> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.anyformat.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # The building blocks > What each Studio step does, what you configure, and when to add it. A workflow is made of five steps. Most workflows only use the first two — **Parse** and **Extract**. The other three are there for when your documents are more complicated. *** ## Parse Parse step **Reads the document.** Parse turns your file (PDFs, images, CSVs, and more) into clean text and tables that the rest of the workflow can work with. Every workflow starts with a Parse step. * **You configure:** usually nothing — Parse works out of the box. Advanced options let you give a hint about the document or tune how figures are handled. * **Add it when:** always. It's the first step in every workflow. > *Example:* upload a bank statement PDF — Parse reads and prepares all the text and layout. Configuring the Parse step *** ## Extract Extract step **Pulls out the fields you ask for.** Extract takes the text from Parse and returns structured data according to the [fields](/concepts/fields) you define. * **You configure:** the list of fields — each with a name, a [type](/concepts/field-types), and an instruction. This is your [schema](/concepts/schemas). * **Add it when:** you want specific values back (the usual case). Skip it only for a parse-only workflow. > *Example:* define fields like "Account number", "Transaction date", and "Amount" to get them from every statement. Configuring the Extract step *** ## Classify Classify step **Sorts documents into types you define.** Classify looks at each document and labels it as one of the categories you set up, so you can handle each type differently downstream. * **You configure:** a list of categories, each with a name and a short description of what belongs in it. * **Add it when:** one workflow needs to handle several kinds of document — for example a mailbox that receives both invoices and contracts. After Classify, connect a separate Extract step for each category. > *Example:* automatically label incoming files as "Invoice", "Contract", or "Statement". Configuring the Classify step *** ## Split Split step **Breaks one file into several documents.** Split takes a single file that actually contains multiple documents and separates it into pieces, so each piece is processed on its own. * **You configure:** the split rules, each with a name and a description. Anything that doesn't match a rule is grouped as "other". * **Add it when:** your uploads bundle several documents together — for example a single PDF with four invoices, or a 50-page report you want handled page by page. > *Example:* a 50-page report gets split so each section is processed separately. Configuring the Split step *** ## Validate (Beta) Validate step **Checks the results against rules you write.** Validate takes the data from an Extract step and tests it against rules you describe in plain language, then flags anything that fails — so problems surface automatically instead of slipping through. **Validate vs. verify — two different things.** The **Validate** step is an automatic check built into the workflow: anyformat runs your rules on every document. **Verifying** is something *you* do by hand afterward — marking a value as correct with the thumbs-up (see [Verification & review](/guides/workflows/verification-review)). One is the machine checking your rules; the other is you confirming the result. * **You configure:** a list of rules. Each rule is one of two kinds — an **AI** rule you describe in plain language (for example, "the IBAN is a valid format" or "the document is not expired"), or a **deterministic** rule you build from a structured check (a number/date in range, `a + b = c`, a value in a set, a pattern match, a required field) that runs instantly with no AI. You can mix both in the same step. * **Add it when:** some results must meet conditions, and you want failures flagged automatically. Place Validate after the Extract step whose output you want to check. * **Where results show up:** failures appear in the **Validation** tab of the results, alongside the extracted data. > *Example:* check that the name on an ID matches the name on the contract (AI), confirm the invoice year is between 1995 and 2050, or that subtotal + tax equals the total (deterministic). See **[Validation rules](/guides/studio/validate-rules)** for the full list of deterministic checks and when to choose AI vs deterministic. Configuring the Validate step *** ## What's next? Open Studio, add steps, and connect them The kinds of values an Extract step can return