AI Builder credits - 0ver 7000 credits to extract 3 data fields from a 1 page PDF is that correct

[eoinosullivan]

We have a PowerAutomate flow that uses AI Builder to OCR and extract 3 data fields (docket number, order number and date) from single page PDFs which are attached to emails.
The flow is quite simple and works well but we seem to be consuming what I believe to be a large number of credits (or is this typical)
The AI Builder step opens the one page image PDF (there is no embedded text it is a scan of a delivery docket from a Ricoh scanner) extracts the image from the pre-defined areas on the screen and OCRs them and returns the 3 values which are then used to rename and file the PDF.
I am struggling to work out how many credits this SHOULD require as the Calculator is no real help.
https://powerautomate.microsoft.com/en-us/ai-builder-calculator/#footnote-3

200,000 credits @ 7000+ per page would allow less than 30 pages which seems very small

[plarrue · Accepted solution]

Hi @eoinosullivan 

The AI Builder Rate card may help you to understand the service credit consumption by capability. (page 28)

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2085130

Hope it helps

Regards,

Philippe

[eoinosullivan]

Thanks Philippe
The rates on Page 28 do appear to be in line with what I was expecting. 100 credits to OCR one page
Now to work out how I got charged 7000 credits when I only sent one file to be processed 😉

[ARB_wcc]

Well, maybe you also need to request credit reimbursement, see 3rd page here

[eoinosullivan · Accepted solution]

I got to the bottom of it .. and it is most annoying.
I had 8 emails with 70 PDF attachments in the mailbox.
The Flow was turned off so I removed the emails from the Inbox before I re-enabled the Flow and sent the single email with the single file attachment. I sent the single email and attachment to see the credit usage for ONE file.
Somehow MS still processed the 70 attachments that day even though the emails were removed.  All the flows "failed" because the final step in the flow was to move the processed email to another mailbox folder.
It appears that the Flow (even though it was turned off) had extracted the email attachments to a location somewhere in the cloud and it then processed them when I re-enabled the Flow. Instead of consuming 100 credits I consumed 7100 credits .. as it had processed 71 PDF pages.

[ARB_wcc]

Well, it happens! That's why I have like a "dead man switch"  in all of my flows. To prevent old flows from running when they are re-enabled!

[ARB_wcc]

I basically make every single flow consult a list to see if it's allowed to run, that way if any disabled or deprecated flow are re-enabled again but in the list the status is deactivated it will promptly terminate the execution, it's also useful for flows that are in queue to run and you can't disabled them.

And it allows for any SharePoint owner to quickly disable a flow in case of an emergency without needing to send an SOS to a flow owner. 

 

[PowerSA]

My guess is that you develop in the default environment where others have played with the prebuild models and thus used some of you credits. 

[eoinosullivan]

@PowerSA - the issue was a backlog of PDFs which were processed even when the emails they were attached to were deleted BEFORE the Flow was re-enabled. See my comment above

[PowerSA]

Additional info:

In the GetItems Sharepoint action make a query like this, which finds the right flow entry if you have supplied the flow GUID in your list:

Use the "Flow Status" from your list to Kill... or not.

[PowerSA]

Yeah, I saw that (after I replied) and then I saw the neat "Kill Swith" solution, which I'm now using...  and I forgot to remove my comment.