Database Integration
Unprecedented Control of Database Interactions
Open database integration is a powerful feature of SimpleIndex® and one that furthers its interoperability with custom programs. Instead of using a proprietary database, SimpleIndex allows you to map its index fields to cells in any database table. It can be configured to create new records, update existing ones or retrieve them for viewing. Using these three basic database functions, SimpleIndex is able to interface with and operate on any database.
Automatic Indexing Using Existing Data
The Autofill feature of SimpleIndex is an easy way to associate many index fields with one document without retyping data that already exists in another database. Autofill uses a database lookup to retrieve records that match a key value entered by the user. Blank index fields are then filled in automatically with the data from this lookup. The result is a document database with many different possible search fields, of which only one needed to be entered during scanning.
The key field may be typed by the user, or it may be read from the document automatically using barcode recognition or OCR. The lookup is performed either when the user changes this field or when the index values are saved. If the lookup finds multiple matching records, the user will be notified and the first set of values will be used by default.
Command Line Sample
When using the Simple Software products it can be beneficial to run the software from a command line script. With this you can run other Simple Software Job configurations or Windows Batch Files (.bat) or Task Manager or other command line methods automatically.
You can find sample formats of the command lines for Simple Software products below.
SimpleIndex:
“C:\Program Files (x86)\SimpleIndex\SimpleIndex.exe” /c:”Path to job file”
SimpleSend:
“C:\Program Files (x86)\SimpleIndex\SimpleSend.exe” “Path to job file” /hide /run
SimpleQB:
“C:\Program Files (x86)\SimpleIndex\qb\SimpleQB.exe” “Path to job file” /hide /run
/hide and /run in the SimpleSend and SimpleQB examples above hide any windows from being displayed and automatically runs the process respectively.
Command Line to Auto-close SimpleIndex
This is used to closed SimpleIndex after the job has been completed automatically. This can be useful if you only run one batch in SimpleIndex at a time and don’t need it after that batch is complete.
Instructions to Auto-close SimpleIndex when Batch is complete:
- Open the SimpleIndex Job Configuration that you would like to set to auto close when the batch is is complete.
- Open the Job Settings Wizard from the File menu.
- Go to the Advanced Settings step and expand Pre-Process & Post-Process options.
- In the Post-Process field put the following:
taskkill -f -im simpleindex.exe - Save the Job Configuration.
Alternate Intructions:
- Open the Job Options from the File menu
- In the Batch tab put the following in the “Post-Proc” field:
taskkill -f -im simpleindex.exe - Click OK and then Save from the File menu
Continue with Post Process Command Line if Input Folder is Empty
When running multiple jobs in a row or chain with the Post Process Command Line it is possible that an earlier Job in the process won’t have any files. This will stop the Job before reaching the Post Process step and cause later jobs not to run.
This can be corrected by adding an option directly to the XML text of the Job Configuration. This will tell it to keep going to the Post Process step even if there are no files to process in the Job.
Instructions:
- Right click on the Job Configuration file (.sic file format) and select Open With..
- Select Notepad or some other text file opening software.
- Search for this in the text of the file: <POSTPROCEMPTY>false</POSTPROCEMPTY>
- Change the word “false” to the word “true” in that section.
- false = Stop immediately if there are no files to process.
- true = Run the Post Process Command Line even if there are no files to process
- Save the file and close it.
Using alternate database schemas
In SQL Server, Oracle and MySQL (among others) user logons are associated with a default “schema” that determines which tables and views they can see.
Users may have access to other tables and views that aren’t in their schema. When connecting to the database these tables will show up in the list, but when you try to get the list of fields you get an “Invalid object reference” error.
To reference these tables, use [Schema].[Table] for the table name to explicitly reference the table.
You can also change the user’s default schema on the server to the one matching the table.
A third option is to create a view under the user’s default schema that selects the necessary records.
At the present time you cannot enter [Schema].[Table] in the wizard, so if you need to use this workaround configure the job in the wizard and modify the table name in the old job options screen.
How do I export index data to a database?
