The primary use case revolves around processing invoices. In Israel, where the solution is region-oriented, the invoices typically involve multiple languages within a single document and may also include various currencies. The capability of handling such diverse linguistic and currency elements is a notable strength of UiPath Document Understanding in this context. Through its implementation, our goal was to minimize manual tasks significantly and reduce the time required for invoice processing.
VP Delivery at Bynet
Offers impressive ability to automate document processing while providing seamless integration, efficient training models, and significant time and cost savings
Pros and Cons
- "The scalability it offers is truly exceptional, making it arguably the best in the market."
- "Making the design of Forms AI more flexible and accommodating to companies' branding preferences would be beneficial."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
Up to this point, Document Understanding has been applied primarily to automate invoice processing in our implementations. For the customers for whom we have implemented it, the emphasis has predominantly been on invoice processing. This is because, within the customer's value chain, these processes are perceived to deliver the most significant value.
In terms of the types and volumes of documents processed with Document Understanding, the volumes are measured per page rather than per invoice. We typically handle a range of 50,000 to 100,000 pages. It's important to note that invoices, which occasionally consist of more than two or three pages, are encompassed within these volume metrics.
Typically, the document format comprises a header, a table, and often a summary, along with occasional total figures. This basic structure is effectively handled by Document Understanding, excelling in processing both headers and tables seamlessly.
Approximately seventy to eighty percent of our customers' organizational documents undergo complete and automatic processing.
The benefits are straightforward– it eliminates the need for physical forms on the table. This simplicity instills a high level of confidence in the model, and I foresee a promising future for it. It stands out as an excellent solution for companies, particularly those dealing with a substantial volume of invoices and vendors from diverse sources.
It has liberated time for other projects. Previously, we needed three to four people for validating invoices. Now, we have scaled down to one part-time person, who, for the most part, is engaged in other responsibilities. Invoicing tasks occupy only around five percent of their work time, handled intermittently.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable aspect is the AI training model, which distinguishes itself by offering a more transparent and controllable approach compared to other products on the market. Unlike some alternatives, this model allows precise retraining of machine learning instances. It provides visibility into the training process, enabling control and the option to retrain multiple times as necessary. In contrast to comparable products, this transparency and control contribute to enhancing the precision of the training model.
Forms AI performs admirably, posing as a strong competitor to Microsoft's PowerApps and other similar products in the market. It is straightforward and versatile, yet there is room for enhancement in certain design features that could improve user experience.
Document Understanding seamlessly integrates with other systems and applications within the environment it operates. Its integration capabilities extend beyond RPA modules, ensuring smooth and trouble-free connections with various components.
Human validation is required for Document Understanding at the beginning of Document automation journey, constituting around thirty percent of the overall process, while the tool handles the remaining seventy percent and document straight through processing improver further with model retraining. Notably, the retraining feature is a crucial and valuable aspect of the platform. This feature allows for retraining based on the validation actions performed by human validators. This is particularly significant because it enables refinement of the model in cases where documents are validated with low confidence. Some of the platforms lack the capability to provide confidence levels for field and data recognition, making this retraining feature a valuable asset for businesses seeking precision and efficiency in document processing. The human validation process for each document typically takes only a couple of seconds. The validation requirements are easily identifiable, allowing you to point to the specific area. Typically, pointing to it triggers a quick refocus of recognition to a different part, making the validation process efficient and straightforward.
The average handle time before implementing Document Understanding was approximately between three to five minutes, but after automation, it has significantly reduced to less than a minute, possibly even just a couple of seconds. This improvement covers the entire process, including validation, data exchange, mailing approvals, and more, all seamlessly happening in the background. Beyond the time savings, the automation also substantially reduces rework caused by human errors, enhancing the overall efficiency and accuracy of the process. As per the customer, errors do occur at times, and the associated risk is considerably high. However, the implementation of Document Understanding effectively mitigates this risk, eliminating the potential for errors.
What needs improvement?
I wish to have more pre-trained modules available in various languages. For instance, while Document Understanding currently supports Hebrew for Israel, I would appreciate the addition of pre-trained modules specifically tailored for different Hebrew-related forms. This enhancement could prove to be quite beneficial.
