About the Servers

The server applications provide extended functionality for Oracle Document Capture. Designed to be run unattended, they perform scheduled batch jobs and automate processing in different ways.

The servers consist of:

Commit Server , which performs scheduled batch commit processing on a separate server instead of on indexing users' workstations. See "About Commit Server".
Recognition Server, which automates indexing using bar code recognition technology. Based on bar code recognition results, it indexes and commits batches. See "About Recognition Server".
Import Server , which imports images and other electronic documents directly into Capture from sources such as email, FTP sites, network folders, list files, and fax providers. As images and electronic documents are imported, they are converted into Capture batches where they can be indexed using Index or Recognition Server and then committed. See "About Import Server".

Each server can be run as a Windows service rather than an application. Running as a service allows starting or rebooting the server without logging in. For more information, see "Guidelines For Running Servers as Services".

About Batch Jobs

A batch job identifies the batches you want processed by the server when the job is run according to its schedule. It also contains settings specific to the server.

About Events and Scheduling

An event is a schedule for processing a batch job, to be run once or at a certain frequency. For example, if you schedule a batch job to process every minute, the server checks every minute and begins processing if a batch is detected.

Use the Scheduler to create events, delete events, delete old log files and shut down the server.

Server Activities and Statistics

Once processing begins, you can view up-to-the-minute statistics and server log messages in the server main screen. You can also set the server to send an email alert if an error occurs during processing.

In addition, each server audits certain activities and saves the information in the ecAudit table in the Capture batch database.

About Commit Server

Using Commit Server frees up indexing users' workstations immediately after they click to commit a batch. It also provides scheduled processing during off-peak hours. For example, scanning and indexing might be done at a remote location during normal business hours, while commit processing is performed overnight and unattended from a central location.

To use Commit Server with a Capture component, the Use Commit Server option in that component must be enabled. (You can use Commit Server in Index, Recognition Server and Import Server.) For example, when an indexing user commits a batch with this option set, Index marks the batch as ready to be committed, and Commit Server commits it based on the batch job's schedule.

In Commit Server, a batch job identifies the batches to process. To process all file cabinets or each file cabinet without special settings, schedule processing without creating a batch job. Create a batch job to process batches in ways not provided by the default jobs. For example, you might create a batch job to group particular file cabinets together in a job, process only batches with a certain prefix or status, or sort batches for processing.

Scheduling allows you to prioritize processing. For example, your organization might have a Human Resources file cabinet that contains resume information (which can be processed any time) and retirement information (which is confidential and should be processed right away). You could might create two jobs: a job called Resume that is scheduled to process only batches with an RES prefix every night at midnight, and a job called Retirement that is scheduled to run every minute and process only batches it finds with an RET prefix.

About Recognition Server

The most costly and time-consuming task of an ECM (electronic content management) system is document indexing, because it requires a large portion of staff and time resources. Software-based and requiring no expensive hardware, Recognition Server seamlessly files images into your ECM system, dramatically reducing indexing time.

How Recognition Server Works

Documents are scanned in preparation for processing in one of several batch processing methods by Recognition Server.

Each batch can contain single page documents, one document only or multiple page documents. (See "Batch Processing Methods".)

In Recognition Server, administrators create batch jobs, which determine the batches to process and how to process them.

Recognition Server batch jobs contain all the settings to be used when batches are scanned, indexed, and committed. For example, batch jobs determine how images are separated into documents, how bar codes are read and assigned to index fields, and whether index values are assigned from an external database.

For example, the batch job might direct Recognition Server to look for batches assigned to the Mortgage file cabinet that start with a MORT prefix, scan the first image for a Code 39-type bar code, read an eight character value from the bar code, assign the value to an account number field, and file the image in the Mortgage file cabinet.

Note:

When setting up the batch job, you can instruct Recognition Server to wait a specified number of minutes before processing a batch to ensure that the scanning user has time to review the batch.

Note:

In addition to the extensive batch setting options provided, you can use VBA-compliant macros to customize Recognition Server functions. For example, if a bar code contains three values that are joined, you could use a macro to parse the values and correctly assign them to indexing fields.

