The extraction spec

Define exactly what to pull from a document, what to do when something's missing, and how you'll check the result.

Time: About 20 minutes
Version: 1.0, updated 12 Nov 2026
From the guide: Make AI useful with documents and data

How to use it

1Pick one document type and three real examples you're allowed to use.
2List every field, its format and a rule for missing values.
3Run the spec on all three examples and record what your checks found.

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1. The document

Document type

How I'll get the text out, and what I checked in the conversion

2. Fields

What to extract

	Field	Format	If missing
Field 1
Field 2
Field 3
Field 4
Field 5

Rules

3. Checks

Arithmetic or script checks

What I'll spot-check by hand

Test results

	What the checks found
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3

A schema fixes the shape, not the facts. Check numbers with arithmetic and text against the original. Don't upload documents to a tool your organisation hasn't approved.

How to use it

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