Starting point
Accounts & incoming payments
Match incoming payments to outstanding invoices
Incoming payments are compared with outstanding invoices using reference, amount, currency and customer context. Clear matches are allocated in the ERP; partial payments, combined remittances and uncertain details reach accounts as review cases without silently writing off differences.
Process architecture
From a bank statement to a traceable payment allocation.
A completed bank-statement file is split into incoming transactions and compared with current outstanding invoices. Only unambiguous matches or explicitly reviewed exceptions are allocated through the ERP interface. This workflow initiates no payments and does not mark unresolved differences as paid.
01Input
Statement & open items
An approved file export supplies bank transactions; the ERP supplies current outstanding invoices and customer mappings.
2 Steps
02Process
Reference checks & review
Transactions are matched against agreed rules. Ambiguous candidates and differences reach accounts before allocation.
4 Steps
03Output
Allocation & evidence
Confirmed allocations are in the ERP; review cases, residual balances and decisions stay separately traceable.
4 Steps
Source01Capture the statement
SFTP delivers a structured statement with an agreed completion signal. n8n takes only the complete file and uses account, statement identifier and transaction reference to build the processing key.Details
Capture the statement
SFTP delivers a structured statement with an agreed completion signal. n8n takes only the complete file and uses account, statement identifier and transaction reference to build the processing key.
Interfaces
- Microsoft Graph API
- SharePoint API
Next steps
- Load open invoices
Data02Load open invoices
REST API reads current outstanding invoices and existing allocations from the ERP. PostgreSQL adds customer references through an approved read-only view without writing to another system's schema.Details
Load open invoices
REST API reads current outstanding invoices and existing allocations from the ERP. PostgreSQL adds customer references through an approved read-only view without writing to another system's schema.
Interfaces
- Azure AI Document Intelligence
- Mistral OCR
- Dataverse API
Next steps
- Prepare transaction fields
Action03Prepare transaction fields
n8n reads reference, amount, currency, booking date and payer context from the agreed format. Missing or conflicting data is flagged rather than replaced with similar invoice numbers.Details
Prepare transaction fields
n8n reads reference, amount, currency, booking date and payer context from the agreed format. Missing or conflicting data is flagged rather than replaced with similar invoice numbers.
Interfaces
- Power Automate
- Azure Functions
- Microsoft Graph API
Next steps
- Check match certainty
- Resolve the differenceUnclear fields
Decision04Check match certainty
Reference, currency, outstanding amount and customer context must uniquely agree under approved rules. Partial payments, multiple candidates and differing amounts require a business review.Details
Check match certainty
Reference, currency, outstanding amount and customer context must uniquely agree under approved rules. Partial payments, multiple candidates and differing amounts require a business review.
Interfaces
- Azure OpenAI GPT
- Anthropic Claude
- AI Builder
Next steps
- Save the allocationUnique match
- Resolve the differenceDifference
Approval05Resolve the difference
Accounts sees the original transaction, candidate invoices and residual balances in a review interface. A responsible person approves the allocation or keeps it open; a suggestion is not approval.Details
Resolve the difference
Accounts sees the original transaction, candidate invoices and residual balances in a review interface. A responsible person approves the allocation or keeps it open; a suggestion is not approval.
Interfaces
- Teams Adaptive Cards
- Power Apps
Next steps
- Check match certaintyCheck again
- Keep receipts unresolvedStill unresolved
System06Save the allocation
REST API checks the current balance again and records the approved allocation in the ERP. The transaction reference prevents duplicate processing; remaining differences are not written off without review.Details
Save the allocation
REST API checks the current balance again and records the approved allocation in the ERP. The transaction reference prevents duplicate processing; remaining differences are not written off without review.
Interfaces
- Dynamics 365 API
- Azure Service Bus
Next steps
- Update the open item
Result07Update the open item
The ERP shows the confirmed allocation and remaining balance. An approved partial payment reduces only the allocated portion; this process does not initiate a bank transfer.Details
Update the open item
The ERP shows the confirmed allocation and remaining balance. An approved partial payment reduces only the allocated portion; this process does not initiate a bank transfer.
