DocView Capture
A Batch Setup is the recipe for one kind of capture job. It tells DocView Capture how pages come in, how they are cleaned up and read with OCR, how they are split into documents, which document types to expect, which fields to extract, how values are checked, what operators see, and where the finished documents and data go.
If you have used another capture product, a Batch Setup is the same idea as a batch class in Kofax/Tungsten Capture or Ephesoft, an application in IBM Datacap, or a batch type with its Document Definitions in ABBYY FlexiCapture. See Coming from other capture products for a fuller comparison.
You manage Batch Setups under Batch Setups in the administration menu.
What a Batch Setup contains
Each Batch Setup has a set of tabs. You work through them roughly from left to right:
| Tab | What you set up there |
|---|---|
| General | Name, description, default priority, retries, straight-through processing, the batch name template and the batch fields. |
| Workflow | The steps a batch goes through, from Scan to PDF generation & export, and each step's settings. The OCR, separation & classification step holds the OCR engine and languages, image cleanup, the separation rules and how the class is decided. See Workflow and Image cleanup and separation. |
| Document classes & fields | The document types, their classification rules and their fields. See Document classes and classification and Fields and extraction. |
| Finders | Named rules that find values on a document, tested on samples. See Finders and zones. |
| Validation | Formatters, validators and rules across fields, documents and batches. See Validation rules. |
| Events | JavaScript that runs when things happen on the operator screens. See Events and scripts. |
| Output & export | Image and data formats, file names and export destinations. See Output and export. |
| Test | Run a sample file through cleanup, OCR, separation, classification and extraction. See Testing a Batch Setup. |
Create a Batch Setup
The New Batch Setup wizard has three steps: Start from, Name and Output.
- Go to Batch Setups and click New Batch Setup. If you have none yet, click Create your first Batch Setup.
- In Start from, choose a template. Each template shows a short description of what it sets up, such as its document classes, fields and export. Pick the one closest to your documents. Everything can be changed afterwards. Click Next.
- In Name, enter a Name (it must be unique) and, if you like, a Description. Click Next.
- In Output, enter the Export folder. Searchable PDFs and XML data are written here. You can add more destinations, such as SFTP, SQL or REST, later on the Output & export tab.
- Click Create Batch Setup.
DocView opens the new Batch Setup as v1, a draft. The templates are described in Batch Setup templates.
Tip: If a template is close but not quite right, start from it anyway. Changing a working setup is much quicker than building one from nothing.
The General tab
The General tab holds settings for the Batch Setup as a whole. The OCR engine and languages are on the OCR step of the workflow.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Name | The name operators see when they scan or import. |
| Default priority | 1 is the highest and 10 the lowest. New batches get this priority. |
| Description | A short note for other administrators. |
| Automatic retries before exception queue | How often an automatic step is tried again before the batch stops with an error (1 to 10). |
| Straight-through processing | Skips manual indexing when every document is classified and every field is confident and valid. |
| Batch name | A template for new batch names. See below. |
| Operators may change the name | Lets operators edit the suggested name before they scan or import. |
| Version notes | What changed in this version. Useful when you release it. |
Click Save when you are done.
Batch names
The Batch name template builds a name for each new batch. Click a token under the box to add it. The Example line shows what a name would look like today.
| Token | Meaning |
|---|---|
{setup} |
Batch Setup name |
{date:yyyyMMdd} |
Date in any .NET format, for example {date:dd-MM-yyyy} |
{time:HHmm} |
Time, for example {time:HHmmss} |
{seq:0000} |
Number of this Batch Setup's batch today: 0001, 0002… |
{user} |
User who created the batch |
{source} |
Scan, Upload, HotFolder, Email or Api |
{file} |
Name of the first imported file |
{id} |
Short unique code |
{box} |
The box, once a box sheet or batch header sheet links the batch |
{delivery} |
The delivery (booking) reference, once a box sheet, header sheet or delivery label links the batch |
{client}, {clientName} |
The client's code and name, once linked |
{clientRef} |
The client's reference for the box, once linked |
{n} |
Number of the batch from the box: 1, 2, 3… |
The default is {setup} {date:yyyy-MM-dd} {time:HHmm} {id}. A template must include {seq}, {id}, {time}, {file}, {box} or {n} so that batch names differ.
When the template uses {box}, {delivery}, {client} or {n}, the batch is named again by it as soon as it is linked to its box or delivery (for example {client} {box} {n} gives ACME BK-2026-000123-001 1), instead of the batch name in Booking Settings. Before it is linked, those parts are left out.
Batch fields
Next to the general settings you find the Batch fields. They apply to the whole batch, for example a batch reference or a cost centre. Operators see them under the document fields. Click Add field to add one. Batch fields work like document fields; see Fields and extraction.
Edit a Batch Setup
- Go to Batch Setups and click the name of the Batch Setup.
- Check the version button next to the title. It shows the version number and its state: Draft, Released or Withdrawn.
- If the version is released, click Edit (new draft). Released versions are read-only.
- Make your changes on the tabs. Each tab has its own save button, such as Save, Save workflow or Save validation.
- When the draft is ready, click Release. DocView lists what changes compared with the version in use, area by area (for example Workflow: step added: Image enhancement, Invoice: field added: Supplier), and fills the release comment with it. Add why, or edit it, and release. The comment is kept with who released it and when.
Important: Only one draft can exist at a time. If a draft already exists, the button reads Open draft instead.
Draft and released versions
Every change to a Batch Setup happens in a draft. Operators never see a draft. When you click Release, the draft becomes a released version, and new batches can use it.
Earlier releases stay available. Next to the version button, Operations use decides which version new batches get:
- Auto – latest released always uses the newest release.
- Pinned to vN keeps using one release while you prepare and release newer ones.
Batches already in progress always finish on the version they started with. Read more in Versions and publishing.
Version history
The Versions tab lists every version of the Batch Setup: its status, who created it and when, who released it and when, and the release comment. What changed lists what that version changed compared with the one before it. Click Open to look at a version. The version list at the top of the page shows the comment when you point at a version.
The Batch Setups list
The Batch Setups are listed in alphabetical order, as Cards or as a Table: switch with the buttons on the right; your choice is remembered. Type in Find a Batch Setup to show only those whose name or description contains the text, in either view. In the table, click a column header to sort by that column, and click it again to reverse the order.
Each Batch Setup shows:
- In use: the version operations use, marked Auto or Pinned.
- Latest: the newest version and its state.
- Document classes: how many document types it has.
- Created: when it was created.
- Quick links to its General, Workflow, Document classes, Output and Test tabs.
Inside a Batch Setup, the bar at the top shows where you are (Batch Setup and version, section, document class) and lets you switch to another Batch Setup or document class.
From the list you can also Import a Batch Setup file. Inside a Batch Setup you can Export, Update from file and Clone. See Import and export Batch Setups.
Delete a Batch Setup
Click the red bin button at the top of the Batch Setup and confirm. This cannot be undone. DocView refuses to delete a Batch Setup that still has batches in progress; finish or delete them first in the Batch Manager.
Who can change Batch Setups
Changing Batch Setups needs the permission Configure Batch Setups. C# export scripts also need Write C# export scripts, because they run on the server. See Users, roles and permissions.