Designing Your Document Management Solution

If you have not yet decided on a plan for how to organize your scanned images for later , you should take some time to consider the possible options. There are several ways to  and view documents scanned with SimpleIndex®:

  • Use SimpleSearch to use keyword searches to find and view indexed documents
  • Use SimpleView to browse folders, search files, view, edit and annotate scanned documents without a database
  • Use a third-party document management system for integrated searching, viewing, workflow, HIPAA compliance and other document-centric functions
  • Use SharePoint to share documents online, create custom document workflows and employ records management standards
  • Use the Windows Search Bar to search the names AND contents of files stored on Windows Server 2008 or later.
  • Integrate SimpleIndex directly with your custom application using the Command Line Interface
  • Work with our professional services team or an Authorized Dealer to create a customized solution or direct integration with virtually any application
  • Use a custom database or spreadsheet such as MS Access, SQL Server or Excel to store the index data and provide links to the stored document images.

SimpleSearch is included with all versions of SimpleIndex and can also be licensed by itself. SimpleSearch implements the same SimpleIndex interface in “Retrieval” mode, hiding all the menus and toolbars used for scanning. Index fields normally used to assign values are used for searching instead.

SimpleSearch can use SimpleIndex‘s built-in database to perform searches, or connect to any other database, even those for existing business applications. Users simply type index values they want to find and SimpleIndex displays the matches. Partial matching and full text searches are also supported. Displayed documents can be printed, e-mailed or opened in their associated application (Word, Adobe Reader, Excel, etc.). SimpleSearch can view several common image formats, PDF files and can preview files for any OLE-enabled application installed on your computer (MS Office, Adobe applications, AutoCad, etc.)

Take control of Sales Tax exemption forms

Automatically fill and file sales tax forms

Ben Franklin once noted, “…nothing is certain except death and taxes.” In the case of state sales taxes, they may be unavoidable, but managing your customers’ sales tax exemption forms and making sure you’ve sent current exemption certificates to your vendors doesn’t have to feel like a terminal condition.

Comes with automatically fillable PDF Sales Tax Exemption Forms from Every State

SimpleIndex has the power to recognize the forms you receive from customers and file them automatically so you can find them in seconds.

SimpleIndex also fills out sales tax exemption PDFs from every state to create a complete set of your forms ready for emailing to your vendors.

Link both processes to your customer and vendor data sources to streamline the process. Even without those lists, the state, certificate number and expiration recognize automatically, leaving you with the simple task of clicking on the customer name to file the document away.

You’ll never have to dig through old emails or piles of paper to make sure you have that exemption on file again!

When it’s time to send your vendors the proper state certificate to get your sales tax exemption, simply open up the Fill Vendor Form job, select the vendor, and all your state exemptions are filled out automatically and assembled into one PDF file suitable for framing emailing.

Manage your customer sales tax exemption forms:

  • Scan customer sales tax exemption certificates submitted on paper
  • Process e-mailed PDF sales tax exemption forms
  • Use OCR or read the filled-in forms from PDF files to file them automatically
  • Search and view customer tax forms in seconds
  • Receive automatic e-mail notifications when exemptions expire
Indexing Customer Sales Tax Certificates

Fill out and e-mail vendor sales tax exemption forms:

  • Standardized, fillable PDF sales tax forms for every state
  • Select a vendor and fill in all the relevant name and address information automatically
  • One click fills in every state form with both your company’s information and your vendor’s
  • Packages saved to bookmarked PDF files and e-mailed to vendors
  • Receive automatic e-mail notifications when exemptions expire
Filling out all state certificates with a single entry to send to vendor

Find out more!

The sales tax management solution is available for free to SimpleIndex users!

Download SimpleIndex – Download the Sales Tax Jobs

Some initial setup is required, and we can help you out with that too. Our Professional Services department can have you up and running in just a couple of hours.

Please Contact Us to find out more about automating your sales tax time thieves with SimpleIndex!

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Affordable Document Management

SimpleIndex® is a great solution for small businesses and departments that need a quick and affordable way to scan, organize and view documents. SimpleIndex provides a wide variety of retrieval options, many of which require no special software to find and view documents.

Affordable Document Management Solutions with SimpleIndexThe most basic solution uses Windows folders and filenames to organize and find documents on a shared network drive or synced to a cloud storage platform.

