How line item automation works
Line item automation combines two layers. The first layer is exact-match learning on the description. The second layer is keyword rules. Together they cover both routine cases and the exceptions.
👉 Exact-match learning
When you code a line item and export the document, Datamolino remembers that coding against the full line item description. The next time the same description appears on any invoice for the same supplier, the same coding is applied automatically.
👉 Keyword rules
When the description changes on every invoice - for example, it contains a date, an invoice number, or another variable identifier - exact match cannot repeat, because the description is never exactly the same twice. Keyword rules let you match on part of the description instead, so the coding can still be applied.
Both layers run on top of the same priority chain. Contact-level settings are tried before folder-level settings, and rules are tried before fallback coding. If no rule matches a line, Datamolino falls back to the normal coding suggestions (contact or folder defaults) for that field.
Note: Line item automation requires a subscription plan that includes line item extraction. If your current plan does not include this, line items will not appear on your documents and this automation will not be available.
Switching to the Line items view
👉 How do I see the line items on a document?
Change the Export as: on the document to Line items. The document view switches to a row-per-line layout that shows the description, quantity, amounts, tax, and the coding fields for each line.
If you process line item invoices regularly for the supplier, set Line Items as the default view for the supplier in the supplier automation. See supplier defaults
If you process line items for all (or most) of your invoices in the folder, set Line Items as the default view for the entire folder.See folder defaults
Coding line items faster
Coding each line individually feels like entering the invoice manually, which is exactly the friction line item automation is designed to remove. Two tools speed this up: bulk coding inside Fullscreen, and saving the coding you just applied as a keyword rule for future invoices.
👉 How do I code several lines at once?
Open the document in Fullscreen from the line items view. Select multiple lines, then use Bulk edit items to apply the same ledger account, Tax code, and Tracking categories across all the selected lines in one action. This is the most efficient way to code detailed invoices with many similar lines.
👉 Can I save the coding I just applied so I don't repeat it on the next invoice?
Yes. After bulk editing the lines, you can save that coding as a keyword rule so the same coding is applied automatically to matching lines on future documents. The detailed walkthrough lives in the Keyword rules article - see Keyword rules: auto-code documents by keyword.
If you do not see the option to save a rule, pair the document with a Xero or QuickBooks contact first. Contact-level rules require a matched contact; once the document is paired, the option appears.
When exact-match learning is not enough
👉 I'm sure I exported this line item before with specific coding. Why didn't Datamolino remember it?
Datamolino remembers coding against the full description of the line item. If the description is slightly different on the new invoice - even by one character - it is treated as a new line and the saved coding does not apply.
👉 What should I use instead?
Use a keyword rule. A keyword rule matches on part of the description - the word or phrase that stays the same - and applies the coding you choose to any line where that keyword appears. Keyword rules are the right tool whenever the meaningful part of the description repeats but the full string varies. See Keyword rules: auto-code documents by keyword for how to set one up.
Where Bill Split fits
👉 What's the difference between line item automation and Bill Split?
Bill Split divides an invoice total into a few lines by percentage or amount, typically to allocate costs across ledger accounts or tracking categories. Line Item Automation works differently - it codes each line Datamolino captures from the invoice based on its description.
The two don't run together. If a supplier has a Bill Split rule, it runs first and replaces the captured line items - Line Item Automation won't run on a document that has been Bill Split.
Use Bill Split when you want a fixed allocation pattern for a supplier. Use Line Item Automation when you want each captured line coded based on what it actually says.