Documentation/ Uploading documents/ Where each document came from
Where each document came from
The Source column says how each document got in: uploaded by hand, email, API or a copy. It appears when it earns its place, meaning when more than one route is live, and it is mostly there to audit what arrives on its own.
Document lists › Source column
On this page
The values
| Value | What it means |
|---|---|
| Manual upload | Somebody uploaded it from the application. This is the default. |
| It came in through an email connection. | |
| API | An outside system put it in through the integration. |
| Copy | It came from copying another document inside the application. |
| Moved | A historical value: documents shifted from one type to another. |
Each value has its own icon, so you can tell the route at a glance without reading the text.
If a value turns up that is not on the list, it is shown exactly as it is rather than hidden. Those are older records using the earlier naming; it is not a fault.
When the column appears
It is not always there. It shows up when an email connection exists for that document type.
The logic is straightforward: if everything comes in by hand, the column would say the same thing every time and simply take up room. As soon as there is a second route in, knowing which one each document came by starts to matter.
So it can be on the invoice list and not on the delivery notes, if only the invoices have an email connection.
A copy is not a route in
Copy does not say how the document got in: it says it was created by copying another inside the application. That is an internal origin, not a route in.
Worth keeping in mind when you are looking at the figures: a document marked as a copy did not arrive from outside, somebody made it in the application. It is useful for finding deliberate copies, such as templates for recurring invoicing, and for spotting the ones that were not deliberate.
Filtering by source
The column has a filter of its own, with the current routes always available and the historical values added at the end when they exist in your data.
It combines with the other filters, which is where its use lies: what came in by email last week and still has not been looked at.
What it is good for
- Auditing the automatic route. Seeing what the email connection is actually bringing in, and whether it is bringing too much.
- Explaining a spike in usage. If usage went up and most of it came by email, the problem is in what is being picked up.
- Finding copies. Filter by copy and you see how many there are at once.
- Sharing out the work. What arrives by email usually needs more checking than what a person uploads knowing what they are uploading.
What it does not tell you
| It does not say | Why |
|---|---|
| Which mailbox it came from | It is not stored. There is only one email connection per account. |
| Which user uploaded it | That is not what this column measures. |
| Whether it came in through Dropbox | There is no separate value for the connected folder. |
It is a column about routes, not a full audit trail. For the detail on one document, open it.
Things that come up
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| There is no Source column | No email connection for that document type. | That is how it is meant to behave. |
| It is on one list and not another | The email connection belongs to one type. | Same answer: it depends on the type. |
| A lot of documents marked as copies | Documents are being copied inside the application. | Check whether that is deliberate; every copy is another document. |
| A source value you do not recognise | An older record using the earlier naming. | It is shown as it is. Nothing to do. |
| More is coming in by email than you expected | The connection is watching the whole inbox. | Use a dedicated folder with a rule in the mail. |