SimpleIndex lets you use index field values to create folders and filenames automatically, automating the process with barcodes, OCR and database lookups where possible.

You can also use SimpleIndex with SimpleSearch to create a keyword-searchable database that lets you find and view documents based on one or more index values.

There are several advantages to using SimpleSearch instead of Windows folders:

  • Find documents based on specific keywords or phrases
  • Drop-down lists to select possible keyword values
  • Use “And” and “Or” logic to search multiple field values
  • Search the full text of OCR’d documents, Office and PDF files
  • Search results are returned instantly
  • Quickly browse through all matching files, even if they are in different folders
  • Integrated file viewer with zoom, annotation, print and email functions
  • Index data stored in a database and can be re-used for reporting and other applications

Integration with Third Party Document Management

SimpleIndex is able to integrate with Enterprise Document Management Systems using a variety of integration methods.

Lowering the Cost of Document Management

automate data entry for affordable document management

Many small businesses are going digital with their documents. However, many also find that the document management systems available are too complex, expensive, or labor-intensive to be practical in a small office.

SimpleIndex was designed to solve this problem by removing many of the costly and cumbersome “gotchas” that make practical implementation of these systems impossible.

Here are some of the ways SimpleIndex saves you money:

  • Standalone scanning, indexing & retrieval license starts at $500.
  • No limitations on processing volume (“click charges”).
  • Files are stored in standard formats using logical folders and filename structures
  • Exported files can be synced any cloud storage platforms
  • Key data is embedded in the file names and metadata tags to ensure they can be found without a third party database or app
  • SimpleView provides both free and low-cost options to browse, search and view exported documents.
  • SimpleSearch provides a client/server document management system with index field and full-text search for a minimal cost per workstation.
  • SimpleIndex integrates with any custom database, allowing you to use existing infrastructure or free/open source database platforms instead of buying expensive licenses.
  • SimpleIndex integrates seamlessly with most document and content management systems available on the market today. Leverage the low cost and enhanced feature of SimpleIndex as an alternative front-end for migrating documents to your DMS.
  • SimpleIndex uses OCR, barcode recognition, database lookups and advanced pattern matching algorithms to automate the indexing and filing of captured documents. Combined with its streamlined workflow, SimpleIndex gives the highest level of automation you can get in this price range.

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Zone OCR and Dynamic OCR

Many document scanning solutions use Zone OCR to obtain index data from the page.

SimpleIndex improves upon this time-tested but ultimately limited model with its Dynamic OCR feature.

Let’s look at the difference between the two methods:

Zone OCR

Zone OCR is used to read document indexes or tags from text on the page. It is a great way to automate the data entry associated with scanning documents.

However, there are several limitations to zone OCR that must be overcome:

  • Index information must be in the exact same place on every page
  • Documents shift and skew during scanning, causing the zones to not line up
  • If surrounding lines or text on the document are too close, they can encroach on the zone

Dynamic OCR

SimpleIndex overcomes these limitations by using Dynamic OCR technology to locate the desired text even when it moves around on the page. Our simplified version of Dynamic OCR works great for many types of documents at a fraction of the cost of other solutions.

  • Index information can appear anywhere on any page
  • Unwanted characters are automatically ignored
  • Find unique patterns of letters and numbers using Template Matching
    (Social Security #, Date, etc.)
  • Use Dictionary Matching to find a value from a list of possible values
    (Vendor Name, Document Type, etc.)

Download document scanning and OCR software.

Dynamic OCR Examples

In the video we see how SimpleIndex approaches a typical Zone OCR example. With SimpleIndex you can use large zones that give a wide margin for error. Template and Dictionary matching are then used to extract the 7-digit Account Number, 6-digit Order Number and Company Name. SimpleIndex discards the surrounding text and keeps the correct value.

Another common example is finding a unique identifier, for example a social security number, that could appear anywhere on the page. Simply enter the template ###-##-#### and SimpleIndex will search the full OCR text until it finds a match. Since only one social security number is likely to appear on the page, a match on this pattern is almost certainly the required value.

With dictionary matching, you can give SimpleIndex a list of possible values and it will automatically search the zone or page for each possible value until it finds a match.

Many dynamic forms processing applications can be implemented using these simple algorithms. This makes SimpleIndex far more versatile than other zone OCR solutions that require the index value to be in the exact same location on every page. Yet SimpleIndex costs only a fraction of the price!

