Ignited by Nexus
Almost 3 years ago I was working as a Management Analyst for the State and I was given the opportunity to attend the Nexus ’07 event in Bellevue. I was unsure what the event was all about and how it was going to be incorporated with my job. A group of us drove to the event and was intrigued with the research that I had done on the event and the number of products that they offered information on. When we arrived we attended the welcome presentation and speaker that introduced me to a new technology for me in document imaging. I knew that we had incorporated a small part of this into the agency I was working for but was unclear as to how it worked. We broke into our choice of four sessions. It was incredibly interesting and helpful. For the next 2 days I found that each breakout session was very informative and at that point I could definitely see how this technology was incredibly applicable to any business in some way. I made notes and gathers brochures and information on different products and ideas that could be applied to different areas of the agency.
Not only did I gather such great information on new products for the agency but I also was able to meet the vendors and product developers for the different solutions. There were opportunities during the mingle times and product demonstrations that I could approach a vendor or representative and share my ideas and they were so informative and provided even more ideas for me to apply.
By the end of the event I was ready to do it all over again and attend different breakout sessions to learn about more exciting products and apply to my ideas. During the drive home I found that I was not the only one that had this kind of experience. Everyone had ideas and solutions and products that we could apply to different areas of the agency to not only save time but money as well.
When I started working for ImageSource I had no idea that the event that I had attended three years ago was put on by … well…. Us. I am looking forward to this upcoming NEXUS ’10 event on November 4-5. Now I will be attending it from the other side as one of the vendors who will no doubt be in contact with someone that is attending like I had three years ago looking for inspiration. For all those readers out there, be sure to register early so you don’t miss out.
Jen Hilt
Support Engineer
ImageSource Inc
Oracle Imaging & Process Management – Oracle I/PM 11g
Leigh Woody
Program Manager
Support: A day in the life of.
Recently Random and I were going over our daily activities, which can include internal support, Client support, and project work, and we were discussing how scattered and at times hectic our days can end up. We put together a list of events that could happen on any given day. This shows how techs covering several duties must be able to multitask and not pull your hair out in the process.
7:50 AM -Arrive at work, boot up laptop, and prepare for another work day.
7:55 AM – Check emails that came in over the night. It looks like we received a ticket regarding a client’s Oracle IPM that had crashed and they are not sure why. They attached the log information, but it will take some further investigation to fully vet the issue. Go to get coffee and found none ready so I needed to start a pot, I’ll come back later when the coffee is done.
8:00 AM – Begin work on an internal project that I was unable to work on much yesterday. Nothing scheduled for today so I should have time to work on it and I expect to finish it by the end of the day.
8:30 AM – Support Hours start.
8:35 AM – Reviewed Oracle IPM logs from the ticket that came in last night. I called the client and was only able to leave a voice mail.
8:55 AM – Returned to work on internal project.
9:02 AM – Internal Support: Employee calls asking for help with their second monitor. They cannot get it to come up even after several reboots.
9:18 AM – Replaced the cable and it fixed the issue.
9:21 AM – Back to work on my project.
9:40 AM – New Ticket. Here is the customer’s description: Urgent: System down!!! Please contact ASAP!!!. The call is listed as urgent, severity 1, so I will call immediately.
9:42 AM – After a couple of attempts to call I could only reach a voicemail. Sent off an email and still awaiting a response.
9:44 AM – Go to get Coffee and had to start another pot as someone left the pot that I had started earlier empty!
9:52 AM – Resume work on my internal project.
10:07am – Instant message from another employee who needs some help trouble shooting an issue for an upcoming demo. Started a WebEx to review the problem and help trouble shoot system.
11:01 AM – NEW TICKET – Client has questions about Nexus 10, forwarded ticket to their Sales Rep and Marketing to answer their questions. Back to work on trouble shooting.
11:55am – Found the issue in the linked server configuration on the system that is being configured for the demo.
11:57am – Stretch break right before lunch time.
12:50pm – Return from lunch only to find out that the entire network is down including all email.
12:59pm – Received phone call from employee letting us know that the email is down. I ensured them that we are working on the issue and we will have it up as soon as possible.
1:04pm – Received phone call from another employee letting us know that the email is down.
