Keep page subtotals out of a combined table

Decide what a row represents before adding it

Keep them separate from data rows so the workbook can be used without someone manually finding every printed total.

For multipage invoices, use ParseMill to review extracted invoice data beside the source and export separate summary and line-item sheets. Include a page break in your trial and check that every required line made it through. Other report types need their own fit assessment.

Keep a working classification column alongside the original strings. A row called “Subtotal service” might be a legitimate item description, while an unlabeled amount at the bottom could be a summary. Separate classification from arithmetic so the exclusion decision can be reviewed independently of whether the numbers happen to agree.

Build a detail view and a checks view

Microsoft: Table.SelectRows can select rows using your reviewed role column. Microsoft: Table.RowCount counts rows, which is useful for reconciling the detail and excluded-summary views.

1. Record each source page and assign a stable row reference before filtering. Add the observed summary label rather than replacing it with a guessed category.
2. Mark confirmed detail rows for the analysis table. Put page summaries and carried-forward amounts in a separate checks table with their source location.
3. Calculate a page-level detail sum only when the field has a verified numeric interpretation and consistent units or currency. Do not sum raw ambiguous strings.
4. Compare the calculated sum with the printed subtotal. Investigate differences before combining pages; do not silently adjust a detail amount to make the check pass.

See the double-counting failure

Synthetic example: the amounts below are invented and use one consistent currency solely to demonstrate the arithmetic.

There are six imported rows but four detail rows. The detail total is 10 + 20 + 5 + 15 = 50. Including the two subtotals yields 100, even though no new detail activity occurred. Retain the source totals 30 and 20 as independent page checks; neither belongs in the four-row detail view. A grand total of 50, if printed separately, would be another check rather than a fifth detail record.

Handle carried-forward amounts separately

Some reports repeat a cumulative amount at the start or end of a page. That figure may summarize all preceding pages rather than only the current one. Label its stated scope explicitly: current-page subtotal, cumulative-to-page total or unknown. Comparing a cumulative amount with only one page’s details creates a false mismatch.

Credits, rounding lines and adjustments may legitimately participate in the final total even when they are outside the main table. Record their separate role and require an accounting reviewer to decide the intended calculation. This guide addresses extraction structure; it does not decide how a financial amount should be posted.

Leave a check that another reader can repeat

Save the original six-row import, the four-row detail table and the two-row subtotal table. Record the reconciliation as six input rows equals four retained details plus two confirmed summaries. Then show the independent arithmetic for each page and the combined detail total. A matching grand total alone is insufficient because two structural mistakes can cancel.

Before sharing, describe any unresolved row role and keep the original PDF available to authorized recipients. The multipage review process adds page completeness and source-link checks, which a subtotal comparison cannot replace.