Red Pill Realities: The Document Capture Constraints of the Payables Agent
- Datahaven4Dynamics
- Sep 16
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 20
About the Blog Series:
Microsoft’s blue pill version of the Payables Agent looks convincing. But if you’ve worked with Business Central (and NAV before that) long enough, you know Microsoft works hard to establish a narrative when releasing new software. Sometimes the narrative holds up. Sometimes not so much.
This blog series steps outside the Microsoft narrative for the Payables Agent. Each post uncovers one of the red pill realities that you will discover if you were to use the Payables Agent in the real world.
You have to process each invoice as a PDF file attached to an email
💡 The practical way to think about the issue
You will have to think of the Payables Agent as an automation tool for one inbound channel: email. Any invoices or documents that originate elsewhere must be routed through that mailbox to be recognized. Teams handling scanned paper invoices, vendor portal uploads, or other digital intake sources should plan to maintain separate workflows or use manual forwarding to feed those documents into The Payables Agent’s inbox.
⚙️ The technical reason(s) underlying the issue
The Payables Agent’s architecture is tied to a Microsoft Exchange mailbox and depends on AI services that trigger when an unread email contains a PDF attachment. It does not include APIs or connectors for network folders, scanning devices, or vendor portals. Invoices added through drag-and-drop, local upload, or other Business Central pages are invisible to The Payables Agent.
📉 The impact on AP operations
Relying solely on a monitored inbox limits efficiency in hybrid environments where invoices arrive through multiple channels. Paper invoices require scanning and manual forwarding, while documents already stored in shared drives or portals need re-emailing before 'The Payables Agent' can process them. These extra steps slow intake and create room for human error, undermining the goal of touchless automation.
You can’t apply a standard, consistent file naming convention with the Payables Agent
The Payables Agent retains the original PDF filename assigned by the vendor, which often provides little practical value. Many vendors use generic or inconsistent naming conventions such as “invoice.pdf,” “scan123.pdf,” or random character strings. Without standardized names, AP staff can’t easily distinguish, sort, or identify documents inside Business Central.
💡 The practical way to think about the issue
You will have to think of filenames as unreliable indicators of content. Because the Payables Agent doesn’t rename or tag files automatically, AP teams must rely on metadata and manual verification to confirm what each document represents. Searching or auditing by filename becomes nearly impossible, especially when hundreds of invoices are processed each month.
⚙️ The technical reason(s) underlying the issue
The Payables Agent imports and stores attachments using the filename supplied by the sender. No naming logic or post-processing rule is applied, and the system does not support dynamic file naming based on invoice metadata such as vendor name, date, or document number. Business Central’s document links simply display the unmodified filename from the source email or upload.
📉 The impact on AP operations
Inconsistent filenames slow document retrieval, increase the risk of confusion during reviews, and complicate compliance workflows that depend on structured naming. During audits or investigations, users must open each file individually to confirm its contents, adding unnecessary time and effort. The lack of standardized naming also makes it difficult to apply automation or indexing across large document volumes.
You can’t process “support” and other documents related to invoices
The Payables Agent is designed to capture and process invoice PDFs, but its scope ends there. It does not handle pre-ingestion tasks such as filtering non-invoice emails, splitting multi-invoice files, or standardizing filenames. It also overlooks related materials that AP teams depend on, including contracts, packing slips, statements, and vendor correspondence. Once invoices are processed, visibility into those documents is limited to a few specific pages in Business Central. Users cannot easily view the invoice image, extracted data, and supporting materials in one place, creating friction for AP staff who need full context for validation and approval.
💡 The practical way to think about the issue
You will have to think of the Payables Agent as a tool for invoice capture and draft creation only. It can process invoice PDFs, but all other documents and contextual information must be managed elsewhere. Expect to navigate between multiple screens to find supporting materials. Without pre-ingest filtering and consolidated visibility, AP staff spend additional time sorting, searching, and managing documents instead of processing invoices.
⚙️ The technical reason(s) underlying the issue
The Payables Agent’s automation pipeline ends with invoice extraction. Its AI model is trained to recognize invoices but cannot classify or attach other document types. Attachments that are not identified as invoices are stored as “unknown” entries in Inbound E-Documents. There are no configuration options or APIs to link supporting materials automatically. The built-in PDF viewer inside Business Central is an embedded control that cannot be detached, opened in a separate window, or viewed side by side with the draft record. Invoice PDFs are accessible only from a few pages, such as Inbound E-Documents, draft purchase invoices, and posted invoices, and cannot be opened directly from common areas like the Vendor Card, Vendor Ledger Entries, or Payment Journal.
📉 The impact on AP operations
This limited visibility leaves important context scattered across inboxes, shared drives, and separate Business Central records. Approvers must move between different pages or applications to locate related information, which slows review and increases the chance of error. The inability to group related documents in one workspace disrupts focus, weakens audit trails, and reduces efficiency. As Microsoft introduces PO-based invoice processing, these challenges will become more noticeable because effective matching depends on quick access to all supporting documents.
New enhancement announced by Microsoft: Filtering out non-invoice attachments
Business Central 27 introduces a Review email option that pauses processing just before a draft invoice is created. Although it prevents non-invoice documents from becoming invoice drafts, 'The Payables Agent' still performs all earlier steps, including capture, storage, initial data extraction, and incorporating human corrections, which, in most cases, will involve consuming AI resources. In practice, this feature acts as a final checkpoint, not an upfront ingestion filter.
The Result:
Each red pill reality in this blog series exposes the limitations of the Payables Agent. We offer Datahaven 365 to help you unify documents, data, and workflows throughout Business Central—not just AP. The result is complete visibility, faster approvals, and automation that scales with the complexity of your business.
Check out the other Blogs in this Series:
Red Pill Realities: Extensibility, Cost, and Other Important Constraints of the Payables Agent
Red Pill Realities: The Truth About Data Extraction and Verification with the Payables Agent
Red Pill Realities: The Hidden Risks of how the Payables Agent Stores Documents
Red Pill Realities: Where Exceptions, Coding, and Approvals Break Down
About the Author
About Brad Bimson As the CEO of Datahaven 365, Brad is passionate about helping companies streamline their processes leading to savings in time, costs, and improved customer service. Brad wants to connect w/ Microsoft Dynamics users, partners & ISVs who want to leverage Dynamics.
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