Distributed Capture

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Advantages of Distributed Capture[edit | edit source]

Distributed Document Capture is a key feature of SimpleIndex that can provide huge savings, fast turnaround and improved quality control for enterprise scanning applications. For large enterprises with many locations that need to capture and share data, Distributed Document Capture with SimpleIndex is an ideal solution.

To scan documents from many locations with a centralized solution, they must first be shipped to a scanning facility where dedicated personnel are required to process the large volume of paper. SimpleIndex makes it possible to scan these documents at their original location and send them electronically to a central database where they are made available throughout the enterprise.

Advantages to distributed capture include faster turnaround, keeping the originals on-site, eliminating the need for dedicated scanning departments or costly outsourcing, and the ability to ensure the presence of required documents at the time they are collected using SimpleIndex’s Batch Auditing feature.

SimpleIndex is unique in that it is a purely desktop application that can run fully offline, while still allowing you to centrally manage users' job settings. This makes it ideal for situations where a connection to the main office network cannot be guaranteed, for example service bureaus that perform on-site scanning.


Implementation of Distributed Capture[edit | edit source]

To implement Distributed Document Capture with SimpleIndex, you must first carefully consider your existing network infrastructure to decide the best implementation method to use. Essentially, you are configuring SimpleIndex in the same way that you would in any of the other scenarios mentioned in this section, except with the extra step of transferring the images and index data to a central server. There are a wide variety of automated ways to transfer this data; the most common are FTP, email, and simply copying the files over a VPN or other high-speed WAN interface.

If your WAN has a broadband connection to the central database server, it is practical to configure SimpleIndex’s database functions to interface directly with the central database via the WAN. When saving images locally using a central database, the difference in performance is negligible. If your image files are small or your network connection is fast, it is also practical to use the central storage server as your Output folder and transfer images automatically. This configuration is identical to how you would configure SimpleIndex with multiple scanners on the same LAN.

SimpleSend is part of the SimpleIndex Imaging Suite and gives you the ability to automatically transfer documents via secure FTP or email. It has a command line interface that allows it to be launched automatically when a batch of documents is released from SimpleIndex. It can also be scheduled to transfer that day’s images at night. SimpleSend is the key to enabling distributed capture with SimpleIndex.

The ability to check for required documents while scanning is most commonly used in Distributed Document Capture scenarios. The Batch Auditing feature allows you to define a list of values that represent required documents in a batch. If a scanned batch does not contain all the items in this list, the user is warned and given an opportunity to scan the file or enter a reason why the file could not be scanned at this time. This feature was implemented to allow a health care chain to ensure all the patient documents required to bill the insurance company were collected and scanned by the front desk operator, greatly improving their turnaround time and error rate for collections.

Centralized Administration of Job Configurations[edit | edit source]

SimpleIndex job configurations may be hosted on a website and launched via web links (URL). This allows administrators to have a single version of all configuration files that can be updated without having to distribute local copies to many locations. A web portal can be created with links to all of the jobs relevant to the user, as well as processing instructions and other relevant information. Clicking the link downloads the configuration file settings and runs the job locally.

It is also possible to distribute global configuration settings and job files via download using the Global Settings Wizard. When SimpleIndex is launched for the first time, the wizard is displayed automatically. The user simply enters a URL provided by the administrator, and the settings wizard can download all the settings files, configuration scripts, scanner drivers and other support files required by your application and install them automatically.

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