Figure 2
This screen
shot shows a document which has just been scanned from a Twain compliant scanner
and is waiting to be processed. Before processing the document, a Document
Group, and Document Type must be selected from the drop down list as shown
below. In addition two key identifying fields must be completed including the
WorkFolder (Document Group) reference and the Document Type reference. Once
this data is entered the document can be processed. Several documents relating
to the same WorkFolder can be scanned and processed simultaneously if required.
Typically, the
scan workstation is equipped with a dual monitor configuration. This allows the
user to open their accounting, CRM, ERP or other application on a regular 15 or
17” monitor while viewing the ImageMaker on a 19 or 21” monitor. The ImageMaker
image can be viewed in ‘Reading View’ which would open the image in full 8.5” x
11” format on a 21” monitor. In addition, the image can be zoomed in or out, or
a magnifier can be used to enhance a portion of the image.
Annotations can
also be added to the image document by incorporating text, lines, highlighting,
sticky notes, rubber stamps or blacking out portions of the image.
As shown in
figure 1 and 3, ImageMaker can view and process documents in a variety of
formats including Gif, Tif, JPG, BMP, as well as native PDF. In order to view
native PDF the Adobe Acrobat Reader must be installed on the workstation. In
order to annotate PDF documents, Acrobat must be installed.
Figure 3
On the scan
workstation screen, there are various options to control the characteristics of
the scan process. One of the options is shown below, Incoming or Process
Direct. Figure 1 shows a document being scanned in ‘Process Direct’ mode. In
this mode, upon clicking the ‘Process’ button, the document is linked to the
appropriate WorkFolder and is available for viewing immediately.
Figure 4
In some cases
it might be desired to introduce the document to a workflow process rather than
link it to a WorkFolder immediately. For example, a vendor invoice might be
routed to an individual for approval before being processed and linked to a
WorkFolder. When documents are processed using the ‘Incoming’ option, they are
placed in an inbox for the appropriate Document Group. One or more individuals
are assigned to view the inbox for a particular Document Group and take
necessary action. This action can be to go ahead and process the document and
link it to a WorkFolder, or it can be to route the document for approval before
it is linked to a WorkFolder.
Figure 5 shows
the inbox for the Document Group “Accounts Payable”. This inbox is a holding
tank for incoming documents and can be used to control the process of the
document from end to end. As a document enters the organization via hard copy,
fax, or email, it is added to the inbox and it’s status is ‘Incoming’. If
necessary, the document can be routed for approval, and as shown below, the
status of the document can be viewed as Incoming, Routed, Approved, Rejected, or
Processed.
Figure 5
Figure 6 below
shows a document being routed for approval. A recipient to approve the document
is chosen from the Exchange Address List and the email routing slip with a copy
of the document image is routed for approval. A user defined deadline is
assigned for the response, however can be modified as desired. Although a copy
of the original document is included in the routed Keyflow, the original remains
in the inbox and is accessible by anyone who needs it.
Figure 6
A separate
component of ImageMaker monitors the sending of Keyflows and the responses
provided by users. As Keyflows return with an ‘Approved’ or ‘Rejected’ status,
ImageMaker will update the Inbox accordingly. Once the status has been updated
to ‘Approved’ the user responsible for the Inbox can process the document and
link it to a WorkFolder. Comments provided by the Approver along with the name
of the Approver, and date approved are permanently storded in the ImageMaker
database and viewed along with the WorFolder.
Figure 7
Figure 7 above
shows the WorkFolder in the Accounts Payable Document Group being viewed for the
invoice processed after approval. Key identifying fields are included on the
‘WorkFolders’ tab such as the Voucher number, Vendor Name, Vendor Number, P.O.
Number, Invoice Number etc. On the ‘Details’ tab, additional fields can be
displayed. The fields included and the layout and appearance of these fields
can be custom designed to suit your needs. As fields are added to this view
they can be mapped to a variety of display controls including text boxes,
labels, data drop-down list boxes, check boxes, data grids, or rich text boxes.
In the above
example the details tab could be designed to include several fields and mapping
them to a variety of controls to include text boxes displaying the Vendor name
and address information, a checkbox indicating tax applicable (true/false), and
a data grid displaying line items in a Purchase Order relating to the Invoice.
A quick find
field is used to search for selected WorkFolders which by default is set to a
user defined field to be used as the key field for the WorkFolder. In Figure 7
this is shown to be the ‘Voucher’ field. Any of the data fields chosen to be
viewable on the ‘WorkFolders’ tab, are also created in the ImageMaker database
as searchable index fields. In the example shown in Figure 7, this would allow
setting the index field to Voucher, vend-num, name, po-num, inv-num, order-date,
dist-date, or check-num.
Figure 8
In addition, by
clicking on the binoculars a find window will allow the user to search through
any field they like irregardless of the current index set as shown in Figure
8.
Figure 9
Figure
10
For more
complex searches, a filter can be applied to the ImageMaker database to show
only WorkFolders which meet your criteria. For example, a query could show all
of the Accounts Payable Voucher WorkFolders for a particular vendor between two
given dates, and exceeding a particular invoice amount. The selected
WorkFolders can not only be viewed within ImageMaker, but can also be exported
to Excel providing a spreadsheet containing all of the fields of information and
a link to the relative documents.
A Web interface
to the ImageMaker database allows a custom developed web site or Intranet site
to provide similar query capabilities and display data and document images
within a web browser such as Internet Explorer. Custom queries and controls
can be used within the web development to suit your needs. For example a chart
control could be incorporated into the custom developed web or Intranet site to
query the ImageMaker database, provide a list of WorkFolders satisfying the
query, and creating an on-demand chart from the data collected and present the
results to the web browser including a variety of data fields, links to the
image documents, and graphical chart representation of the collected data.
A great deal of
flexibility is available to custom design the web components to suit your needs.
A user security
model is built into ImageMaker to allow custom user permissions to users who
require basic Viewer, Editor, or Administrator capability.
ImageMaker
accepts document submission by manually scanned documents or by automated
processes. Any internal documents which can be printed could be submitted to
ImageMaker for publication without the need for manual scanning.
A typical
scenario would be for ImageMaker to query your primary datasource on a regular
schedule, and retrieve all of the Customer Orders newly created. A customer
purchase order provided in hard copy might be manually scanned and linked to the
WorkFolder for the Customer Order. As internal documents are printed including
Picking Lists, Packing Slips, Invoices etc., a PDF image of the document can
also be printed and passed on to ImageMaker for processing and linking to the
Customer Order WorkFolder. Shipping documents including signed waybills might
also be manually scanned and added to the ImageMaker WorkFolder. Any number of
workstations throughout the organization can be contributing documents to
ImageMaker in the form of scanned documents using a Twain compliant scanner, or
by submitting existing files such as PDF, TIF, JPG, GIF, BMP etc.
An ImageMaker
process is monitoring the status of documents routed for approval via Keyflows
and automatically processing the responses. The data relating the Customer
Order, as well as all of the relative image documents are available for viewing
at any time by any network PC client using ImageMaker. It is also possible to
have ImageMaker WorkFolders published to MS Exchange for viewing within Outlook.