There are a variety of ways to connect to your database. Detailed instructions are provided in the Manual (check the Help menu). Here is a brief overview of the steps involved:
-Create a job configuration to scan and index files
-On the database tab, set the “Database Mode” to “Insert New Records”
-To use ODBC, enter the data source name or file in Data Source
-To connect directly, select your database type under “Select a Data Source” and click Start. A series of dialogs will prompt you for database connection information.
-Select destination Table or View and click Reload
-For each index field, select the corresponding database field that will receive that field value
-The “Output File Field” will receive the path to the exported file
Once you have created records in your database in “Insert” mode, you can change to “Retrieve and View Records” and use SimpleIndex or SimpleSearch to search and view the files.
- Published in Database & Retrieval, Export
Can SimpleQB be used to scan in receipts and invoices which are then matched to the files kept in the QuickBooks System?
Yes, That is exactly what SimpleQB was designed to do.
SimpleQB uses the information from your QuickBooks documents to file images under the appropriate customer/vendor, document type, document number and date. Simply pull up the corresponding file in QuickBooks and click scan!
- Published in SimpleQB
Is it possible to have the scanned image itself added to a database and not just the image path?
Yes. Image files can be inserted into binary fields in Access, SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL and other databases.
Check the “Store files as binary objects” option on the Database tab and the “Output File Field” setting can be mapped to a binary field.
If using PDF, MS Office or other non-image files, use the File Type Field to store the file extension of the stored file.
SimpleSearch mode will let you view files stored using this method as well.
- Published in Database & Retrieval, Export
When exporting to a database, I get the error “Multi-step operation generated errors”
This error is usually caused when the data you are trying to insert does not match the data type of the database field. This could be a text value being inserted into a number or date field, or a text value that is longer than the maximum length of the field.
To avoid this error, be sure to use the correct Field Type and/or Template on the Index tab to force the user to enter data in the correct format. You may also need to adjust the data types or lengths for your database fields.
- Published in Database & Retrieval
How do you configure a field to select from a list of possible values?
List fields are populated using a text file or database field containing the values for that list. The text file scenario will be described first.
To configure a list field, go to the Index tab in the Job Options. Create a list field by selecting “List” for the field type and give it a name. In the “List File/Field” setting for this field, put the full path or UNC to the text file containing the list or click “Set” to browse to the file. If you have not created a file, you can put the path where you want the file stored here and click the “Edit” button. This will open the file in Notepad; new files will prompt you to create them.
On each line of the text file you will put one of the possible values that you want to be able to select from while you are indexing with SimpleIndex. You can copy this information from another source and paste it into the text file.
Save the file in Notepad and close it. The List field is now configured!
To use a database field, your configuration must be connected to a database using the settings on the Database tab. Any fields defined as “List” on the Index tab that have a corresponding field mapped on the Database tab will use the unique values from that field to populate the list.
You can check “Only allow values in list” to disallow users from entering a value not in the list.
Once the List index field is configured properly you can select the values from a drop down after scanning that appear in the main SimpleIndex window while indexing. It also makes the field autofill the closest match from the list based on the characters that you type in that field.
- Published in Indexing & UI
Is it possible to restrict user access to certain documents in Retrieval Mode?
If the database you use to store index information has security access features, you can use these to manage access to documents with SimpleIndex retrieval mode.
In your database, create user accounts and groups and assign them the appropriate permissions to records in your document database.
In SimpleIndex, check the “Require Logon” option on the Logging tab to force the user to logon to the database using the accounts you created. When they search and view documents, they will only be able to access records that the corresponding database user has been assigned access to.
- Published in Database & Retrieval
How do you configure full text searching in Retrieval mode?
On the Database tab there dropdown in the lower portion of the panel for Full Text OCR Field. Put the name of the field that will store the full-text data there. This must be configured both for Insert and Retrieval mode configurations. The database field needs to be sufficient length to store the entire text of your document.
Of course, the Insert Mode configuration must have “Enable Full Page OCR” checked to generate full text data from images. Text from MS Office documents, PDF files and existing OCR text files can be used without setting this option.
