If you are new to Datacap application development
or you want to learn how to create an application from scratch, start
here. Datacap enables
you to build and configure capture applications with several tools
and components. You can use the Datacap Application Wizard
to build new applications based on templates and configure them using
prebuilt actions and rules using either Datacap FastDoc or Datacap Studio. You can further customize
your applications by developing your own actions, rulesets, and tasks.
Before you begin
In order to work on your application:
- Your administrator needs to provide you with an installed and
configured Datacap system,
as well as an account with the correct privileges for application
development.
- Spend some time defining your business requirements and learning
about how you will use your Datacap capture application
to satisfy those requirements. See Business Requirements and Application Architecture.
- You will need at least one batch of all of the documents you want
to capture with your application. The application setup process requires
these samples to configure how the data will be captured, processed,
and exported. The documents must take the form of image files that
you scanned yourself or obtained from the appropriate area of your
business.
Procedure
The following tasks represent the steps necessary for
creating a new application for document capture:
- Start the administrative version of Datacap FastDoc. Click . Select the Local for
the connection type and click Login. The FastDoc program
opens.
- Click on the Application Wizard icon in the FastDoc program header. The
icon can be found next to your user name. The wizard will
guide you through the steps for creating your application using one
of the following application templates:
- Use the Forms application template for
structured images where you know the types of data that you want to
capture and where that data is on each image. For example, a 1040EZ
tax form and the types of data on the form, such as name and address,
are in the same location on every 1040EZ form. The Forms application
template sets up a workflow that you can match against document fingerprints.
- Use the Learning application template for
structured or semi-structured forms where you will be receiving the
documents from third parties (for example: invoices). Each time a
form from a new source is identified, a fingerprint (template) will
be created. Some or all of the field data is in the same location
on the forms from a single source. The Learning application template
sets up a workflow where you can add rules for Datacap to learn the different
document formats as they are encountered.
For images where the
data is not found, the verifier is prompted to click the image and
identify where the data is located. This Click N Key process populates
the data into the data set so that the Learning application can automatically
find the data the next time that type of image is encountered. In
our hotel example, after the unstructured hotel bill is processed,
the zones are saved to capture data directly. Then, each time an unstructured
image with the same format is encountered, the data is captured directly
in the same way that data is captured from structured images with
Forms template applications.
- After completing the wizard, log out of FastDoc and then log in again
using the Datacap Server
connection type. On the login page, you can now choose your new application
in the Application field, and since you are
connecting to the Datacap Server,
specify the login credentials provided to you by your administrator.
Important: Never select FormTemplate or LearningTemplate as
your application on the FastDoc login
page. These applications are templates for your custom applications,
and changes to them
- You'll need to configure your new application, which includes
setting up fields, image enhancement, field recognition, and validation.
If your application was created based on the Forms template, you'll
also set up fingerprints. You will continue to use FastDoc for these tasks.
- You will need to customize the workflow of your application
to your business needs. The Datacap workflow consists
of several tasks and jobs, including page identification, character
recognition, field validation, verification, and export. These tasks
use rules and actions to process a batch of your documents.
- First, configure
your export options. You can export the data you capture to
several different repositories, including IBM®
FileNet® Content Manager, IBM Content Manager, and IBM Box.
- Set up your workflow tasks and batch profiles, and add
and configure rulesets for your application. See Application
configuration on FastDoc.
- Open your application in Datacap Studio to customize your
workflow task rules and actions. Click . For more information on how to edit rules
and actions, see Datacap Studio.
- Process
documents through your application in FastDoc.
