Document Matching Refresher 🧠

Stop Reconciling Blindly: How Document Matching Turns Evidence Chaos into a Clean Audit Trail
 

If you’ve ever spent hours jumping between Excel rows, PDFs, invoices, and contracts just to prove a number is actually supported, you’re not alone.

Document Matching is one of those features teams often overlook… until they use it once and wonder how they ever worked without it.

This post breaks down what Document Matching really does, where it delivers the most value, and how to start using it effectively, so it actually sticks in your workflow.

What is Document Matching (in plain terms)?

Document Matching automatically links values in Excel to supporting documents, with traceability built in.

Instead of manually:

• Opening documents one by one

• Searching for reference numbers or amounts

• Copy-pasting evidence

• Hoping nothing gets missed

You let Document Matching do the heavy lifting:

• Match Excel rows to invoices, contracts, bank statements, or reports

• Apply rules (exact match, partial match, tolerances, multiple fields)

• Instantly see what matched, what didn’t, and why

Every match stays transparent, reviewable, and defensible.

Where teams see the biggest impact

Document Matching shines anywhere volume + evidence = risk.

🔍 External Audit

• Invoice testing and expense validation

• Revenue, royalty, or lease testing

• Sampling with full population coverage
  Result: Faster testing without sacrificing audit quality.

🧠 Internal Audit

• Control testing across large datasets

• Verifying approvals, thresholds, and documentation

• Reducing inconsistencies across auditors
  Result: More consistent execution, fewer manual errors.

📊 Financial Control

• Reconciliations between Excel and source documents

• Month-end and year-end close support

• Variance analysis with direct evidence links
  Result: Cleaner close, less rework, more confidence.

A smarter way to work in Excel

Document Matching isn’t just about speed. It’s about control.

You get:

• A clear audit trail

• Consistent execution across files and people

• Less manual judgment on repetitive work

• More time for actual analysis

Ready to put it into practice?

If you haven’t tried Document Matching recently, revisit it with a real use case you’re currently working on. One dataset is enough to see the difference.

Check out the knowledge base for Document Matching here.

 

Your future self (and your reviewer) will thank you 🚀