Buyer's Guide
UiPath Document Understanding
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about UiPath Document Understanding. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with it for three months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The system is highly stable, especially since it operates on the cloud. We haven't encountered any disruptions or issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
When discussing Document Understanding and RPA processes, it's essential to highlight that it's a scalable solution on the cloud. The scalability it offers is truly exceptional, making it arguably the best in the market.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is outstanding. In Israel, we have a local UiPath office, and they are incredibly helpful. Their responsiveness is remarkable, and if there's ever a need for assistance, they promptly provide valuable support. I would rate it nine out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup falls in the middle ground – not overly complex but not entirely straightforward either. It requires an understanding of how to retrain the model and fine-tune both the OCR and the application.
What about the implementation team?
Deployment time is a matter of minutes. The deployment process is straightforward as it involves a cloud solution. You order the environment, set up both the robotic and Document Understanding environments, and start working. It's a simple and quick process. Typically, the deployment involves one representative from our team and relevant subject matter experts from the customer's side. These experts are individuals directly engaged in the process, and often a reinsurance manager, functioning as a project manager, is crucial from the customer's side. It is imperative to have a subject matter expert from the customer's side because our team usually lacks visibility into their business processes and requirements.
Maintenance typically involves one person responsible for document validation. The specifics may vary based on the document type; for instance, if it's invoices, it's generally handled by a single person specializing in invoice processing. While I would assume similar patterns for other platforms, variations might occur with different document types, requiring different subject matter experts for each form. However, from the technical side, it usually entails the responsibility of one person.
What was our ROI?
In terms of Return on Investment, while we haven't quantified it precisely, the notable reduction in personnel from three or four full-time roles to one person handling the task part-time signifies a significant cost avoidance. Instead of letting people go, the approach involves reallocating them to other tasks, essentially avoiding around ninety-five percent of the previous budget dedicated to this particular process. The benefits in terms of cost-effectiveness and time efficiency are substantial. In the context of time to value, I'd estimate around two months to establish a production process, yielding impressive results ranging from seventy to eighty percent.
I think this timeframe needs to be considered with the multitude of invoices and vendors involved. We're dealing with processing invoices from over two thousand different vendors, spanning two different languages, including instances where both languages are mixed within a single invoice. The complexity is heightened by the inclusion of both right-to-left and left-to-right languages. Despite these intricate challenges, achieving the high complexity production process within two months is not only sufficient but also a commendable outcome.
What other advice do I have?
For those interested, I would recommend undergoing a POC to truly experience and be pleasantly surprised by the outcomes within a couple of days. In an overall comparison with other solutions in the local market, I would confidently rate this as a robust nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner Reseller, Integrator
Senior Lead Engineer at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
The pre-labeling saves us time, the generated text integrates seamlessly, and helps reduce human error
Pros and Cons
- "The best feature is pre-labeling, as it eliminates the need to manually label each data point."
- "There is still room for enhancement in capturing line items from invoices."
What is our primary use case?
We use UiPath Document Understanding for two purposes: extracting information from medical certificates issued by a prominent university in Singapore and processing invoices for a client in the logistics industry within their ERP systems.
We implemented UiPath Document Understanding to significantly reduce the substantial mailout effort. Approximately 20 full-time employees were previously dedicated to these processes, but after implementation, we were able to halve the number of full-time employees required.
How has it helped my organization?
We are capturing the header line items, which include the account number, invoice number, invoice date, and the line items: quantity, line item description, unit price, taxes, item number, and ZIP codes. This is a sales sector document. The medical certificate is an untested document, and we need to capture specific dates, the doctor's medical certificate number, and the student's name. We also need to check whether a checkbox is checked. There are no handwritten documents to extract.
Around 80 percent of our documents are processed 100 percent automatically.
Before implementing Document Understanding, the average time per invoice for manual processing, including invoice scanning and data extraction, was 15 minutes. Following automation, the processing time has been reduced to six minutes, with the specific duration varying based on the number of features on each invoice.
Document Understanding has helped reduce human error by 70 to 80 percent.
Document Understanding has reduced staff time by nearly 50 percent.
What is most valuable?
