Azure Document Intelligence Made Easy: Follow These Steps

Do you ever find yourself buried in a mountain of documents that it becomes hard to keep track of everything? I have, and that is when I came across Azure Document Intelligence. It is an innovative solution for automating document flow, increasing efficiency, and minimizing the number of mistakes.

I'll guide you through Azure Document Intelligence's simple setup and usage in this post. These steps will assist you in getting started quickly and effectively, regardless of whether you're new to Azure or looking to improve your current configuration.

Understanding Azure Document Intelligence

Document intelligence is part of the Azure AI family and can automatically analyze all kinds of documents. Document types include invoices, receipts, forms, and many others. Organizations of all types leverage it to streamline business processes and enhance document workflow.

Requirements

Before we go any further, let me first point out that you will need an Azure subscription for this course. If you don’t have one, sign up for a free trial. And some basic knowledge of Azure services and the Azure portal.

Step 1: Azure Setup

• Go to the Azure portal, and sign in.

• Search for “Resource groups” in the search bar.

• Select from the existing groups, or click on "Create" at the top.

• Fill in the required details and click "Review + Create."

Step 2: Configuring Azure Document Intelligence

• Go to the Azure portal home page.

• Type "Form Recognizer" in the search bar and select it from the list.

• Click "Create."

• Choose your subscription and select the resource group you created.

• Give your instance a unique name.

• Pick a region close to you.

• Select a pricing tier that fits your needs.

• Click "Review + Create" and then "Create" to set up the service.

Step 3: Uploading and Managing Documents

• Go to the newly created Azure Form Recognizer resource.

• Click on "Form Recognizer Studio."

• Select "Quick start."

• Choose "Upload documents" and follow the prompts to upload your files.

• Organize documents by creating different collections within Form Recognizer Studio.

Step 4: Extracting Information from Documents

• Select a pre-built model, such as "Invoice," and click "Analyze."

• The service processes the document and displays the extracted data.

For custom documents:

• Use the custom model option.

• Upload a few sample documents.

• Label the fields you want to extract.

• Train the model.

• Test the model on new documents to ensure accuracy.

Step 5: Analyzing and Using Extracted Data

• Analyze the extracted data within the Azure portal.

• Export the data to Excel if needed.

• Integrate the data with other Azure services like Azure Logic Apps or Power Automate.

• Example: Set up an automated workflow to send extracted data from invoices directly to your accounting software.

Personal Insights

As I worked with Azure Document Intelligence, I found it remarkably user-friendly, even for someone with basic technical skills. The pre-built models are especially useful for quick tasks, while the custom models offer flexibility for more specific needs. The flexibility to integrate with other Azure services was one of my favorite features. Also, the automated workflow setup eliminated human data entry errors and saved a substantial amount of time. To make the most of Azure Document Intelligence, I advise experimenting with various models and integrations.

Conclusion

In this article, I covered the steps to set up and use Azure Document Intelligence. It simplifies and speeds up the process of processing documents, from configuring your Azure environment to gathering and evaluating data. I suggest you look over its characteristics and determine how it might help your company.

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