Troubleshooting extraction: missing rows, blank results, wrong values

Match your symptom below. After any fix, remember: re-extracting the same document within 24 hours is free.

Only one row extracted (or only the first page)

Turn ON "Extract multiple rows per document" in the Data Extractor. This is the single most common fix. Without it, Lido returns one summary row per document instead of one row per line item / person / transaction.

Extraction "succeeds" but the sheet is blank

• Check your column headers. Columns are your instructions - they must exist before extracting, and names referenced in Extra Instructions must match exactly. A single typo (for example Employee_Nam instead of Employee_Name) can produce fully blank rows.
• Your instructions may be too strict: if you filter by a page title, the match must be exact.
• Scroll down - data sometimes lands below empty rows.
• If the file previews fine but always extracts blank, the PDF may be corrupted: re-download or re-save it and upload again.

Wrong values

• Numbers reformatted (leading zeros dropped, suffix letters changed, 00123 becomes 123): set the column format to Plain - click the 123 dropdown on the column header and choose Plain.
• Negative signs lost (bank statement debits showing positive): add to Extra Instructions: "Preserve the original sign of all amounts. Debits are negative, credits positive. Do not convert signs." and set the column to Plain.
• Dates changed (year replaced with the current year, inconsistent formats): add: "Extract dates exactly as printed on the document. Never change the year. Output all dates as MM/DD/YYYY."
• Wrong field picked (employer name instead of employee name, etc.): name the column precisely and describe where the right value appears: "Employee_Name is the person listed at the top of each pay section, not the company in the header."
• Sub-rows mixed together (tables with R / O / VCX style sub-lines): describe exactly which rows to output: "For each employee output one row per earning type. Include rows labeled R, O, and VCX. Ignore NET rows."

Checkboxes and scanned forms

• Add [at]ocr_mode: vision on its own line at the bottom of Extra Instructions (use vision_only if no text in the PDF can be selected).
• To stop the AI guessing unticked boxes: "Only output an option if there is a visible mark in its checkbox. If no option is marked, leave the field blank."

Old or deleted data reappearing in exports

Empty-looking rows at the top of the sheet can hide old data. Click into the sheet, press Ctrl+A then Delete (Cmd+A on Mac) to clear all data - headers are preserved unless you select only row 1. Do this between batches or monthly runs.

Information spans page breaks / large files

See "Extracting large documents (150+ and 1,000+ pages)" for [at]parallel directives and the Split File workflow.

Still stuck?

1. Ask the AI assistant (lightning bolt icon, top middle of your sheet) - it can rewrite your instructions against your actual document.
2. Contact support in chat with: the URL of your sheet, a screenshot of the wrong output, and which document/page shows the problem.

Updated on: 10/06/2026