When designing your Retrieval Mode configuration, create a Text field to use for full text search queries. On the Database tab, set the corresponding “Database Field Name” to the full text database field.
When searching on your full text field, SimpleIndex finds the text you enter no matter where it appears in the document. It is able to match partial words. It does not perform boolean or natural language searches. The text entered must match the document text exactly.
- Published in Database & Retrieval, OCR
What is “Match & Attach” mode?
Match & Attach mode lets you batch update multiple records in a database using the index data from your SimpleIndex job. For example, if you have a large backfile of documents that you want to scan and link to records in an existing database, you can use Match & Attach to find the corresponding record and set the Image Path field to the newly scanned file.
For details on how to configure Match & Attach mode, please refer to the manual.
- Published in Database & Retrieval, Export
How do you configure the Autofill feature?
The Autofill feature of SimpleIndex is an easy way to associate many index fields with one document without retyping data that already exists in another application.
Autofill uses a database lookup to retrieve records that match a key value entered by the user. Blank index fields are then filled in automatically with the data from this lookup. The result is a document database with many different possible search fields, of which only one needed to be entered during scanning.
To configure the Autofill feature first go to the Index tab and define the field that will be used to perform the lookup. Each value in this field should correspond to a single record in the database, usually defined as the “Primary Key”. This field can be any type, including Barcode and OCR for full automation.
Next click “Configure Index Autofill” button. Here is where you will setup the database lookup. The “Match Data Source” is configured the same way as the “Data Source” on the Database tab. It can be the path to an MDB file, an ODBC data source or OleDB connection string. Click “Set” to browse to an Access MDB file or type the connection string.
Once the data source is set, the drop-downs for the Table and Field names will be populated. Select the table or query that contains the data, then select the field in the database that will be used for lookup. Under “SimpleIndex Key Field 1” select the field you defined in the first step.
“Key Field 2” gives you the option to use 2 field values to perform the lookup if a single unique matching value doesn’t exist.
Click OK and go back to the Index tab.
Finally set the field type to “Autofill” on every field you want to populate from the database. In the “Template” for all the Autofill fields put the name of the corresponding database field that will be used to populate it.
Now when a value is entered for the key field, the Autofill fields will be filled in automatically from the database!
Cascading List Mode
Cascading List Mode is a powerful new feature introduced in 8.2 that lets you filter each list field by the values you select. For example, you could have lists for Vendor Name and Invoice Number, and when you select a Vendor from the list, the Invoice Number list will only show invoices from the selected vendor.
- Published in Database & Retrieval, Indexing & UI
How do I connect to an SQL Server database?
On the Database tab, choose “SQL Server” from the drop-down labeled “Configure Data Source”. Click the “Start” button.
You will be prompted to enter the SQL Server name and database name. Once selected, an OLE DB data source will be entered under “Data Source”.
You can add a default user to the “Data Source” using the conventions for OLE DB provider strings. With this configuration, all users will use the same SQL Server login. To configure individual logins, check “Require Logon” on the Logging tab. If you would like the users to select their name from a list, add each user ID using the “Add User” button.
- Published in Database & Retrieval
How do I connect to an existing Access database?
To connect to an existing Access database go to Options then the Database tab. There is a drop-down list next to the “Start” button. Click the arrow and select “MS Access” then click “Start”.
An Open Database dialog will be displayed. Select the Access MDB you want to use then click “Open”.
Select the table or query you want to use from the “Table Name” list and click “Reload”.
The field selectors will now be populated with the list of fields from the table/query you selected. The Image Path stores the path to the image file for each record. Each entry in Database Fields list maps the corresponding Field # from the Index tab to the selected field in the database.
Click apply and your Access Database will be configured.
The Log Field, Log Table, Revision Field/Level and the Full Text and PageCount fields on the Advanced tab are option. See the manual for a description of what these items do.
- Published in Database & Retrieval
I know nothing about databases. Can I still use the database and Retrieval Mode features?
Yes! We’ve made it simple to create a database that you can use to store index information and perform searches with SimpleIndex Retrieval Mode.
