Managing contracts in a modern business setting can be a tedious process, especially when critical data has to be transferred to platforms like SharePoint. Many teams find themselves uploading contracts and manually inputting relevant data from the document into a SharePoint library. This post walks through a streamlined workflow for automating contract metadata extraction and transfer into SharePoint, showcasing the combined power of AI Agents and Microsoft Power Automate.

Manual Data Entry

Imagine a typical workflow where a contract arrives by email, gets uploaded to SharePoint, and then someone has to manually sift through it to find and enter metadata such as contract number, signing date, and involved parties. This manual entry process is not only time-consuming but also prone to mistakes. For organizations handling numerous contracts weekly, this method can quickly become a bottleneck, leading to delayed approvals, misfiled documents, and inefficiencies across teams.

This challenge led to a pressing question: is there a way to automatically extract contract metadata and send it directly into SharePoint without any manual data entry?

The Solution: From Contract to SharePoint

AI-powered tools now enable users to set up customized templates for data extraction, capturing key details like contract numbers and signing parties straight from uploaded documents. By integrating this process with Power Automate, our workflow demonstrates how contracts can move seamlessly from an email inbox to SharePoint, with metadata automatically populated along the way. Here’s how it works:

1. Template Creation for Metadata Extraction:

First, users create a process template for contracts. This template ensures consistency by identifying specific fields to be extracted from each document. For instance, you could specify that metadata fields include:

• Contract Number

• Date of Signing

• Vendor’s Name

• Customer’s Name

It’s essential to name each field in the template exactly as it appears in your SharePoint library to avoid discrepancies. Once the template is set, it becomes a reusable tool that standardizes metadata extraction across all future contracts.

2. Extracting and Downloading Data in JSON Format:

Once the template is in place, you can upload the contract to the AI-powered tool, which processes the document, extracts the metadata, and formats it as a JSON file. This JSON file will be essential in setting up the Power Automate workflow, as it tells the system which fields to populate in SharePoint.

3. Setting Up Power Automate for Seamless Data Transfer:

With the help of Tyler Wasson, our Power Automate expert, we explored how to build a workflow that receives metadata from the AI tool and pushes it into SharePoint. In Power Automate, users can set up a unique email address to which they forward contracts. The system then retrieves the JSON file from this email, extracting the necessary metadata and updating the designated SharePoint fields.

For this demonstration, we configured Power Automate to take documents from a drag-and-drop function as well, enabling users to instantly upload files and trigger the flow without leaving their SharePoint workspace.

Here is a look at what we built:

You can learn how to build this Power Automate flow step-by-step in Tyler’s blog, or watch our webinar for a guided walkthrough:

By automating the extraction and transfer of contract metadata, businesses can significantly reduce the time spent on manual data entry, freeing up resources to focus on more high-value tasks. With automation in place, companies can expect:

• Enhanced Accuracy: Consistent metadata extraction minimizes errors often caused by manual entry.

• Reduced Processing Time: Contracts move from email to SharePoint faster, making the data available to relevant teams immediately.

• Improved Workflow Consistency: Automation helps maintain standardized data formats, ensuring that all contract metadata is stored consistently.