Matching Ingredients

Once the AI has extracted data from an invoice, the next step is ingredient matching - linking each line item on the invoice to an ingredient in your Brikly system. This is how invoice prices flow through to your recipes and dish costings.

Automatic ingredient matching

Brikly compares every extracted line item against your existing ingredient list. It looks at:

• Product name similarity - how closely the invoice description matches an ingredient name.
• Supplier history - whether this supplier has previously provided this ingredient.
• Previous matches - whether you have manually matched this description before.
• Unit of measure - to ensure the match makes practical sense (e.g. a kilogram item is not matched to a "per each" ingredient).

When the system finds a strong match, it links the line item to the ingredient automatically.

Confidence levels

Each suggested match is shown with a confidence indicator:

Level	Indicator	Meaning
High	Green	Strong match - very likely correct.
Medium	Amber	Probable match - review recommended.
Low	Red	Weak match - manual confirmation needed.
No match	Grey	No suitable ingredient found.

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High-confidence matches from established suppliers are confirmed automatically, so you only need to review the items that the system is less sure about.

Reviewing auto-matched items

On the matching screen, you will see each line item alongside its suggested ingredient match. For each item you can:

• Accept the match - confirm that the suggestion is correct.
• Change the match - search for a different ingredient from your list.
• Unmatch - remove the suggestion entirely if the line item should not be linked to any ingredient.

Items that were auto-matched with high confidence appear pre-confirmed, but you can override them at any time.

Manually matching unmatched items

When no automatic match is found, the line item appears in an "unmatched" state. To match it manually:

1. Click the line item to open the ingredient search.
2. Type part of the ingredient name to filter your list.
3. Select the correct ingredient.
4. Confirm the match.

tip

Use the supplier's description as a clue. For example, if the invoice says "Beef Fillet 28 Day Aged 2.5kg", search for "beef fillet" in your ingredients.

Creating new ingredients from line items

If an invoice contains a product you have not added to Brikly yet, you can create a new ingredient directly from the matching screen:

1. Click Create New Ingredient on the unmatched line item.
2. Brikly pre-fills the name, unit, and price from the extracted data.
3. Review and adjust the details as needed (e.g. assign a category, set a preferred unit).
4. Save the new ingredient - it is automatically matched to the line item.

This keeps your ingredient list growing naturally as you process invoices, without needing to maintain it separately.

How manual matches improve future accuracy

Every match you make - whether confirming an auto-suggestion or matching manually - teaches Brikly's learning engine. The next time the same supplier sends an invoice with the same product description, the system will remember your choice and match it automatically.

Over the first few invoices from a supplier, you may need to match items by hand. After that, the system takes over. This progression is covered in detail in The Learning System.

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Matches are supplier-specific. If two different suppliers both sell "Semi-Skimmed Milk" but you track them as separate ingredients (e.g. different pack sizes), Brikly remembers the correct match for each supplier independently.

Best practices

• Process invoices promptly - the sooner you match items, the sooner the system learns.
• Be consistent - always match to the same ingredient for the same product. Inconsistent matching slows down the learning process.
• Review before confirming - a quick glance at auto-matches catches the occasional mismatch before it affects your costings.