Once you have configured a SimpleIndex job to scan and store documents on your network, use these steps to create a database to store index information for searching:
1. On the database tab, make sure “Create Generic Access DB” is selected in the drop-down and click “Start”.
2. Save the Access database in a location accessible to all SimpleIndex users.
All the settings on this form will be filled in automatically after you save the database.
3. Change the “Database Mode” to “Insert New Records”. This means that when the job is run, new records will be added to the database as new files are processed.
4. Save the this configuration.
5. To create a configuration for searching and viewing, simply change the “Database Mode” setting to “Retrieve and View Records”.
You may wish to change field types on the Index tab to “List”. This will let the users select from a list of possible values for that field when searching.
Save this configuration to a different file and use it when searching. That’s it!
- Published in Database & Retrieval
Instant Integration With Any Application
SimpleIndex® provides a great alternative to “reinventing the wheel” using a document imaging SDK to implement scanning in your custom application. SimpleIndex uses a command line interface to enable developers to execute customized scanning workflows from another application. This lets you take advantage of SimpleIndex‘s TWAIN/ISIS scanning, zone OCR, barcode recognition and database export features without having to re-code them all yourself.
Whether you are an IT consultant creating an application for internal company use or a software developer looking to add scanning features to your application, SimpleIndex provides the easiest solution available.
To use SimpleIndex as a scanning front-end for your application, simply:
- Create a SimpleIndex job file configured to scan, index and save files the way you want
- (Optional) configure the database export to create/update document records in your DB
- Use a “Shell” command to execute the job file from your program
When you execute the job file from your program, SimpleIndex will scan, read barcodes, OCR zones, etc. and organize the documents into the folders and filenames your program requires. The database export can be configured to add or update records in your database with information captured from the documents as well as the image file path or binary data. Index values can be passed from your program to SimpleIndex via the command line. The whole process can be configured to run minimized so the user never even sees the SimpleIndex screen.
KB Articles for Integration
- Exclude Index Field from Index Log
- Turn Off Prompts and Pop Ups on Job Configurations
- Change the Font Size of Index Fields
- Large documents (>500 pg) Slow to Process - Workaround
- Regular Expression (RegEx) - Syntax or Type
- Index With Non-Latin Character Sets
- Skip to Blank Index on Save Index
- Stop Autorun When Double Clicking Configuration
- Autonumber Increment Value
- Overlap of SimpleView Viewer in SimpleIndex Display
Automated Processing & 1-Click Interface
SimpleIndex® 1-click scanning and indexing is enabled with its command line interface. SimpleIndex job files can be saved and opened just like a Word document. When you open a job file, SimpleIndex begins processing a new batch automatically. Scanning, processing (OCR, barcodes, database autofill, etc) and export happen in sequence with no further input from the user.
For unattended processing, the command line interface lets you use Windows services and scheduled tasks to automate OCR, barcode recognition and database export tasks.
The Command Line Interface also allows SimpleIndex to be integrated with custom software applications with minimal to no programming required.
- Field values, processing folders and other settings can be passed as command line parameters
- Any SimpleIndex option can be set using XML job files
- Database export links processed files to your app automatically
- Control application behavior (display window, exit after processing, etc.)
- Pre-Process and Post-Process features can execute other command line applications at start and end of batch
Unattended Server-Based Processing
SimpleIndex lets you run any SimpleIndex job as a Windows service for fully unattended processing. This is particularly useful for high-volume, high-demand applications where scanned images are coming from many remote workstations, as well as small and large implementations utilizing network scanners or digital copiers. In server mode, images are saved to a “hot folder” on the server where they are processed automatically. SimpleIndex performs barcode recognition, OCR and other indexing tasks and exports formatted files to storage and database servers.
Server processing licenses may be added to any version of SimpleIndex. Unattended processing is possible without a server license, but a user must be logged on to the workstation for it to execute. Windows services run automatically when the computer is booted up, even if nobody is logged on. You must have a Server license to run SimpleIndex on Windows Server operating systems.
SimpleIndex Servers can run multiple jobs on different schedules on the same server, or run multiple instances of the same job simultaneously to take advantage of multiple CPUs.