SimpleIndex‘s dynamic forms processing can greatly speed up data entry by eliminating a good percentage of indexing work. For many this can put the labor cost of scanning within their reach.

MS Office Document OCR Text Parsing Video

Dynamic OCR can also be applied to MS Office and PDF files, creating a fully automated process for intelligently indexing and reorganizing electronic documents.

Amazon AWS Textract Cloud OCR Batch Processing

Amazon AWS Textract Cloud OCR

With Textract you can capture data from almost any type of form, including handwritten ones! Textract identifies labeled text anywhere on the document and returns the label text along with the corresponding value. Map the labels to index fields in SimpleIndex and you are ready to capture that data no matter where it appears on the page.

Textract uses machine learning with a huge model based on the billions of pages processed using Textract to provide the most accurate OCR and form field extraction solution available.

By default, Textract is only available as an API and requires custom coding to integrate it into your document workflows. SimpleIndex turns it into a fully-featured document batch document and data processing app that is ready to use out-of-the-box.

Since there are no templates to configure or train, setup can be done in hours instead of days or weeks months required by other enterprise data capture solutions.

Pay-as-you-go pricing makes SimpleIndex with Textract the most affordable way to batch process forms for projects with less than 50,000 pages per year to process, especially if you need to read handwriting or have forms with many layout variations.

Wiki: How to configure AWS Textract OCR in SimpleIndex

Support for Regular Expressions

Use Regular Expressions to extract index data from OCR text, PDF and Office documents.

SimpleIndex OCR has a simple built-in template format, as well as support for Regular Expressions. Regular Expressions (RegEx for short) let you define complex search patterns to extract matching values from the text.  This greatly enhances the functionality of the dynamic OCR in SimpleIndex, making it capable of finding variable-length fields with no distinct pattern.

Regular Expressions are a commonly used in text parsing applications. The Perl programming language makes extensive use of RegEx, as do UNIX utilities like “grep”. Many programmers and IT personnel are already familiar with RegEx and can create complex expressions without specific training.

Click here for a reference guide to Regular Expressions

Download document scanning and OCR software.

New OCR Features in Version 10

SimpleIndex 10 includes major upgrades to the OCR and Bar Code engines 

  • Amazon Textract Cloud OCR option added, with settings for Text, Forms and Invoice & Receipt extraction.
  • FineReader Engine has been upgraded to version 11. Offers improved accuracy and speed when processing large documents.
  • Full-page OCR to Word (docx), Rich Text (rtf), Open Office (odt), Excel (xlsx), PowerPoint (pptx), ePub Zip (epub), FictionBook (fb2), HTML (htm), XML (xml), Alto XML (alto.xml).
  • MRC Compression for PDF files (Mixed Raster Content).
  • OCR language pack includes all available Tesseract languages including Hindi, Tamil, Arabic, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Hebrew and many more.

How to Configure SimpleIndex OCR

Our Wiki help has extensive information on how to configure OCR for various document and data capture scenarios.

Watch this Simple Software University training video to see how to configure and run an OCR job with SimpleIndex.

Download document scanning and OCR software.

 

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Multiple Sort Fields on Search

If you have a Search/Retrieval configuration that you want to have Sort by more than one column do the following.

1. Open the configuration pad in Notepad.
2. Search for the option value <SORT_FIELD>
3. Normally there is one value in the section that looks like this:  <SORT_FIELD>FIELD1</SORT_FIELD>
4. Add the fields that you want to search by as the database columns like this:  <SORT_FIELD>[FIELD1],[FIELD2]</SORT_FIELD>

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How do I delete an image and it’s database entry?

If your Job Settings Wizard configuration’s of Database mode setting is set to “Update Existing Records”, the database record and the image will be deleted when you delete an image from a batch. The Table Name must be an updateable query or table and you must have sufficient permissions for both the database record and the file.

You cannot delete files with SimpleSearch. To enable retrieval users to change indexes, rename or delete files, use a SimpleIndex Standard license.

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Is it possible to search for and retrieve documents with Windows desktop search?

Windows Search works great with SimpleIndex because all index data can be saved to the folder and file names as well as the file properties, and OCR text can be saved to hidden layers in PDF files. Windows Search will read all of these elements when building its index and will return any matching files when you search.

Using Windows Search on a file server allows for instantaneous searching across terabytes of documents and text for all of the users on your network.

