
Q: What fields does the AI check by default? A: The AI validates these fields: Amount, Beneficiary Name, Beneficiary Address, Bank Name, and Bank Address. If any are missing, null, empty, or contain placeholder values like "N/A," the invoice is flagged.
Q: How do I add invoices to the Needle collection? A: You can upload invoice files manually to the collection, or set up a Google Drive connector so invoices are pulled in automatically.
Q: What happens to flagged invoices? A: Flagged invoices are written to the Google Sheet with the Flagged field set to true and a Comment field listing which specific fields are missing. You can then review and address them manually.
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