Document why a field remains unresolved

Make uncertainty actionable

State what is missing and what would settle it so the next reviewer can act instead of repeating the same investigation.

In ParseMill, select an extracted invoice field to inspect its source, correct the value and export the reviewed workbook. Try your own invoices as well as the interactive sample. Compare upload, checking and correction time with your current way of building the same spreadsheet.

Distinguish unreadable text from ambiguous meaning. A clear 1,234 with an unknown decimal convention needs different clarification from a blurred digit. The note should identify the actual obstacle so the right person can help.

Copy an unresolved-field record

The fixture does not choose between the two readings. It preserves the alternatives and an explicit hold. Add an expected response date when your workflow uses one, but do not let a deadline automatically turn an unresolved field into an accepted guess.

UK Government: Data Quality Framework encourages documenting quality issues in relation to use. State which intended use is blocked by the unresolved field so the next action has a clear purpose.

Write a useful exception note

1. Identify the exact source and output versions, record key and field. Include a source reference the recipient can actually open.
2. Describe the uncertainty in neutral terms and list plausible interpretations without presenting one as confirmed. Preserve the raw string.
3. Record what was checked and why it did not resolve the issue. Avoid repeating unproductive checks without new evidence.
4. Assign an owner and a concrete request, such as a clearer scan, a legend or confirmation of the applicable unit. Record the final resolution as a new review event.

W3C: Provenance model primer supports recording responsible agents and derivations. An exception log can use these distinctions to preserve who supplied the resolving evidence and who accepted the interpretation.

Avoid notes that hide assumptions

“Probably 8.1” may be useful as a hypothesis, but it should not populate the accepted numeric field. “Same as above” is also inadequate unless the source establishes a shared value or context. Keep hypotheses in the note and accepted source facts in the register.

If the issue does not block a limited use, state that limited use explicitly. A record can remain useful for document tracking while its result is held from analysis. Do not convert that practical distinction into an unqualified approval.

Check that another reviewer can continue

The note succeeds if a colleague can locate the field, understand the ambiguity and request the missing evidence without repeating the entire investigation. When resolved, retain the old note and link the new source or clarification.

Use this pattern while evaluating ParseMill. A useful extraction workflow should make unresolved cases manageable; track how clearly your team can investigate and close them before routing the register into operational software.