Reviewing Line Items
After the AI extracts data from your invoice, each line item needs certain fields to be complete before it can be matched to an ingredient or consumable. This page covers how to spot and fix missing or incorrect data.
Required fields
Every line item needs the following fields for accurate price tracking and cost calculations:
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity | Number of packs or units ordered | 2 |
| Pack Size | How many individual items per pack | 6 |
| Unit Size | Size of each individual item | 500 |
| Unit of Measure | The unit type (weight, volume, or count) | g, kg, ml, l, each |
| Unit Price | Price per pack | £12.50 |
Consumable items (non-food supplies like cleaning products or packaging) only require Quantity, Pack Size, and Unit Price. Unit Size and Unit of Measure are not needed.
Identifying missing data
When a line item is missing required fields, you will see an amber Missing Fields alert directly on the line item. This alert tells you exactly which fields need to be filled in.
If multiple issues exist on the same line item (e.g. missing fields plus a price change), a badge showing the total issue count appears in the top-right corner.
Filling in missing fields
Click the Fill In button on the missing fields alert. A compact form appears showing only the fields that need completing - you won't need to wade through every field on the line item.
- Enter the missing values. Each field shows a placeholder hint (e.g. "e.g., 500") and an icon to help you identify it quickly.
- For Unit of Measure, choose from the dropdown which groups units by type:
- Weight - g, kg, oz, lb
- Volume - ml, l, pt, fl oz, gal
- Count - each, pieces
- Click Save to update the line item.
The alert disappears once all required fields are present.
You can fill in some fields now and come back later for the rest. The alert will update to show only the remaining missing fields.
Editing line items in full
If you need to change fields beyond those flagged as missing - for example, correcting a description or adjusting a VAT rate - click the Edit button on the line item. This opens the full editing form with all fields:
- Product Information - description, product code, brand
- Quantities & Measurements - quantity, pack size, unit size, unit of measure
- Unit Conversions - weight per unit or volume per unit (for count-based items like "each" or "cases")
- Pricing - unit price, with auto-calculated line total
- VAT - price type (inclusive/exclusive) and VAT rate
Click Save Changes when done, or Cancel to discard your edits.
Editing certain fields on a matched line item (such as changing the unit of measure or pack size) may cause the item to be unmatched. You will see a notification if this happens, and you can re-match the item afterwards.
Price change alerts
When Brikly detects that an ingredient's price has changed compared to its last recorded price, an amber Price Change Detected alert appears on the line item. The alert shows the direction (increase or decrease) and the percentage change.
Price changes must be reviewed before the invoice can be submitted to your accounting system. Unconfirmed price changes are treated as blocking issues during submission validation.
Reviewing a price change
Click Review Price Change on the alert to open the review modal without leaving the invoice page. The modal shows:
- Price comparison - the previous and new prices side by side, with cost-per-unit breakdowns and dates.
- Supplier and pack size changes - if the price change is due to a different supplier or a pack size change, this is highlighted so you can see the full context.
- Recipe impact - a table of every recipe that uses this ingredient, showing how the cost per portion, margin, and annual profit are affected.
Once you have reviewed the information, click Confirm Price Change to acknowledge the change. The alert clears and the line item is unblocked for submission.
You can also click Open full review page below the button to navigate to the dedicated Price Change Review page in CostingBrik, which includes a wizard for stepping through multiple outstanding price changes.
Emergency purchases
If the price increase comes from a different supplier (e.g. a last-minute order from a backup supplier), the review modal offers two options:
- Regular Purchase - treat this as a normal price change and update recipe costs accordingly.
- Emergency Purchase - record the price but do not update recipe costs, since this was a one-off.
When you mark a purchase as an emergency, Brikly can optionally learn from this decision. Choose Yes, Skip Future to automatically skip price change alerts from that supplier for that ingredient going forward, or No, Review Each Time to keep reviewing manually.
Preferred supplier updates
After confirming a price change that involves a supplier switch, Brikly may ask whether the new supplier should become the preferred supplier for that ingredient. This keeps your recipe costings aligned with the supplier you actually use most.
What happens next
Once all required fields are present, the line item is ready for ingredient matching. Items with complete data can be matched automatically by the system or matched manually by you.