The best feature is pre-labeling, as it eliminates the need to manually label each data point. This saves a significant amount of time and effort. Additionally, the generated text is integrated seamlessly into the tool, making it easy to use. The documentation is also very clear and concise, making it easy to get started with the tool.
What needs improvement?
Over the past few years, I have observed that the invoice model consistently improves with each new UiPath release. There is still room for enhancement in capturing line items from invoices. This is one of the areas where I believe we can achieve near-perfect data capture. Unfortunately, the current accuracy rate for capturing line items is between 50 and 60 percent. This necessitates manual two-way matching, which is time-consuming and inefficient. I believe UiPath Document Understanding can still improve in this area, but overall, it is moving in the right direction.
Despite advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning, there are lingering concerns about data privacy and security. These concerns can have a significant impact on users, particularly in terms of geographic restrictions and data policies.
The accuracy level we receive does not justify the price, as many competitors are offering much lower prices.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using UiPath Document Understanding for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
While the stability is improving, it still needs to be enhanced in terms of model learning.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
UiPath Document Understanding is scalable, but there is an aspect of training that requires attention. The model should be trained with a specific type of invoice to ensure optimal accuracy. For instance, if the invoices are in multiple languages and formats, the post-model training results may not be as effective as compared to training the model with invoices in a single language or two languages at most.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In the past, we used IQ Bot from Automation Anywhere; however, its output fell short of UiPath Document Understanding's capabilities. This discrepancy stems from the sheer size of the model we currently employ in the collection. UiPath Document Understanding's effectiveness is attributable to this factor. Additionally, UiPath offers superior analytical reporting capabilities, whereas Automation Anywhere falters in this regard. With Automation Anywhere, we were required to create multiple models, whereas UiPath allows us to utilize a single model for a collection of invoices with similar structures.
How was the initial setup?
The deployment itself was straightforward. However, the deployment of the automation may have been more complex. In terms of the Document Understanding skills required for deployment, the process is straightforward. It doesn't require a lot of effort and can be completed in a day or two. For an experienced or certified individual, the deployment can likely be completed within a few hours.
To complete the deployment, a team of three people is required to work together.
What was our ROI?
The return on investment is seen within the first year of using the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
UiPath Document Understanding is priced high compared to its competition.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate UiPath Document Understanding nine out of ten.
Our clients experience time to value after approximately four months of usage because, initially, it takes some time to become familiar with the models and begin to see results.
The number of people we have using the solution is specific to the AP team or data finance team. Currently, we have two teams working on the solution.
Document Understanding requires ongoing maintenance in the form of model retraining. In the event of any encryptions, we may need to provide validation to the user. Additionally, we need to ensure that our models are regularly retrained.
Organizations need to carefully evaluate the scope and requirements of their Document Understanding initiatives. While existing Document Understanding models have demonstrated capabilities in specific invoice formats, it is crucial to test their performance across a broader range of invoice types. I recommend conducting a pilot test using a sample of 20 diverse but similar invoices to assess the models' accuracy and applicability.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Buyer's Guide
UiPath Document Understanding
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about UiPath Document Understanding. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Team Lead at Phenologix
Helps reduce human error, and saves us time, but is expensive
Pros and Cons
- "UiPath provides a useful feature that allows us to classify documents as invoices or not."
- "UiPath Document Understanding's ability to read handwritten files has room for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We implemented UiPath Document Understanding for our first project with a pharmaceutical insurance company. They were receiving invoices from over 2,000 different vendors in a variety of formats on a daily basis, and they wanted to automate the process. We are receiving invoices in their email, and we are automating the download and processing of these invoices. If the confidence level of the automated data extraction is low, a user or client can correct the data according to the invoice and then submit it. The data will then be improved. We will be automating this project in two parts: first, reading specific emails and downloading the attachments; and second, checking if the attachments are normal documents or invoices.
We have implemented UiPath Document Understanding for two companies: one in the insurance industry and the other in the financial industry. We have completed the document creation process, which includes OCR and automatic signature imposition by different lawyers on the finalized documentation. We also use Document Understanding to read the document after analyzing it, and we then update the PDF with a front page signature and other components. This is a small process, but the first project was very large and we gained a lot of business from it. It was a very good project overall.
