Import and export Batch Setups

A Batch Setup can be saved as a Batch Setup file (.dvsetup) and loaded again, on the same system or another one. The file is encrypted: only DocView Capture can read and import it, and it cannot be read or changed with other programs. You can also protect it with a password. This lets you:

• move a tested configuration from a test system to live,
• keep a backup of a version,
• share a setup with a colleague or with Dev Soft UK support,
• start a new Batch Setup from a copy of an existing one.

There are four actions:

Export a version

1. Open the Batch Setup.
2. Use the version button to open the version you want. Released, withdrawn and draft versions can all be exported.
3. Click Export.
4. Optionally enter a Password, twice. Leave it empty for a file any DocView Capture can import.
5. Click Export in the dialog.

The file is named after the Batch Setup and version, for example Supplier_invoices-v3.dvsetup.

Protection

• Every file is encrypted (AES-256) with DocView Capture's own key, so only DocView Capture can open it. Any change to the file is detected, and the file is then refused.
• With a password, the file can only be imported by someone who knows the password. Use a password for files you send outside your organisation. A forgotten password cannot be recovered, so keep it somewhere safe.
• Only .dvsetup files can be imported. Files from earlier releases (.batchclass.json) cannot: export them again from the system they came from after it has been updated.

What the file contains

The file holds the complete configuration of that version:

• general settings, batch name template and batch fields,
• the workflow, including step names, QC and Correction settings, allowed operations, four-eyes rules and designed screens,
• image cleanup and separation rules,
• document classes, classification rules, fields and table columns,
• finders,
• formatters, validators and rules,
• event scripts,
• output settings and export destinations, including each document type's own export setup.

What the file does not contain

• Secrets. Passwords, keys and connection strings are never included in exports. Destinations and lookups only refer to secrets by name.
• Lookups. Fields refer to database lookups by name.
• Sample documents and trained classifier models.
• Batches, users, roles and permissions.

Note: The file also records a schema version. DocView reads files from earlier releases and upgrades them as it loads them. A file made by a newer release of DocView Capture is refused with a clear message; update DocView first.

Import a new Batch Setup

1. Go to Batch Setups and click Import.
2. Under Batch Setup file (.dvsetup), choose the file.
3. Optionally type a Name (optional). Leave it empty to keep the name in the file.
4. If the file has a password, enter it under Password (if the file has one).
5. