How to process a file

Before you start

• An active PDFFlex account. New accounts include a small number of free trial jobs. After that you'll need a paid plan from the pricing page.
• Your source file. Typically a PDF, CSV, or Excel export from your payroll provider.
• A matching map. Maps are the recipes PDFFlex uses to read your source file and produce the right output. Your org admin controls which maps you can run.
• A client record (for Advanced maps). You can create one inline during the wizard if needed.

The three-step wizard

1. 1

   Select a map

   From the navbar, open Tools → Maps, or go straight to /maps/.

   • Pick the map that matches your source file from the Available Maps dropdown.
   • Locked entries (shown with a padlock) aren't in your current plan — upgrade from the pricing page to unlock them.
   • Review the map's Input Types and Output Types tags so you know what to upload and what you'll get back.
   • If you see a "This map requires a header file" notice, that's an Advanced map — you'll be asked to pick a client in Step 3.

   Click Next to move on.

2. 2

   Upload your files

   • Drop your source file(s) into the embedded uploader, or click to pick files from your computer.
   • Wait until each file shows as fully uploaded (the spinner clears).
   • Click I'm Done Uploading. Use Back if you picked the wrong map.

   PDFFlex hands the upload off to private storage and immediately kicks the job off in the background.

3. 3

   Select a client

   • Pick the client this job belongs to from the list. Clients drive how employees are tracked and how the job is billed.
   • If the right client doesn't exist yet, click Create New Client to add one without leaving the wizard.
   • Click Confirm to lock in your selection.

   Picking the wrong client can lead to duplicate employee charges. If you're unsure, ask your org admin before confirming.

Tracking and downloading the result

Once you confirm, you're redirected to the Jobs page. From there you can:

• Watch live status updates as PDFFlex processes the file (queued → running → complete).
• Open the job detail page to download the output bundle when it's ready.
• Cancel a job that hasn't started yet, or retry a failed one.

You'll also get an email when a job completes or fails, so you don't have to keep the page open.

Troubleshooting