1:11pm – While trying to fix the networking issue, we received IM letting us know that the email is down. We are unable to send out a companywide email to inform people that the network is down because the email is down.
1:48pm – Found the issue with the network. An employee had connected a LAN line back into an internal jack causing a dead loop. This in turn shut everything down. After many insults we were finally able to forgive the coworker. Sent companywide email letting everyone know what had shut the system down and how to avoid this in the future.
1:50 – Back to work on internal project.
2:03 PM – NEW TICKET. Description: 1-3 users are unable to look at images on their workstations. They are able to see the images on other workstations. We have tried rebooting several times as prompted, but we are then asked to reboot again. Please Help!
2:09 PM – Finally able to figure out what the client’s was trying to say and sent email with the steps on how to correct issue. Returned to internal project
2:13 – Received response from “urgent” ticket. Contacted the client and jumped on a WebEx to solve the issue.
3:40 – After several attempts to unsuccessfully ping the storage server, the client rebooted the server. After the reboot we are still unable to ping or remote into the server, we successfully attempt to directly log into the server, and found that the NIC drivers became corrupt. Reinstalling drivers and rebooting the server brought it back up online.
3:41 – Back to project.
3:50 – Customer called wanting help configuring a batch class in ILINXCapture. I then walked the client through submitting a support ticket .
4:09 – Finished assisting client with building the desired batch classes in ILINX Capture.
4:28 PM – NEW TICKET – Client needs assistance in backing up their system. The client is busy through the rest of the day and we set up and appointment first thing in the morning.
4:33 PM – Restart internal project
5:00 – Entered in time for the day and realized that I was never able to finish my project. Oh well, there is always tomorrow.
Brandon Konen
S.E. at ImageSource Inc.
Random McParks
S.E. at ImageSource Inc.
Barcode Document Separation with ILINX Capture
While exploring different document separation techniques I discovered that bar code separation may cause the document to be split multiple times. I scanned in a single document that had 334 pages and for some reason it split the document multiple times. There were no other barcodes except one Patch Type T separator at the beginning of the document.
After looking over the settings on the Barcode QSX module inside the ILINX Capture Server Manager I noticed that the Patch Type T document separator and the 3 of 9 barcode separator were enabled. Please see picture below…
ILINX Capture Barcode OSX Module
One of the challenges with setting up barcode separation with both Patch Type T document separator and the 3 of 9 barcode separator is that every time the recognition engine comes across a 3 of 9 barcode it will separate the document automatically regardless if you want it to or not . Unfortunately the software can get tripped up on its own logic and every time the recognition engine comes across a 3 of 9 barcode it will separate the document automatically. ILINX Capture’s recognition engine still separates by the Patch Type T Patch Code as well as every 3 of 9 barcode. This can give unexpected results with the number of documents that are automatically generated. To fix the above example I removed the bar code separation because it was not needed. As you can see in the following example…
ILINX Capture Barcode Settings
However, in some cases this may not meet a client’s needs and different approach to document separation is needed. The best practice for multiple document separation is when using Patch Type T Patch separator pages and 3 of 9 barcode separation you need to add a prefix for each type of document you want to separate.
Here is a good example:
A client may want to separate documents by what’s in the barcode itself, such as capturing the word “ILINX” in the barcode for a document type of “Application” and the word “Invoice” in the barcode for a document type of “Invoice”. To do this you need to add a prefix value with a document type see.
As you can see ILINX Capture has the ability to be customized to fit your needs no matter how basic and/or how complicated the requirements are. The main concept here is ILINX Capture is a very powerful tool and needs to be configure properly to get want you need out of it. The above example is only a small scratch on the surface on what this tool can actually do.
However, in some cases this may not meet a client’s needs and different approach to document separation is needed. The best practice for multiple document separation is when using Patch Type T Patch separator pages and 3 of 9 barcode separation you need to add a prefix for each type of document you want to separate.
A client may want to separate documents by what’s in the barcode itself, such as capturing the word “ILINX” in the barcode for a document type of “Application” and the word “Invoice” in the barcode for a document type of “Invoice”. To do this you need to add a prefix value with a document type see.
ILINX Capture Prefix Settings
As you can see ILINX Capture has the ability to be customized to fit your needs no matter how basic and/or how complicated the requirements are. The main concept here is ILINX Capture is a very powerful tool and needs to be configure properly to get want you need out of it. The above example is only a small scratch on the surface on what this tool can actually do.