Integrate SimpleIndex in your Custom Application
Are you a developer looking for an easy scanning interface to use with your custom database application? Then SimpleIndex is the perfect solution for you!
With SimpleIndex, you can easily package pre-configured scanning and indexing settings for distribution with your application. SimpleIndex‘s command-line interface allows you to pre-set some or all of the index values for each batch, or even to hide the SimpleIndex GUI altogether. SimpleIndex can also interface directly with your database, inserting or updating index values and associating them with the images you scan. With SimpleIndex, you won’t have to write a separate import routine to get the new information into your database.
SimpleIndex is a far better option to developing your own scanning interface from scratch. If your application needs to use advanced features like barcode recognition or dynamic OCR, SimpleIndex saves you hundreds of hours of development time. If you need to let users preview each image, rotate, clean-up, rescan or index as necessary, why reinvent the wheel?
SimpleIndex means it is no longer too costly or complicated to bundle a full scanning application with your custom software. Being a SimpleIndex reseller means big discounts on every copy you sell. Sign up now!
KB Articles for Automation, Command-Line and Server Processing
- Command Line Sample
- Command Line to Auto-close SimpleIndex
- Fixes for Service not Correctly Running
- Stop Autorun When Double Clicking Configuration
- Using alternate database schemas
- Service Configuration Paths
- How do I delete an image and it's database entry?
- How do I export index data to a database?
- Is it possible to have the scanned image itself added to a database and not just the image path?
- How do you configure a field to select from a list of possible values?
Database Integration
Unprecedented Control of Database Interactions
Open database integration is a powerful feature of SimpleIndex® and one that furthers its interoperability with custom programs. Instead of using a proprietary database, SimpleIndex allows you to map its index fields to cells in any database table. It can be configured to create new records, update existing ones or retrieve them for viewing. Using these three basic database functions, SimpleIndex is able to interface with and operate on any database.
Automatic Indexing Using Existing Data
The Autofill feature of SimpleIndex is an easy way to associate many index fields with one document without retyping data that already exists in another database. Autofill uses a database lookup to retrieve records that match a key value entered by the user. Blank index fields are then filled in automatically with the data from this lookup. The result is a document database with many different possible search fields, of which only one needed to be entered during scanning.
The key field may be typed by the user, or it may be read from the document automatically using barcode recognition or OCR. The lookup is performed either when the user changes this field or when the index values are saved. If the lookup finds multiple matching records, the user will be notified and the first set of values will be used by default.
When used with pre-index batches, key information can be read automatically from barcodes or OCR and matched to database records with a single click. Search on up to 99 index fields without a single keystroke!
Output to XML or Any Text Format
SimpleIndex 8 offers export to XML files, as well as the SimpleExport module. SimpleExport makes it possible to integrate with any third party database, application, or document management systems (DMS) that accepts an XML or text file import.
SimpleExport converts the index values from a SimpleIndex job to any output format through XSL Transformations (XSLT). You may use one of the built-in scripts to export to a pre-defined system or design your own. SimpleExport runs automatically after each batch is exported, or it can run as an unattended Windows service.
SimpleExport can also be used as a standalone application for automating XSLT transformations, converting CSV or TSV (delimited text files) to XML, converting images to base64 or integrating other scanning applications with third party software.
Match and Attach Mode
SimpleIndex features “Match and Attach” mode, which combines the power of the Autofill feature with the ability to update existing records in your database. This lets you “attach” images to existing database records by “matching” them with values from SimpleIndex.
With other systems you must create a temporary database and write a custom import to match the scanned images to existing records. When indexing with OCR or barcode recognition, the entire process can be accomplished with our 1-click interface.
KB Articles for Database Integration
- Oracle database is slow to respond
- What is Document Imaging?
- Using alternate database schemas
- Multiple Sort Fields on Search
- Access Database Connection String
- How do I delete an image and it's database entry?
- Is it possible to search for and retrieve documents with Windows desktop search?
- Will your SimpleQB allow me to scan in old invoices or bank statements directly into QuickBooks?
- How do I use the Media Wizard to create searchable DVDs or thumb drives?
- How do I export index data to a database?