Duplicates
How Novadesko Intelligence spots a document that is already in your books, what the Duplicate badge means and which action to choose: compare, merge, ignore or delete.
The same invoice often arrives more than once: the PDF by email, a photo of the receipt, then the Peppol version. Novadesko compares every import with what already exists and lets you decide. Nothing is deleted without your approval.
How a duplicate is detected
The check runs as soon as the file is uploaded, before verification. Several criteria are tested, from the most reliable to the most approximate.
| Criterion | Confidence |
|---|---|
| The file is strictly identical to a file already imported | Identical |
| Same document number for the same third party | Very likely |
| Same supplier, same date and same amount | Very likely |
| Same customer, same date and same amount | Very likely |
| Same supplier and same date | Likely |
For suppliers, the comparison is made on the digits of the VAT number: "TVABE0400673544" and "BE0400673544" refer to the same company, even if two records exist.
The Duplicate badge at the Verification step
When a file matches, its card carries the Duplicate badge and a Duplicate suspicion box: "This file has already been imported (document #1234). Check before confirming."
- The card carries the Duplicate badge.
- The Duplicate suspicion box gives the number of the document already on file.
- Compare shows both documents side by side.
- View existing opens the document already on file.
- If it really is another document, click Import anyway.
| Button | Effect |
|---|---|
| Compare | Opens Compare the documents: the new document and the existing one side by side (reference, third party, date, due date, totals, status). From this window: View existing or Import as new. |
| View existing | Closes the window and opens the document already on file. |
| Import anyway | Removes the warning; the document will be created as a new document at Confirm import. |
| Do not import | Only shown when the analysis has already prepared a document: drops this file and deletes that document. |
A photographed till receipt followed by the monthly invoice from the same supplier is not always a duplicate: compare the amounts before choosing Do not import.
Duplicates in the document list
A document flagged as a potential duplicate stays visible in the list, under the Duplicates tab (next to All, Stripe, Manual). This tab only appears when there is at least one duplicate to deal with. For a document created by Stripe and awaiting review, the row menu has a Stripe duplicate section:
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Approve (keep) | Both documents are kept. |
| Merge with existing | The document is merged with the existing one (offered when that one is known). |
| Reject (delete) | The document is deleted. |
Each action asks for confirmation, then a message confirms it was handled.
A document sent via Peppol or imported via Peppol cannot be deleted or edited: only payments and internal notes remain editable. Merge in the other direction.
Duplicates coming from Peppol
A supplier may send the same invoice several times over the network. The Peppol Inbox groups these copies (badge ×2) and a single import is created. If you had already scanned the PDF with Novadesko Intelligence, the Peppol import is flagged as a duplicate by number and supplier: handle it from the Duplicates tab. See Import a received document.