John Hart
ImageSource Inc.
eForms Technology Short Cuts That Really Work!
Often we are up against tight deadlines and we need to use all our tricks and tools to help increase efficiency and provide a better client experience. When we have clients with large form libraries that need converting to eForms; one of my favorite tools to use is FormBridge for Liquid Office. FormBridge does direct conversions of PDF, word, excel and other common form files to Liquid Office xfm files like magic! The converted forms are fully editable and are amazingly accurate copies with minor tweaks for formatting once translated. FormBridge automatically creates fillable fields, just as a forms designer would and this is a huge time saver.
Forms kick-off workflows and drive business. Moving paper based and un-editable eforms to an intelligent digital format has many benefits such as cost savings based on efficiencies and increased accessibility. Even a small business may have hundreds of forms. As a system integrator of ECM technologies we know what tools and tips to help your eForms initiative become a huge success.
Leigh Woody Program Manager ImageSource, Inc.
Advanced eForms Strategies for LiquidOffice
Information technology can improve operational efficiency and businesses are turning to forms processing for automating complex processes where information is often very dynamic and acted upon in parallel. Many of our clients request very complicated multi-form rule based combinations that can be extremely complex and have data dictionaries exceeding 1,500 form fields. There are two different ways to approach advanced multi-form development and design. One is to use a method called form chaining or you can use tools such as Liquid Office Case Management.
Form Chaining is a method of displaying subsequent forms based on the submission of the original form. This is done when field data from the first form is mapped to the 2nd form – chained forms open sequentially upon submission of a primary form. Simple chaining can be achieved using out-of-the box features of the LiquidOffice Process studio. Outside of a formal workflow, the same results can be achieved. The following is code example for ad-hoc form chaining. In this example, the ‘chained’ form that opens on submission is called ‘FormB2’.
function CSForm_OnSubmit()
{
var auth = CSForm.getField(“Entry1″).getValue(); //get value from 1st form = then on submit, pass this field value to the next chained form
CSForm.setResponseURL(“http://servername/lfserver/FormB2?Entry1=” + auth ); //this loads the 2nd, chained form and populates one of the fields with a value from the 1st form
return true;
}
Alternatively, Autonomy Case Management (ACM) can be used for more complex multidimensional and nested forms. ACM addresses the same need but manages forms and documents as packets or a case. Items within a packet are able to dynamically exist as either standalone entities or as part of a collection depending upon real-time conditions which are automatically detected. Users are guided through the process using a Table of Contents to ensure completion at each step as shown below.
The ACM design studio is a GUI-based point and click tool which is integrated directly into the Autonomy Enterprise Information Processing platform. This means that with a click all information that may contribute to the design of a case is available in real-time directly from within the design environment. Complex rule sets can be developed and applied at any level of the case such as packet, form and field which allows for an extremely tuned process.
Leigh Woody Peter Lang
Program Manager System Engineer
Nexus 2009 Shows Promise for a Stronger Economy
I’ve heard many comments from individuals summing up their ‘NEXUS ECM Experience’ over the past week following the show’s November 2nd close. From my perspective, the tweets and blogs captured the momentum and attendance at the show was greater than last year. I think this is because the quality and value of the show in general was up. Attendees this year definitely had an agenda, and most were actively seeking solutions, as compared to years passed. The companies that will be on top when the economy turns will be those who have a strong ECM foundation for business processes. It was encouraging to see the excitement and drive to get back to work and start retooling for a more efficient future. If you missed out this year, make sure to register for Nexus 2010 and lock in the reduced rate of $195! Use code NEXUS10SPL
Leigh Woody
Program Manager
Listening to the Machine
I was chatting with Sophia Marchi, the director of sales for the Americas for BÖWE BELL + HOWELL Scanners at our recent Nexus event. She had just delivered a great break-out on scanner selection criteria and we started talking about how the users need to have input on scanner selection – they really know what they like and what works for them. Often, these aren’t the people consulted when purchase decisions are made, and it’s a shame. She related how at FedEx, there were 13 identical scanners deployed, and the staff had names them all – Annabelle, Karina, Chloe, Hannah, and so forth. Workers bonded with their machines, and would line up for their favorite – even to the point of coming in early to get their machine. Or switching to it the second in came available. Well what’s the attraction — they are all the same machines, right? Then I recalled my brother and I had the same Schwinn 2 speed bikes as kids, then in college we bought the exact same motorcycles (I stuck to silver, he to purple). 3K miles down the road, I’d borrow his bike. Felt a bit funny, compared to mine with the same mileage. Fast forward to when we had put over 45K miles – what a difference. Rider habits with braking, acceleration, maintenance, even storage – added up to make these bikes ride with distinct differences. I do remember mine being faster – I guess my throttle was used to more demands. It’s the same story with scanners. Properly maintained scanners – the ones that are doted on and listened to carefully – are bound to last longer with fewer unexpected breakdowns. Sophia learned from the users that with their favorite scanners, the operators can hear roller wear, hear double feeds, even hear the need for a cleaning. Scanning shops that listen to their operators, allowing them to use a particular machine when possible, and reward regular maintenance and cleaning will outperform shops that neglect these steps.