Interfaces
- Power BI API
- Teams Webhook
Next steps
- Inform accounts
- File reconciliation evidence
Result08Inform accounts
Accounts sees allocated transactions and unresolved differences in the case overview. A receipt is reported as successfully allocated only after the ERP has confirmed processing.Details
Inform accounts
Accounts sees allocated transactions and unresolved differences in the case overview. A receipt is reported as successfully allocated only after the ERP has confirmed processing.
Interfaces
- Power BI API
- Teams Webhook
Result09File reconciliation evidence
Nextcloud WebDAV files statement reference, comparison state and decision in restricted accounts storage. Review cases retain their source link without appearing as completed allocations.Details
File reconciliation evidence
Nextcloud WebDAV files statement reference, comparison state and decision in restricted accounts storage. Review cases retain their source link without appearing as completed allocations.
Interfaces
- Power BI API
- Teams Webhook
Result10Keep receipts unresolved
A payment without a unique match remains in the review queue with an owner and open question. The invoice balance is unchanged and the original receipt is not hidden as completed.Details
Keep receipts unresolved
A payment without a unique match remains in the review queue with an owner and open question. The invoice balance is unchanged and the original receipt is not hidden as completed.
Interfaces
- Power BI API
- Teams Webhook
Next steps
- File reconciliation evidence
System landscape
Connect statement files to the existing ERP.
- Microsoft
Microsoft Graph API
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
SharePoint API
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Azure AI Document Intelligence
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Mistral OCR
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Dataverse API
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Power Automate
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Azure Functions
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Azure OpenAI GPT
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Anthropic Claude
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
AI Builder
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Teams Adaptive Cards
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Power Apps
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Dynamics 365 API
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Azure Service Bus
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Power BI API
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Microsoft
Teams Webhook
Möglicher Baustein für die Microsoft-Systemvariante.
- Interfaces in use
SFTP
Takes the structured statement supplied by the business only after its agreed completion signal.
- Interfaces in use
REST API
Reads current open invoices and writes approved allocations through the designated ERP interface.
- Interfaces in use
PostgreSQL
Adds customer references through a read-only view limited to necessary fields.
- Interfaces in use
n8n
Orchestrates file intake, preparation, rule checks and controlled retries of failed steps.
- Interfaces in use
Nextcloud WebDAV
Files comparison state and decision evidence with restricted access and a reference to the original receipt.
- Possible apps & platforms
ERP-Buchhaltung
Outstanding invoices and confirmed payment allocations remain the authoritative business records.
- Possible apps & platforms
Klärfall-Oberfläche
Accounts reviews ambiguous receipts, partial amounts and unresolved questions.
- Possible apps & platforms
Nextcloud
Authorized accounts staff retrieve reconciliation and decision evidence for each receipt.
Implementation in context
Give each receipt a resolved invoice link.
The trigger is a provided bank statement, not an overdue invoice or an authorization to make an outgoing payment. The workflow connects existing records but replaces neither bank access nor ERP accounting. Structured inputs and fixed rules determine the match; a language model must not invent amounts, transaction references or booking decisions.
Direct allocation requires a unique link between a transaction and an outstanding item. Matching amounts alone are insufficient; currency, reference, customer context and current balance are also checked. Combined remittances, partial amounts, fees, discounts and unexpected payers require review rather than a blanket waiver of residual balances.
Transactions and customer references are sensitive business records and may include personal information. The example operates on agreed systems controlled by the business; technical permissions cover intake, read-only master data and necessary ERP allocation only. Evidence and review screens have role-based access and agreed retention rules.
Account, statement identifier and transaction reference identify a previously processed receipt. The invoice balance is read again before writing, and any changed state requires another check. ERP maintenance leaves the case in a retry queue, while a file without a completion signal never starts booking processing.
Target picture
Every in-scope receipt has a documented comparison with current outstanding invoices. Unique matches are allocated, exceptions remain visible with an owner and differences require an explicit business decision.
Expected benefits
- Unambiguous receipts gain a traceable link to their corresponding invoice.