IFilters allow Windows Search to search within file contents.

Here are three popular PDF IFilters that will enable text searching for PDF files:

If you have issues with PDF text searching in Windows 10, this article has detailed instructions for resolving PDF IFilter issues:

https://fixedit.itxpress.biz/2018/07/05/searching-pdfs-in-windows-10/

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Is the document Search/Retrieval and View functions available in SimpleIndex or available only with the SimpleSearch add-on module?

All of the search functions can be used with any SimpleIndex license. SimpleSearch is only needed to enable searching from other workstations.

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I have a scanner/copier that creates PDF and TIFF files and saves them to my file server. Can I use SimpleIndex to create a searchable CD/DVD from these files?

This feature is included in SimpleIndex at no additional cost and is called the Media Wizard.

The Media Wizard is located in the “Send” file menu and is called Media Wizard. It allows you to burn your images, indexes, a database and a free SimpleSearch viewer for just the CD or DVD. It also provides an easy way to get the maximum amount of information on the media that you want it on.

You set up the Media Wizard by pointing it to your image folder and database and you select the media that you would like to put it on. It then saves a file folder with all the files that you would need in the size of the media you are using in the location that you designate. You then burn these files using the burning application of your choice.

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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.

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Organize Office Documents with Text Parsing

This video shows the Sort My Documents sample job included with the SimpleIndex trial download. It shows how you can organize office documents automatically by parsing the file’s text for relevant metadata and keywords. You can then use those keywords to tag documents with metadata and create standardized folders and filenames.

Organize Office Document Automatically with Text Parsing

First we sort Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations automatically using the SimpleIndex template and dictionary matching algorithms that match patterns and keywords in the parsed text.

Then the files are organized into folders and filenames using the Sales Rep, Customer, Document Type and Date values extracted from the text.

Organize Office Documents for Cloud Storage

You can also upload organized files to SharePoint or Cloud Storage platforms without the chaos and disorganization you inevitably get when users create their own folders and filenames.

Organize Office Documents for Document Management

In the video, we use SimpleSearch to search and view the sorted files. But you can just as easily use any third party document management system or custom database to perform keyword or full-text searching.

You can use the SimpleView embedded viewer to view Office documents, PDF files and images in a common interface. In the video we use the full version of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to edit Office documents right from the search screen.

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FAQ Related to Organizing Office Documents

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SimpleIndex Walkthrough

What Is SimpleIndex?

SimpleIndex is a tool to organize your documents automatically, whether they are scanned or digital.

It provides the advanced OCR automation features of enterprise-class software, with an interface and workflow that is optimized for the desktop user.

SimpleIndex Document Processing Workflow

It can work as a standalone document manager, or a capture front-end to any app, database or cloud storage solution.

What Makes SimpleIndex Different?

Document capture applications fall into 3 main categories — Desktop, Enterprise and SDKs. SimpleIndex is a hybrid of all three.

Desktop scanning and OCR software require you to manually organize your files, which adds many hours of extra work over time, even if you only scan a few documents a week.

Enterprise solutions are designed to distribute documents to multiple servers and operators and keep hundreds of working batches in a queue, with all the extra setup time and license costs associated with them. (If they’ll even sell you a permanent license!)

APIs and SDKs make you re-invent the wheel. While you have direct integration with your app, any capabilities and UIs you want to have need to be coded. 

SimpleIndex puts powerful Enterprise automation and integration features into app that is designed and priced for desktop users.

The SimpleIndex command line interface lets IT and information workers who aren’t programmers integrate scanning, OCR and data capture into third party apps and RPA Bots.

How Does SimpleIndex Work

SimpleIndex is designed around a single batch processing model, performing all the stages of the document capture workflow in one sequence of steps.

These steps are:

  • Import (scan or read existing files)
  • Process (cleanup, OCR, barcode recognition)
  • Index (QC review images and OCR, assign index field values)
  • Export (save documents and index data to files and/or database)

SimpleIndex is designed to quickly scan and index a single batch by performing each stage automatically in sequence, without the operator having to click extra buttons or launch a different application. This design makes SimpleIndex much faster and easier to use, while lowering setup complexity and cost.

SimpleIndex replaces the series of individual commands required by some applications with a single “Run Job” button. This one click executes all the user-configured settings and batch steps.

SimpleIndex Jobs

Each type of document has different parameters for each processing stage that are used to capture and file the images. In SimpleIndex, a particular set of these parameters is called a Job. 