We process between 100 to 200 documents per day using Document Understanding.
The documents include checkboxes and barcodes. Some of our vendors only provide handwritten invoices, which Document Understanding could not read. These invoices had to be processed manually by the user.
How has it helped my organization?
UiPath Document Understanding can handle varying document formats including handwritten documents.
We have implemented a machine learning model to sort vendor names and important information related to those vendors into our system. When the model encounters a vendor that it has already seen, it automatically grabs the important information from the invoice. The model is continuously training on the new data that it receives, so it can become more accurate over time.
Machine learning was very good. We don't think we can implement without any ML model.
We integrated Document Understanding with Dynamic CRM so that the information extracted by Document Understanding is automatically input into CRM.
The amount of human validation required is based on the confidence level of the ML model. Each time human validation is required, the ML model learns and the need for human validation decreases. At the start, the ratio of documents requiring human validation was 50/50, but this ratio decreased with each iteration.
Document understanding helps reduce human errors. For example, if we receive 150 emails daily, we must analyze and process each email accordingly, such as sending invoices, checking invoice values, and investigating all relevant information. We must then read each invoice and enter the data into the system. This is a very active task that requires around 15 people to perform daily. Document understanding has reduced the need for human interaction by allowing us to automate this process. Now, only one person needs to analyze the email invoices. Once the invoices have been checked and analyzed, they are passed to a UiPath bot, which handles all the subsequent steps, such as reading the invoices and entering the data into the system.
Document understanding has helped free up staff time.
What is most valuable?
UiPath provides a useful feature that allows us to classify documents as invoices or not.
If the confidence level is low, we can check it and provide the product value to move forward. In this step, the user can sometimes skip or delete pages, especially if we receive a large PDF with the first two pages being invoices, followed by some relevant documents, and then more invoices in the same period. This is a very good feature of UiPath Document Understanding, as it allows the user to skip pages within the PDF document to move forward. For example, the user can specify that the first two pages and pages nine and ten are invoices.
What needs improvement?
UiPath Document Understanding's ability to read handwritten files has room for improvement.
The price of Document understanding is high, and we are constantly struggling to get our clients to use it because they find it to be expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using UiPath Document Understanding for one and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
UiPath Document Understanding is stable. We have not encountered any downtime.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
UiPath Document Understanding is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support was helpful.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial deployment was straightforward.
Two people were required for deployment.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was completed in-house. We have a large team that includes technical consultants, architects, and developers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The last time we implemented UiPath Document Understanding the price was high.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate UiPath Document Understanding six out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
Solutions Head of Software at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Its integration with advanced language models leverages AI to quickly understand and classify document data
Pros and Cons
- "UiPath Document Understanding offers valuable features like Arabic language support, which is crucial for effective communication and automation in the Arabic-speaking world."
- "One area where UiPath could improve is by including pre-trained models for general-use documents specific to the Middle East."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case for UiPath Document Understanding is to identify and classify documents, extract metadata, and use this data in automation workflows. This can be particularly useful in HR processes where various documents need to be submitted during hiring, such as graduation certificates, IDs, etc. UiPath Document Understanding helps classify these documents and extract the necessary data to process internally or initiate workflows.
How has it helped my organization?
UiPath Document Understanding is a tool that assists with processing documents containing various formats, including tables, handwritten text, and checkboxes.
We leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence to train UiPath Document Understanding on various documents. This integrated capability significantly simplifies extracting and comprehending information from these documents within the platform.
We can incorporate human validation into the training process to ensure accurate data classification and extraction. This valuable step, while adding a few minutes to the process, allows for human oversight and correction, ultimately improving the reliability and quality of the results.
UiPath Document Understanding helps reduce human errors, especially in data entry functions.
By automating processes, UiPath Document Understanding can save approximately 70 percent of the time.
Customers realize value quickly with UiPath Document Understanding, typically seeing results within a few weeks of implementation.
What is most valuable?
UiPath Document Understanding offers valuable features like Arabic language support, which is crucial for effective communication and automation in the Arabic-speaking world. Furthermore, its integration with advanced language models leverages AI to quickly understand and classify document data, improving efficiency and accuracy in processing information.