Peter Lang
ImageSource, Inc.
How To Perform Basic Web Troubleshooting for IPM Web
Web troubleshooting can be difficult and searching through Oracle Metalink to get information can be even worse. I found this record in the Oracle Archives and thought it may help out other Acorde/Stellent/Oracle IPM/UCM users. The following is a general guide for troubleshooting issues with the IPM Web service. Hopefully reviewing the installation checklist and going through this troubleshooting guide will resolve most configuration issues with the web service.
Solution
Installation Phase
This phase encompasses all steps outlined in the install doc. If problems occur during or immediately following the installation, please review these steps:
1. How was the installation done?
At the console or through terminal services?
Terminal services has been known to cause serious issues in our installation of the web. It appears that when the install is done in this way, some files are not registered properly. Typically, you will see errors pointing to COM (login errors, plugin errors, etc.).
2. Were all the installation steps followed?
Check permissions, and verify that objects under the IBPMWeb and IBPMData folder all have the correct permissions. Reset all child objects under IBPMWeb and IBPMData. Make sure the correct web extensions are enabled.
3. Has the current problem been happening since the system was installed?
If yes, then you may need to review the install documentation.
4. Check the HKLM/Software/Optika/TRANSPORT/MANAGER_ADDRS
Make sure it points to the actual Request Broker machine (either the hostname or IP address). Also make sure the webserver can ping that address or hostname.
5. Is there a client or other services installed on the webserver?
If so, please understand that this is not a recommended configuration. In the event it is unavoidable, make sure that the services, (client and web) are all installed into the same location. For IPM web, the DLLs should be installed into C:\Program Files\Stellent\IBPM.
Startup Phase
This phase encompasses the process after installation or after an IISRESET.
1. Do the clients get the login screen?
If not, then we’re failing prior to getting all the ASP\DLLs loaded. Typically this points to either a permissions issue or a corruption in the IBPMWeb\OTInfrastructure\AcordeObjectHeaders folder. Delete all the files in that folder and do an IISRESET from a command prompt.
2. Can the user successfully login?
If not, this means that we are not getting a COM connection open to validate the user. Typically we will see a 29515 error appear stating we were not able to reach a service. In this case look at the permissions on the HKLM\Software\Optika registry key. Another item to look at is to make sure that if for some reason we have a client on the webserver that it is installed into the same folder as the IBPMWeb. Installing elsewhere will cause the web problems when it goes to register DLLs.
3. Is the error in the workcenter or elsewhere?
If after login we see an error on the workcenter, this points to an issue with the AcordeObjectHeaders folder. Rebuild that directory.
If the error happens in another window or frame then we’ll need to investigate those individually.
4. Is the client machine following a shortcut that points to a file below IBPMWeb?
In the past we have seen issues where a client will follow a shortcut that they created when at the login screen of the IPM Web. Doing so causes certain startup processes to be bypassed and can cause problems later because they may be using outdated connection information or other bad data that can cause varied problems.
Post Startup Phase
This phase encompasses any issues that occur after a successful installation and login. These errors typically come from problems with COM or from the connection to the backend servers. If these errors occur after an upgrade to the OS then check to make sure that any firewall or antivirus changes have been deactivated temporarily until we can determine if one of them is the cause.