Schedule an event for the batch job.

When Import Server detects a scheduled event that is due, it uses the batch job settings to read bar codes and index images into the proper file cabinets in your ECM system. Recognition Server commits images as soon as it finishes indexing them.

Batch Processing Methods

A key step in setting up a batch job is specifying how documents were arranged and scanned in batches, so Recognition Server knows how to process them.

Recognition Server provides three methods of processing batches. (All batches within the job must be arranged the same way.) Each batch can contain:

Single page documents: Each image contains a bar code; Recognition Server uses this bar code to index the single image as a document.
One document only: Typically, the first image contains a bar code used to index the entire batch as a single document. (Bar codes can be read from multiple pages.)
Multiple page documents: Documents in the batch are separated by bar code or patch code, and a bar code on the first page of each document is used to index the document.

About Import Server

Import Server imports images and other electronic documents directly into Capture from a variety of sources. You can apply this server to such applications as:

incoming faxes
microfiche conversion
multi-function copiers
images scanned using third-party software
documents sent as email attachments
documents downloaded from an FTP server

How Import Server Works

In Import Server, administrators create batch jobs of the following types, depending on files to be imported.
- Folder: Import Server monitors an import folder and imports all files it finds with a specified file mask.
- List File: Import Server monitors an import folder and also reads a list (text) file containing records that identify each image to import, and optionally, index values to be assigned to the image or values to be matched against a database.
- Castelle FaxPress Provider: Import Server automatically imports incoming fax images from a FaxPress network appliance into Capture.
- Email Provider: Import Server imports files attached to incoming email messages into Capture and optionally converts email messages to images.
- Custom Provider: Import Server uses a specified VBA-compatible macro to import images into Capture.
- FTP Provider: Import Server connects to an FTP Server and downloads files from a specified folder into Capture.
Note:
Depending on the providers selected during installation, some of the import providers may not be available.
Administrators select the batch job's settings.
- Under Image Output options, specify if you want image and non-image files converted to a different format when imported.
- On the provider-specific tab, select settings related to the selected import provider. For example, for a Folder batch job, specify when to create new batches, and, for a List File batch job, identify fields to be read from the list file.
  
  Note:
  In addition to the extensive batch setting options provided, you can incorporate VBA-compliant macros in a variety of ways to customize Import Server functions.
Schedule an event for the batch job.

When Import Server detects a scheduled event that is due, it uses the batch job's settings to import images into Capture batches. If you import images using a list file job, Capture can index and commit images into the proper file cabinets.

How Import Server Names Batches

Import Server automatically names batches when creating them. The batch name consists of three parts:

batch prefix (if specified)
date (using the format mmddyy)
elapsed time since midnight, expressed in hundredths of a second. This number is padded with zeros to make it seven digits. For example, for a file created exactly two seconds after midnight, the time portion of its name would be 0000200

A batch named AP0202080000200 was created in the AP file cabinet on February 2, 2008, exactly 2 seconds after midnight.

How Import Server Converts Non-Images to Images

Import Server converts non-image documents during import using the Capture virtual print driver. After determining the document's native application based on its file extension, Import Server prints the electronic file using the native application, then intercepts the print output and converts it to an image. For example, if the file is a Microsoft Word document, Import Server launches Microsoft Word, instructs the application to print and converts the print output to images.

Occasionally, the native application generates a conflict in automated printing. For example, Internet Explorer displays a print dialog box that requires a response to continue. A solution is to automatically change the files' extension before conversion. To do this, configure extension renaming. For example, if you change the .HTM extension of Internet Explorer files to .DOC, Microsoft Word prints the files instead.

Note:

To test if a document file prints correctly with Import Server, right-click the file in Windows Explorer. If the Print option is available, select it to print the document. If the file prints without displaying a Print dialog box requiring user interaction, the document file type can be used with Import Server. If the Print option is not available, there is no print association with the selected document type.

Note:

To improve performance, you may want to start the application (for example, Microsoft Word) before running the Import Server. This may prevent the application from loading and unloading between file conversion. Whether or not an application unloads is dependent on the associated application.