What needs improvement?
One area where UiPath could improve is by including pre-trained models for general-use documents specific to the Middle East. This would enhance the platform's utility in the region by allowing users to more effectively automate tasks involving documents in Arabic and other Middle Eastern languages.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using UiPath Document Understanding for almost five years.
How are customer service and support?
The premium support UiPath offers is speedy and satisfactory. However, basic support may be somewhat limited.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
For cloud deployment, the initial setup is fast and straightforward. On-premises setup, however, can be complicated and requires more effort.
Deploying UiPath Document Understanding in the cloud takes only a few minutes, while on-premises deployment requires three to five days.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
UiPath Document Understanding is considered a bit expensive compared to other options like Microsoft Azure, which can offer similar quality at a more affordable rate.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate UiPath Document Understanding seven out of ten.
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: reseller
Last updated: Nov 24, 2024
Flag as inappropriateRPA Consultant at Aubay Italia S.p.A.
Provides valuable machine learning, reduces human error, and speeds up processes
Pros and Cons
- "Machine learning is the most valuable feature of UiPath Document Understanding."
- "I encountered difficulties with UiPath Document Understanding in determining the appropriate OCR to use for certain files."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use cases for UiPath Document Understanding are processing invoices for five different clients and importing/exporting documents to extract vital information, mainly from unstructured documents. These five clients are from various industries, including transportation, scientific research, food services, and clothing.
How has it helped my organization?
I processed 400 documents per day for one client and 20 documents per day for the second client.
The documents processed were in PDF format.
90 percent of the 400 documents processed per day for a single client were fully automated. However, only 50 percent of the 20 documents per day were automated due to their greater level of unstructured nature. As a result, the remaining 50 percent had to be sent to the action center.
AI and machine learning for Document Understanding are game changers. Machine learning was helpful in identifying the various areas of the documents from which I needed to extract different types of information, making the process quicker.
The default model didn't work for me because I needed to extract information from documents written in French. Thus, I had to create my own model using AI, which proved to be exceptionally beneficial for handling the French text and its accents.
Integrating UiPath Document Understanding with other systems and applications in our environment works well. The solution was able to retrieve the PDF document from an email, extract the details using the command, and apply those details to an application, saving a substantial amount of time.
UiPath Document Understanding serves as a safeguard in relation to cost and time savings, as it diminishes the manual workload for employees and minimizes errors. For a job that took a human eight hours to complete, the bot was able to do it in three hours.
The extent of human validation needed for Document Understanding varies for each client. For one client, no validation was necessary as the solution effectively extracted all required information from the documents. However, for another client dealing with diverse document types, errors occasionally occurred due to character placement. This was particularly evident when email addresses were positioned differently, some at the top and others at the bottom of the documents, posing challenges to the robot's detection capabilities. In such instances, a validation process was implemented. Every seven days, ten percent of the batch would be sent to the Action Center for validation.
The time saved with UiPath Document Understanding is exemplified by an organization that previously had to spend three days manually extracting information from 400 documents every month. However, with UiPath Document Understanding, this task now only takes two hours.
What is most valuable?
Machine learning is the most valuable feature of UiPath Document Understanding.
What needs improvement?
I encountered difficulties with UiPath Document Understanding in determining the appropriate OCR to use for certain files. These files required extracting both the company logo from the page and the digitized text, posing a challenge. The OCR engine faces difficulties when processing signatures and scanned documents with unclear handwritten text.
The robot faces difficulties in recognizing when there are multiple documents on a single page. This necessitates manual intervention by first splitting the document and then re-digitizing each part separately.
I would like a split feature in a future release of UiPath Document Understanding.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using UiPath Document Understanding for one month.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
UiPath Document Understanding is extremely stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
UiPath Document Understanding is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support responds promptly and strives to resolve our issues quickly. However, there is room for improvement. For instance, we encountered an issue with the Action Center, and the support team was unable to determine the cause for three days. Eventually, someone from my team resolved the issue.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was a bit complex.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I also assessed FlexiCapture, but I discovered that UiPath Document Understanding was more user-friendly. Coming from a scientific background, I found that UiPath Document Understanding offered a more logical and less complex solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate UiPath Document Understanding nine out of ten.
