AI Data Preparation

AI Data Preparation for Finance Workflows

For teams that need to turn messy documents and finance data into reliable, AI-ready data products.

  • Finance-aware process understanding from accounting and reporting
  • AI-ready outputs for RAG, automation and downstream systems
  • Traceable, privacy-aware and compliance-minded delivery

Input -> Structure -> Output

Input
Structure
Output

Output focus

Clean structures, traceable fields and AI-ready outputs for finance, compliance and document-heavy workflows.

Why AI projects fail on unstructured data

Many AI initiatives start with model questions and underestimate the reality of the source data.

PDFs, scanned documents, ERP exports and inconsistent tables may still be readable for humans, but they are rarely directly usable for AI systems.

What is missing are stable fields, sensible segmentation, trustworthy metadata and a reliable foundation for retrieval, validation and automation.

Typical causes

  • clean text
  • sensible segmentation
  • stable field logic
  • traceable metadata
  • usable output formats

Typical consequences

  • imprecise answers
  • unstable RAG setups
  • high manual rework
  • low trust in the system

Three common use cases

The offer is deliberately narrow: data and document preparation for AI, RAG and automation use cases in finance-adjacent environments.

Direction Problem Process Output
RAG Corpus Ingestion PDFs, DOCX, policies, manuals, OCR-heavy documents Text extraction, cleanup, segmentation, metadata JSONL, chunk sets, retrieval-ready corpus
ERP & Accounting Cleanup ERP exports, accounting data, open-item lists, reporting files Normalization, mapping, deduplication, field checks CSV, Parquet, validated analysis set
Compliance Transformation XRechnung, XML, structured business documents Field mapping, validation, format checks, transformation logic XML, validation files, structured downstream processing

RAG Corpus Ingestion

For internal knowledge bases, guidelines, process documentation and mixed document inventories.

ERP & Accounting Cleanup

For finance exports that must be standardized and checked before analytics, forecasting or AI usage.

Compliance Transformation

For structured business documents where field logic, validation and standard conformance matter.

What you actually receive

Not abstract AI consulting, but concrete and operationally usable deliverables.

Deliverables in focus

  • Cleaned raw data or document content
  • Structured datasets in JSONL, CSV or Parquet
  • Optional validated XML outputs in compliance contexts
  • Chunking structures for RAG or search implementations
  • Field definitions and mapping logic
  • Metadata concepts for documents and datasets
  • Validation rules and quality checks
  • Handover documentation for internal teams or implementation partners

Suitable for

RAG / knowledge bases Document AI internal search systems data migration workflow automation analytics and forecasting preparation

How a project works

Starting small is explicitly possible. Many engagements begin with a limited sample dataset or a tightly scoped pilot.

Step 1

Intake & target picture

Understand the data landscape, source systems and targets, and identify risks and exclusions.

Step 2

Analysis & structure design

Review patterns, inconsistencies and edge cases, then define target structure, fields and validation logic.

Step 3

Preparation & validation

Clean, map, deduplicate and segment the data, enrich metadata and apply quality checks.

Step 4

Handover & next steps

Deliver the final output package, documentation and recommendations, with optional support for the next implementation step.

A narrow pilot is often the fastest way to de-risk a later AI implementation.

Why this work fits my profile

  • Finance-adjacent background with a focus on accounting and process quality
  • Hands-on understanding of structured and unstructured business documents
  • Traceability over black-box promises
  • Strong fit for finance, compliance and document-heavy environments
  • A practical bridge between business precision and technical implementation

Typical starting points

messy ERP exports mixed PDF/DOCX inventories missing metadata manual prep before AI projects XML/XRechnung-style validation requirements

Frequently asked questions

Do you work with sensitive finance data?

Yes. For pilot phases I prefer anonymized or reduced samples and a clearly defined secure exchange only after scope alignment.

Is this only relevant for large AI projects?

No. Smaller pilots often benefit the most from proper structure before larger investments are made.

What formats can be processed?

Typical inputs include PDF, DOCX, spreadsheet exports, CSV, ERP lists and structured formats such as XML.

Do you replace a full data engineering team?

No. The service is intentionally focused on data and document preparation for AI, RAG and automation use cases.

Pricing & entry points

Clear pilots instead of vague AI promises. Most work starts with a well-bounded scope.

Service Entry point Suitable for Scope / outcome
Mini Pilot / Sample Review
0.5 to 2 work days
from €350 For teams that want to evaluate whether their documents or datasets are suitable for AI, RAG or automation before committing to a larger scope.
  • 1 sample dataset or small document package
  • Initial assessment of structure, quality and risks
  • Evaluation of format, field logic and usability
  • Short recommendation for the next sensible step

Fully credited if a follow-up project starts.

RAG Corpus Ingestion
4 to 8 work days
from €1,800 For document inventories that need to be prepared for RAG, internal knowledge bases or AI-powered search.
  • Text extraction and cleanup
  • Document segmentation
  • Metadata structure
  • Retrieval-ready output
ERP & Accounting Cleanup
5 to 10 work days
from €2,500 For ERP exports, accounting datasets and reporting files that must be standardized before analytics or AI usage.
  • Normalization and field mapping
  • Deduplication and plausibility checks
  • Clean target structure
  • Documented validation logic
Compliance Transformation
7 to 15 work days
from €3,500 For structured business documents that require field-level traceability, validation and standards alignment.
  • Structure and field mapping
  • Validation logic
  • Transformation rules
  • Technically clean downstream output

Pricing logic

  • Exact pricing depends on data quality, format diversity, scale, validation depth and edge cases.
  • For clearly defined pilots I prefer fixed pricing.
  • For more complex or iterative scopes, delivery can also be effort-based.
  • The focus is on clear entry prices and bounded scopes, not open-ended retainers.

Why this pricing range makes sense

  • Finance-aware data preparation
  • Clean structures instead of ad-hoc scripts
  • Traceability instead of black-box shortcuts
  • Less rework and fewer downstream errors

The next sensible step

If you already have documents or datasets intended for AI, RAG or automation, the real work usually starts before the model does.

Next step

If needed, start with an anonymized sample or a tightly scoped mini pilot.