- Accounts handles partial payments and uncertain references as targeted review cases.
- Residual balances remain visible instead of disappearing behind a blanket completed status.
- Repeated file imports do not silently create a second allocation for the same bank transaction.
- Each exception can be traced to the original receipt and the invoice balance that was checked.
Prerequisites to start
- 01A documented structured statement format has stable references and a complete-file handover signal.
- 02The ERP has test access and an approved interface for outstanding items and payment allocations.
- 03Customer references can be added unambiguously through an authorized read-only PostgreSQL view.
- 04Accounts defines matching rules, owners and how to handle partial payments and differences.
- 05Connectivity, access control, reconciliation logs and role-based retention are agreed with the business.
- 06Test cases cover duplicate statements, missing references, multiple candidates and changed invoice balances.
More use cases
Matching solutions from your industry
Accounting & invoicing
Create and send compliant e-invoices automatically
Every approved outgoing invoice is turned into a structured e-invoice in XRechnung or ZUGFeRD format, checked for mandatory data and sent over the agreed channel. Only invoices with incomplete or conflicting details reach the accounting team first; everything else leaves the company in the same run.
Every approved invoice is created, checked and sent as a compliant e-invoice over the agreed channel in the same run. Accounting only corrects incomplete or conflicting details, and every sent version is archived audit-safe together with its proof of sending.
- REST API
- ZUGFeRD und XRechnung
- Microsoft Graph API
- Gmail API
Finance & documents
Validate and post incoming invoices
Invoices are captured, validated and moved through approval, accounting and archiving with explicit exception controls.
Fewer capture errors, clear validation steps and an auditable path from document to accounting entry.
- ERP REST / OData / IDoc
- E-Mail, Peppol oder Upload
- DMS- und Archiv-API
- Azure AI Document Intelligence
Finance and receivables
Send payment reminders from overdue invoices automatically
Every overdue open item from Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, DATEV or the line-of-business system is checked against due date, grace period and reminder level and sent as a payment reminder through Microsoft Outlook or Gmail. Only blocked customers, missing recipients and amounts outside the agreed level go to finance; everything else leaves the same day.
Every overdue open item receives the next allowed reminder from the stored template as soon as due date and grace period are met. Only blocked customers, missing recipient addresses and amounts outside the agreed level reach finance as a case ready for a decision. Send, reminder level and record sit in the system of record, not in a private list.
- Microsoft Graph API
- Gmail API
- REST API
- Webhook
Sales & quotes
Follow up on open quotes automatically
Every quote that stays unanswered is followed up automatically, at the agreed interval and in the same conversation as the quote itself. The process builds on the environment already in place – Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or a self-hosted ERP – and sales only decides the exceptions.
Every open quote has a defined follow-up path that works without a person remembering it. Sales can see which quotes are still alive and is only needed where a decision is due. What remains on each quote is a traceable series of attempts instead of an assumption.
- Microsoft Graph API
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales API
- Gmail API
- Google Sheets API
Email & intake channels
Understand and route incoming messages automatically
AI identifies requests, attachments and priorities, then moves every message into the right downstream workflow with clear controls.
Faster response times, consistent ownership and a traceable status from the first customer contact.
- Microsoft Graph / Gmail API
- CRM- oder Ticket-API
- Webhook / REST
- Outlook & Microsoft Teams
Sales & quoting
Turn customer inquiries into finished quotes automatically
Every customer inquiry from the shared mailbox and the web form is extracted, priced against the item master and the agreed terms, and sent as a complete quote. Only unmatched lines or discounts outside the rules reach inside sales; everything else leaves the company the same day.
Every inquiry leads to a complete quote with a number, line items and a validity period on the same day. Inside sales only decides where the match is missing or the price leaves the agreed rules, and each of those decisions stays on the case with its basis.
- Microsoft Graph / Gmail API
- Azure AI Document Intelligence / Google Document AI
- Azure OpenAI Service / Vertex AI / Ollama
- ERP REST / OData / Google Sheets API
Your next step
Which process costs your team unnecessary time every day?
Give us a short outline. We will tell you honestly where automation is useful—and where it is not.