It took me one week to study UiPath Document Understanding and to present it to my organization.
I realized the benefits of UiPath Document Understanding once I completed my first project.
The quantity of personnel needed to maintain the solution relies on each project. In the most recent project I participated in, we needed a total of two individuals, one of whom was an administrator from our team.
When using UiPath Document Understanding, always ensure that the number of structures is the same each time to prevent errors.
I believe that utilizing communication mining would be more effective with the AI Center.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Google
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Business Dedicated Consultant B2B at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Simplifies the automation process, helps with complex documents, and saves time
Pros and Cons
- "The highly visual and user-friendly interface was a standout feature."
- "UiPath Document Understanding requires more database connectors."
What is our primary use case?
I used UiPath Document Understanding to create a report by reading invoices and V9 tax documents. I employed specific taxonomies to facilitate document analysis and populate my database with extracted information. The primary objective was to accurately identify and store relevant data from these documents within the database.
The idea arose from the observation that many companies lack a centralized repository for essential documents, such as invoices. In response, I created a website where a robot automatically uploads and interprets these invoices, presenting key details about each document on the website.
How has it helped my organization?
By using taxonomies, I could interpret the documents and make them easily accessible through a website database. This way, website visitors could find all the documents themselves, eliminating the need for them to repeatedly ask employees for specific documents like invoices or V9 tax forms. UiPath's visual processes further simplified this by allowing me to implement and manage the system effortlessly.
I used UiPath Document Understanding to process invoices and V9 tax documents.
All the documents processed were in PDF format.
The documents contain tables, boxes, check marks, and handwritten text.
All the documents were processed 100 percent automatically.
UiPath Document Understanding was able to handle the handwriting and signatures with no issues.
UiPath Document Understanding helped make the automation process easier for me.
The manual validation of each document took one second.
Using UiPath Document Understanding, all the documents were processed in just a minute. While I didn't have many documents, it still surprised me how quickly it worked. Manually, it would have taken me about five to ten minutes.
UiPath Document Understanding has saved me time to work on other projects in parallel.
What is most valuable?
The highly visual and user-friendly interface was a standout feature. Selecting taxonomies was as simple as clicking the corresponding areas on the invoices, enhancing the visual nature of the interaction.
What needs improvement?
UiPath Document Understanding requires more database connectors. I encountered difficulty connecting to Workbench from MySQL, necessitating a workaround.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using UiPath Document Understanding for three months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I did not face any stability issues with UiPath Document Understanding.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of UiPath Document Understanding is fine.
How was the initial setup?
The initial deployment was straightforward. The deployment took a few minutes to complete and I did it myself.
What was our ROI?
Originally, I spent some time building the automation robot. However, once I completed it, I realized the value of UiPath Document Understanding.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I used the community version, so there was no fee.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate UiPath Document Understanding nine out of ten.
I was the only one using the solution in our organization.
I recommend evaluating both the free and paid versions of UiPath Document Understanding.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
RPA Developer at Arkon Group LLC
Reduces human validation, offers good machine learning and has excellent document understanding
Pros and Cons
- "It's great for document understanding for invoices and installments."
- "It would be ideal if they could include more packages for more use cases."
What is our primary use case?
I've done multiple projects. A couple of them included invoice processing. It has a machine learning package that works out of the box. For invoices. I use that. It does a very good job.
I also use document understanding, which doesn't have any training. I trained it for the extraction of data for some forms like car loan installments. It did a pretty good job.
In addition, I used it for a medical department. I use document understanding.
How has it helped my organization?
We wanted to have a way to do data extraction from PDF documents. It helped us automate the process. For example, if you purchase a car, the loan installment paper includes items like the vehicle number, purchase information, buyer and seller information, et cetera. It can pull that out. We can also use it similarly in the healthcare industry, to get client details.
What is most valuable?
It's great for document understanding for invoices and installments.