When configuring a job, you must specify how you want SimpleIndex to perform each of the processing stages from Import to Export. When a job is executed, SimpleIndex automatically launches all the processing stages in sequence according to the settings you specify.

The settings for a job are saved to a SimpleIndex Configuration File (*.sic). Any configuration file can be launched from Windows Explorer by double-clicking its icon just like any saved document. Doing this will start SimpleIndex and execute the job automatically.

Jobs can even be configured to perform all indexing automatically and hide the SimpleIndex user interface altogether. You can run them interactively while you work in other applications, or run them unattended on a server.

SimpleIndex Job Files
SimpleIndex Job Files

Processing the Sample Jobs

The best way to get started with SimpleIndex is to check out the sample configuration files that come with the trial download. These sample configurations demonstrate some of the key features of SimpleIndex and provide a starting point for configuring various types of jobs.

Several online videos are available to guide you through this process, or you can schedule an online demo and have us show you personally!

Download Now

RTFM (Read The Fantastic Manual)

The Simple Software Wiki has extensive documentation and how-to guides for all of the features and usage scenarios, all in a Wiki format that lets you get additional information and context for any topic when you need to know more.

Core concepts and features have their own pages, with links to all of the settings and user interface options that relate to each one. Related training videos are embedded as well.

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Full-Page OCR Indexing Demo

This sample job demonstrates the ability for SimpleIndex to convert scanned documents to searchable PDF files and extract index data from the OCR text. It also demonstrates the multi-user workflow capabilities.

Step 1 uses a full-page OCR process on each image.

Field data is extracted from the full-page text using template and dictionary matching algorithms.

This is done in Pre-Index mode to allow unattended processing.

Data is saved to a database so it can be reviewed and corrected in Step 2.

Step 2 uses Database Update mode to find images with missing index values and allow the user to manually enter the correct data.

Step 3 uses a SimpleSearch configuration to search and view the indexed images, including full text searches.

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FAQ Related to Full-Page OCR

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Searching and Viewing Documents

If you have not yet decided on a plan for how to organize your electronic documents for later retrieval, you should take some time to consider the possible options.

Search and Retrieval with Document ManagementThere are several ways to search and view documents processed with SimpleIndex®

  • Use SimpleSearch to use keyword searches to find and view indexed documents
  • Use SimpleView to browse folders, search files, view, edit and annotate scanned documents without a database
  • Use a Document Management System for integrated searching, viewing, workflow, security, compliance auditing and other records management functions
  • Use Cloud Storage platforms like Google Drive, Box and OneDrive
  • Use SharePoint to share documents online with custom metadata, create custom document workflows and employ records management standards
  • Link files to a custom application using the Command Line Interface or RPA bot
  • Integrate with your Database to associate documents with records via link or binary field
  • Work with our Professional Services Team or an Authorized Dealer to create a customized solution or direct integration with virtually any application

Choosing a Document Management Solution

Given the variety of free or very low cost file storage solutions available, why would you invest thousands of dollars in a document management system?

  • When high security or access tracking logs are required
  • Compliance with regulations like HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, FINRA, FOIA, SEC, etc.
  • There are document-based workflows that can benefit from automation
  • Users need to view files without installing software licenses (like DWG, VSD or  PSD)

If you already have a database or business app that you use to search for records, and that application has the ability to store or link external documents to those records, this is usually the best choice.

If your business application doesn’t have document management capabilities, there are integrations that can overlay a button or hotkey that lets users open associated files from any screen.

If your business has many different types of documents spread across multiple departments that use different applications, and they sometimes need to be able to access each others’ documents, then a central repository is the better solution.

Cloud Storage platforms like Google Drive, Box and OneDrive provide low-cost, secure online storage that makes it very easy to share documents worldwide on any device. However they don’t have the ability to do field-level indexing to allow for more granular searches, lack the compliance tracking features of a more robust DMS, and don’t have integrated viewers that can display some of the less common file formats without having the application installed.

Find Out More

Read more about Affordable Document Management solutions with SimpleIndex.

Check out our How to Scan Documents for a detailed guide to creating scanning and retrieval systems.

Download SimpleIndex Now

Our Professional Services department can help you with every step of our project, and often have you up and running in just a couple of hours.

Please Contact Us to schedule a demo or ask us any questions you have!

 

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