Plug-in related Problems
For issues related to the plugin, look at the following:
1. Does the Messenger virtual directory contain an ISAPIMsgr.dll?
If not, then the Messenger virtual directory is pointed to the wrong location. Delete and re-create the Messenger virtual directory and point it at C:\Program Files\Stellent\IBPM
2. Does IUSR/IWAM have full control to the IBPMData folder?
If not, correct the security settings and then reset all child objects on that directory.
3. Are the users accessing the web with the hostname or IP address?
If they are using the hostname, you may want to adjust the Web Settings so that it uses hostname over IP (Login with a Web Administrator, click Administration -> Choose Web Settings -> Change the first section to use hostname and specify hostname.domain.com in the text box->Save the settings.)
4. Is there a proxy between the clients and the webserver?
If so, use the explanation for #3 and change the setting to hostname.
5. Are we seeing a *.opt file get created in the IBPMData\IBPMSessionData\<sessionid> folder?
If so, is the file larger than 4k? If so, open the file in a test editor and see what the message is. If it is larger than 4k we can assume that the images are getting to the webserver from export. This would indicate an issue with the plugin loading the image from IBPMData.
6. Check the IIS log and see if ISAPIMsgr.dll is listed as being accessed.
The log can be found at C:\Windows(orWINNT)\System32\LogFiles\W3SVC(number of website)\ and will be named after the date in which it was created. This file is helpful in troubleshooting different problems when you need to see if certain items are being requested from the web server.
How to do a complete uninstall of the IPM Web:
1. Use Add/Remove Programs to uninstall the web
2. Delete the Program Files\Stellent folder
3. Open Regedit and delete HKLM\Software\Optika and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Optika
4. Remove the entries in the IIS Administrator for IBPMWeb, IBPMData and Messenger virtual Directories.
When all else fails…
o When all else fails, get another machine and install the web on it temporarily. Does it exhibit the same issues?
o Was the web installed via Terminal Services? If so, re-install from the console.
o Was the IPMWeb uninstalled and re-installed, or just updated over the older version?
o Was the web installed over a network share? If so, try installing from the CDROM.
If you are still unable to resolve the issue, get the following information:
1. What OS version and service pack does the webserver have installed?
2. Does the webserver also have other applications installed (besides IBPMWeb) and are they running under the same website?
3. What version of IBPMWeb are they installing/using and does that version match the backend IPM servers?
4. Is the customer using custom web applications? Were these recently implemented or altered?
5. Does the customer have Antivirus scanning the IBPMWeb and IBPMData folders? If so, have them exclude these directories for the real time scan.
6. What version of IE is installed on the clients?
7. What version of the J2RE is installed on the clients?
8. How many users are accessing the IBPMWeb at any given time?
9. How much RAM is installed, and how fast are the CPUs along with how machine CPUs are present.
10. Enable IBPMWeb logging. Login into the web with a user which has been granted the Web Administrator Policy; Click Administration; Choose Web Defaults; Check m_AcordeWebLogging; Save, and do an IISRESET. A log will be produced at the root of C drive called AcordeWeb<date>.log. After the error is reproduced and a log is created, turn web logging back off because logging is not thread safe. Supply this log to ImageSource tech support and it will be analyzed for it any info it can provide.
Leigh Woody
Program Manager
ImageSource, Inc.
Tuning ECM Capture Systems – Is It Optional?
Recognizing forms and then performing successful OCR and ICR is a result of careful planning. Then comes plenty of testing during development, exploiting every advantage you can discover. Once rolling, are the results what you expect? All of that testing should ensure the answer is YES. But if they are falling short of expectation, it’s time to tune. Are image enhancement/preprocessing settings set optimally (or are they in place at all?). Are alphanumeric fields defined in such a way that the OCR engines aren’t trying to discern zeros from letter O’s? For handwriting, do forms have text instructions coaching the users how to write ‘between the lines’? Are you matching expected data with available dictionaries encompassing all possible entries? These are just a few of the questions to ask while tuning a paper capture system. At ImageSource, we’ll work to resolve recognition problems you are experiencing to maximize your ROI and data throughput.
Peter Lang
ImageSource
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