When it comes to document understanding for handwriting, it does a decent job sometimes with handwriting, however, some people have weird handwriting and the OCR can struggle to pick up the information. In those cases, you have to read it yourself. However, overall, it does a decent job. I haven't used it to read checkboxes or bar codes. It works well with tables, however.
There are thousands of documents that are completely, automatically processed. It can process close to a few thousand invoices per day.
I also integrated it with the Action Center for some projects; It's pretty neat.
I like the machine learning skills and the fact that they come out of the box. They are packages that you can just deploy. The training of the ML is great; there is this tool that comes with it called Data Manager. That's very handy when you are labeling data and then using it.
The AI center is excellent. AI does a pretty good job covering all the needs that are needed for automating the process for semi-structured documents. The structured documents with the form extracted, overall, are pretty good. It's doing a very impressive job. I was surprised the first time I was exposed to it. Now, I actually enjoyed doing it. It allows me to automate items that are mundane. For example, if an employee is given a task to scrape data from invoices, which are PDFs, they can get the robot to do it. Due to the fact that the documents most of the time are semi-structured, machine learning can handle the task, and machine learning is doing a pretty good job of handling that instead of the employee.
I've used Forms AI. So far, my experience has been pretty good. That said, it only works for structured documents.
In terms of the documented understanding of integrating with other systems or applications, everything is good. You can integrate it with the action center, and it does a very good job. Everything is handy and easy to use. Integration overall is good.
Human validation is not always required for the outputs. It depends on the document. For invoices, you might need human validation 5% to 10% of the time. If it processes ten documents, I would expect one document at least to need human intervention. If you are building some custom ML skills for some documents, if the document itself is scanned well and positioned well, it does a pretty good job of extracting the needed fields. If it's slightly less quality then the robot will struggle with both the OCR or extracting and digitizing data. Overall, we might need 10% to 20% human validation. The validation process itself now takes about a minute with the help of automation. It's reduced everything by a minute or two to up to five or six minutes.
Document understanding has helped us to reduce human error by at least half.
What needs improvement?
The only problem that I can see with integration is some of the features cannot be used inside the loop. At least that was the case before. I don't know if they fixed it or not. You can't put some of the activities that are de-related inside the loop. It's going to throw an error if you do.
It would be ideal if they could include more packages for more use cases.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for about a year.
How are customer service and support?
I've contacted technical support and they have been helpful.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What other advice do I have?
I'm a customer and end user. I work as a developer.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten overall.
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
RPA Developer at Anza Business Services LLP
As we process more data, the solution adapts using machine learning to classify information more accurately
Pros and Cons
- "The validation process is easy. The Validation Station shows you the extracted data on one side and the document on the other, so you can easily scroll down and check if the data is accurate. You just need to click a checkbox. If you don't think it is fine, you have the option to add an exception. Based on that exception, you can create multiple conditions for how to address the same issue if it happens again."
- "I would like to see more integration of artificial intelligence. That's being implemented, but it would be a massive improvement to the solution's document processing. If UiPath achieves intelligent document processing, it will be far better than anything on the market. There are currently some limitations with the fields that could be addressed using a GPT engine. With an integrated AI model, you wouldn't need to create your taxonomy. You would only need to provide some prompts, such as "What is the property name?" It will store that as a variable."
What is our primary use case?
UiPath can handle normal, structured documents like forms and editable PDFs, but the data cannot be extracted from some unstructured documents with normal instructions. Non-standard documents are the most challenging thing for us. For example, let's say you have a hard copy of a receipt you get from a store, and you want to keep a record of it. You need to extract specific types of data and store it in Excel. Document Understanding can deal with these documents. You can configure it to scan the receipt and identify the data we're interested in.
We can provide a set of optimizations, classifications, and preconfigurations before we process the document. We created a taxonomy that we've predefined that these kinds of documents can conform to our security purposes. Using the taxonomy, Document Understanding can first classify the type of document, the arguments or variables we want to use, and the data we need to extract or store. Document Understanding can scan a written document and identify if a signature is present.
We keep a person in the loop in between because we can't 100 percent rely on the extraction. Document Understanding uses OCR which sometimes struggles with handwritten material. For example, it might mistake a six for a five. There must be a human in the loop to ensure quality. The device will send it to the validation station on your mobile phone. The bot will learn from the choices you make, and it will be more accurate the next time.
