Machines are exceptionally good students. We can see that in the rapid and widespread adoption of machine learning -- also known as auto-learning -- to automate and improve the collection and processing of large amounts of data. A version of artificial intelligence, machine learning refers to the ability of computers to adapt and learn new things without having to be specifically programmed with new software. This capacity to continuously build a knowledge base and to analyze data and identify patterns is particularly useful in industries that generate large volumes of documents, such as healthcare and finance. But it also has important applications in any business situation that requires a company to accurately process sales orders.