Classification Models

Classification overview

Classification is the process of identifying a piece of content, such as a document or email, based on certain traits. Classification can be used to automatically route the content to the appropriate downstream workflow. For example, you may use classification to identify whether an incoming document is a claim vs. an invoice.

In Appian, you can integrate classification into your processes using classification models.

The Classification tab in DocCenter has two pages: Models and Instances.

Models lists the classification models you've previously created. You can click on a model to see all model versions, as well as performance metrics.

Instances lists the processes where classification models were executed.

Supported file types

DocCenter is able to classify the following file types:

• CSV
• DOCX
• EML
• GIF
• HTML
• JPG, JPEG
• MSG
• PDF
• PNG
• TIFF
• XLSX (limited based on the complexity of the spreadsheet)

Create and configure a classification model

1. In the Classification page group, click Models.
2. Click Create Model.

3. Enter the Model Details:

   Field	Description
   Name	Name to uniquely identify model.
   Description	Description of model (optional).
   Key	Automatically generated string to uniquely identify model. Read only.

   

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4. Click Enable Vision Classification toggle to allow the model to better detect visual elements within the document to aid in classification.
5. Click NEXT.

6. In step 2, configure the categories that the model can use to classify items:

   Field	Description
   Category Name	Enter the category name, such as Invoices.
   Description	Enter the category description, such as Documents we receive related to company purchase.

   

7. In step 3, refine the prompt:

   Field	Definition
   Large Language Model	Choose the LLM you'd like to use to classify data. Some models prioritize speed, while others provide more advanced reasoning. Choosing the right model depends on your classification model's performance and accuracy needs.
   Role	Tell the model what they're responsible for in this task. The role is pre-populated with text, but you can edit it as you see fit.
   Additional Instructions	Tell the model anything else it should keep in mind as it perform analysis and classifies items. For example, you could tell the model, "If you're unsure which category a document goes into, say so".
   Examples	Add inputs and outputs the AI model can use as an example of what you expect to receive as a response when presented with text.
   Generated Prompt	Preview the prompt that will be used when this AI model is called in a process.

   

8. Click CREATE to proceed with creating your classification model.

Test a classification model

Before you deploy anything to production, you want to know how well it meets your expectations. You can test a classification model in the DocCenter application, review its accuracy metrics, and make any adjustments you'd like before the model classifies any real data.

To test a model:

1. In the Classification page group, click Models.
2. In the list, find and click on the model you want to test.
3. Click RUN CLASSIFICATION.
4. Choose the type of document you want to classify:
   • Existing Document: Choose from a file in Appian.
   • New Document: Upload a file.
   • Add Text: Enter plain text.
5. Click SUBMIT.
6. Click the Instance tab, where your test run appears.
7. Click the instance that represents your test to learn more, or glance at the Value column to quickly see which category the model chose for your content.

To see the model's reasoning why it chose a certain category, open the instance.

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If the model categorized your content incorrectly, you can correct it. Click Reconcile Instance in the related action menu. After running a few tests, if you notice that the model isn't performing well enough for your purposes, you can create a new version to try tweaking the prompt or other details.

Create a new model version

1. Click on Classification page group and select Models.
2. Find the model you want to use as the basis for your new version. Then:
   • Click the overflow menu in the model's row, and click New Version.

   OR

   • Click the model name to open its summary. In the menu of options at the top of the page, click New Version.
3. On the Create Classification Model Version page, edit the following details:
   • Version Description: Provide information about the updates you're making in this version.
   • Options: Add or remove options.
   • Prompt: Edit the Role and Additional Instructions fields as needed.
   • Examples: Add or remove relevant examples for this model to use as a reference.

   Tip:  Refer to the previous section for details on configuring the model.

4. Click SAVE to save this version for future updates, or SAVE AND PUBLISH to save your changes and use this version now.

All new classification processes will now be run and recorded against the latest published model version.

Restore a model version

Follow these steps to select and restore an earlier version of your classification model:

1. Navigate to the Classification page group and select Models.
2. Click on the model you wish to restore a previous version for.
3. Go to the Versions tab.
4. Review the version history and select the older version you wish to restore.
5. Click on the options button next to the desired version.
6. Select Restore Version.

Add triggers

Classification is often one part of a larger business workflow. To help further automate your document-based processes, you can create triggers that initiate other process models when classification activities are complete. For example, after the model classifies documents as either Invoices or Purchase Orders, you can kick off the process that extracts the data from those documents.

To create a trigger:

1. Go to the classification model where you want to add a trigger.
2. Open the Triggers tab.
3. Click CREATE TRIGGER.
4. Enter the following configurations:
   1. When this activity completes: Select the activity you want to base the trigger on. Currently, Reconciliation is the only available option.
   2. Run this process model: Choose the process model to start when the activity is complete.
   3. Trigger this process to run: Synchronously or Asynchronously.
5. Click ADD TRIGGER.

Every time the classification model runs, your chosen process model will automatically start when the chosen activity is complete.

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To edit a trigger:

1. Go to the classification model where you want to edit a trigger.
2. Open the Triggers tab.
3. Click Update Trigger .
4. Change the configurations as desired.
5. Click UPDATE TRIGGER.

To delete a trigger, open the Triggers tab and click Delete Trigger in the list.

Requirements for triggered processes

For triggers to work effectively and execute processes reliably, the process model should meet the following requirements:

• It must have a single parameterized process variable named instance with AIA Classification Instance as its type
• The process model object must have View permissions for the AIA Operations group.
• The process model should have flows that help account for re-runs or updated runs.

You can only create one trigger per AI model. If you need to trigger more than one process model, create a wrapper process model containing all needed processes, and call that wrapper process model here.

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