How has it helped my organization?
Document Understanding helps us to reduce human error. It can reduce the time staff spends on some tasks, but the amount of time saved depends on a few factors. We still need to validate the data because before proceeding, we sometimes collect and share sensitive data for our clients. We need a validation step in between to check before we send any data.
What is most valuable?
One benefit of Document Understanding is machine learning. As we process more data, we train Document Understanding to classify information more accurately. Document Understanding can extract and interpret information similar to the way a human can. A human can read a paragraph and distinguish between types of information, but our UiPath bots can't. Document Understanding integrates with artificial intelligence to interpret information within that.
The newer versions of Document Understanding can integrate with ChatGPT or any generative AI tools so that it can better interpret the information autonomously, and we don't need to create the taxonomy or classify the documents. We only need to give a prompt and input the document.
It will read documents similar to the way a human would. Let's use a contract as an example. You want to extract data like the buyer, seller, property address, etc. It will take the information from the document and give it to you. It can also scan for checkboxes and identify which ones are checked, but there are some limitations.
It uses a document object model to map which data is on what page of the document. For example, let's say the data you are interested in is on the third page of the document. The model knows where the data is, so it directly jumps to that particular page and extracts the information. The mapping is very perfect.
We always use attended processes because it's a good practice. The bot can do it without a human in the loop, but I would only do that if you are certain about which information you want to extract. If you're working with a handwritten document or signatures, you need a human in the loop to validate the data and help the machine learning component learn the difference between correct and incorrect information.
The time required for the validation process varies depending on the number of fields. For a small number, it only takes two or three minutes. When you have more fields, it may take a little longer to create and configure the document understanding model. You need to create the taxonomy, classifications, and model.
The validation process is easy. The Validation Station shows you the extracted data on one side and the document on the other, so you can easily scroll down and check if the data is accurate. You just need to click a checkbox. If you don't think it is fine, you have the option to add an exception. Based on that exception, you can create multiple conditions for how to address the same issue if it happens again.
Document Understanding is about 75-100 percent accurate depending on the type of document, and it increases as you train the model.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see more integration of artificial intelligence. That's being implemented, but it would be a massive improvement to the solution's document processing. If UiPath achieves intelligent document processing, it will be far better than anything on the market. There are currently some limitations with the fields that could be addressed using a GPT engine. With an integrated AI model, you wouldn't need to create your taxonomy. You would only need to provide some prompts, such as "What is the property name?" It will store that as a variable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I started using Document Understanding six months ago.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In the community version, there is a limit on data extraction using a form-based extractor. There are limitations on digitization in the community version. You can do only 50 or so in one hour. The enterprise version can handle a larger volume of data, but we aren't dealing with huge amounts of data. We can still use multiple types. It allows you to scale with multiple types of extractors in the same document. If I'm confident in how the model is processing a particular field, it can be adopted into the regular business structure and reused.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
How was the initial setup?
I was involved in the deployment only as a developer. We created the taxonomy and the model for Document Understanding, then tested multiple cases with multiple documents. We see which extractor would be the best fit for a particular value. We can classify it according to the values we want and we can set up an accuracy also. We can set a confidence level for each variable, so the confidence is different for a regular extractor versus a complex one. I set the confidence level high on the regular extractor.
Initially, the deployment is somewhat complicated for a developer. However, it gets easier once you understand everything. We didn't need a consultant. I could complete the job by myself. It isn't rocket science. UiPath Academy has a free course on Document Understanding. Anyone can use it for free.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We use the free community version. Anybody can use it, but it has some subtle limitations. The enterprise license gives you far better results without limitations.
Document Understanding can handle handwriting and signatures in most cases. The community version limits handwritten document processing, but it's enough for our needs and gives us the correct data every time.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I haven't worked with any other document processing solution besides UiPath. I researched some tools, but Document Understanding seemed like the best fit for me, so I used it.
What other advice do I have?
I rate UiPath eight out of 10. I deduct two points because creating the configurations can be time-consuming.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
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Updated: November 2024
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Thank you for your valuable review Biswajeet.