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Automating Utility Invoice Posting in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for a Leading UAE Fashion Retailer and Distributor

IDW Reads PDF Invoices with Gen AI, Standardizes Data via SQL Procedures, Posts into Business Central, and Archives to OneDrive Autonomously

Client Overview

A leading retail and distribution company in the Gulf region, specializing in fashion apparel trading across retail stores and e-commerce sales. With over 1000 SKUs and 20+ years of experience in the retail industry, they have a strong market presence, diverse brand portfolio, and customer-focused boutique approach.

The Challenge

Understanding the operational bottlenecks

3,300+Invoices processed Manually each year
Multi-Store OpsSeparate GL, tax codes, and BU assignments per location
250+Hours Manually spent for invoice processing per annum
Multiple ErrorsData entry, duplicate postings, missing data, etc.

Manual Extraction and Validation

Utility invoices arrived as PDFs via email or shared OneDrive. Finance staff downloaded each file, validated the data to a master Excel file, manually extracted and reformatted it to meet the ERP Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central's posting rules. Different invoice formats required vendor-specific handling. Errors, mismatches, and formatting inconsistencies often caused rejected postings and rework.

ERP Entry and Posting Workflow

Staff logged into Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, selected the correct entity, entered invoice numbers, amounts, assigned GL and tax codes, and mapped store codes or business units. After posting, they matched the totals and updated the Excel tracker with completion status, and archived records. This multi step process required constant switching between systems for every invoice.

Business Impact

The workflow consumed hundreds of hours annually in repetitive data entry and cross-system navigation. Posting errors delayed payments and created correction cycles. Finance teams were tied up in admin tasks instead of analysis, and limited real-time visibility meant issues surfaced only during reconciliation.

The IDW Solution

Intelligent automation across the entire workflow

1 AI Powered Invoice Processing

The IDW uses AI Vision & OCR to read and extract data from PDF invoices received through email or OneDrive. It identifies all required fields across different vendor formats and converts them into structured data without manual review or layout adjustments.

2 Automated Data Standardization

Extracted data is cleaned and transformed through SQL procedures to align with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central's posting rules. The system automatically reformats entries, eliminates format-related errors, and ensures ERP compliance.

3 Autonomous ERP Posting and Archiving

The IDW securely logs into Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, selects the correct business unit or entity, creates purchase invoices, assigns store and BU codes, GL accounts, tax details, and amounts, then verifies and posts them. It updates the excel reports for successful postings as well as exceptions, and archives all outputs to OneDrive.

Visual Process Breakdown

IDW takes over the E2E process, performing exactly as a human would

Smart Validation Logic

Enterprise-grade rules engine ensuring absolute accuracy

PDF Reading

IDW uses AI Vision & OCR to read each PDF invoice and extract all required fields, handling varied utility provider formats without manual intervention or template configuration.

Master Data Matching

IDW opens the master Excel data, matches each invoice to the correct entry by vendor and reference, and flags unmatched records for exception reporting.

Data Standardization

IDW runs SQL procedures to clean, pre-process, and reformat extracted data to meet Business Central posting rules automatically, eliminating format-related rejections.

Multi-Store Assignment

IDW checks for multiple stores, BUs, and varying GL account numbers and assigns correct codes per location, matching the right BU code and store code to each invoice.

VAT and Posting Groups

IDW populates correct VAT information and posting groups for each line item based on GL account rules, verifying compliance before posting.

Exception Reporting

IDW exports unprocessed invoices with exception details for manual review alongside successfully posted invoice data, archiving all outputs to OneDrive.

Systems & Integrations

Seamlessly connecting with your existing enterprise infrastructure

Business Outcomes

Measurable impact across the organization

~60%Reduction in end-to-end invoice processing time
250+Hours saved annually from manual invoice data entry and ERP posting
0%Errors or delays in invoice posting
~2%Exceptions handed off to team in case of missing/invalid data

Want to learn about more IDW applications across finance operations?

See how HachiAI can transform your operations with intelligent automation tailored to your industry.

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