Group Fields

Group fields in Affinda are dynamic objects that can include any other data type as children. They help organize related fields under one umbrella, allowing for more structured data extraction and processing. This is ideal when dealing with complex documents where related data points need to be grouped together.

Examples of group fields include:

• Resumes: Group fields to structure work experience entries with job title, company name, and employment dates
• Legal Documents: Group party details such as name, role, and contact information for each party involved
• Forms: Organize repeated information blocks like references or emergency contacts.

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Tip: Use Group fields only when you expect multiple instances of that group in a document.

If there’s just one set of related fields, define them as regular parent fields instead.

Creating Group Fields

The process for creating Group fields is simple.

1. Navigate to Field Configuration - From within the document validation interface, select 'Configure Fields' in the top right corner
2. Create the parent field - Either draw a box around an entire group on the document or select 'Add Field' in the left panel
3. Select Group data type
4. Add child fields - Once the data type has been configured to Group on the parent field, an option to add Child fields will be provided in the left panel. Users can then add any child fields and configure their settings.

Tables

Table fields are designed to capture repeating sets of related data structured like rows with consistent fields (columns). They’re ideal for extracting patterns of information that occur multiple times within a document.

Unlike traditional grid-like tables, Affinda’s platform handles semi-structured or nested table formats well. You don’t need perfect alignment or rigid layouts; as long as the data follows a recognizable structure, a Table field can extract it effectively.

Creating tables

The most efficient way of creating tables is to draw a box around a table on the document (excluding any header rows) when in Field Configuration. Affinda will instantly recognise the table structure, as well as the child fields or columns within the table, and create these fields for you.

Alternatively, you can follow the same steps as described above creating Group fields, with a Table data type selected in step #3 instead.

Reviewing extracted data from tables

To understand how to use our table editor, see Table Editor.