Automated Document Testing with DataSnipper

Your firm's IT team or administrator should handle the initial DataSnipper installation and licensing. If you have a license:

1. Go to datasnipper.com and download the Excel add-in installer
2. Run the installer with Excel closed
3. Reopen Excel — DataSnipper will appear as a new tab in the Excel ribbon labeled DataSnipper

What you should see: A DataSnipper tab in your Excel ribbon with options for: Import, Extract, Validate, and a search panel.

Troubleshooting: If the DataSnipper tab doesn't appear after installation, check that the add-in is enabled under File → Options → Add-ins → COM Add-ins → check DataSnipper. If your firm uses GPO-controlled Excel, IT may need to push the add-in.

Before importing documents, create or open your Excel testing workpaper with the population you're testing. Structure it as a table with:

• A unique identifier column (invoice number, check number, transaction ID)
• The amount column you'll be matching
• Any other key fields (date, vendor name, account)
• Empty columns for: "Amount per Document," "Tick Mark," and "Exception Notes"

Example for accounts payable vouching:

Click the DataSnipper tab in Excel, then click Import or Document Manager. Navigate to the folder containing the client's PDF documents and import them.

Options:

• Import individual PDFs: Select specific files — best for testing a defined sample
• Import a folder: Import all PDFs from a folder at once — best for completeness testing or large samples

DataSnipper will process and index each PDF, making them searchable and matchable.

What you should see: Imported documents listed in the DataSnipper panel on the right side of your screen. Each document is viewable by clicking on it.

Troubleshooting: If PDFs are image-based (scanned documents without text layer), DataSnipper includes an OCR function — right-click the document and select "OCR this document." OCR processing takes 30–60 seconds per page but makes scanned documents matchable.

Click on the first document in your DataSnipper panel to open it. Navigate to the amount or value you want to extract. Highlight the text/number you want to match to Excel.

Options:

• Manual extraction: Highlight a value in the PDF viewer → DataSnipper prompts you to link it to a cell in Excel. Click the target cell, and DataSnipper creates a link between the PDF value and the Excel cell — it's now documented evidence.
• Automated extraction: For standardized documents (same vendor's invoice format), use DataSnipper's template feature to extract values automatically from all invoices with the same format.

What you should see: The extracted value appears in the Excel cell you linked it to. DataSnipper also creates a visual tick mark and a document reference hyperlink in adjacent cells — clicking the reference takes you directly to the highlighted value in the PDF.

Once you've extracted values from documents into Excel, DataSnipper's Validate function compares the extracted values to your expected amounts:

1. Click Validate in the DataSnipper ribbon
2. Select the "Amount per GL" column and the "Amount per Document" column
3. DataSnipper compares each pair and automatically marks: ✓ (match) or ✗ (exception)
4. Exceptions are highlighted in your workpaper — click any exception to immediately view the relevant document

What you should see: Your testing workpaper with clear match/exception indicators and direct links to the supporting document evidence for each item tested.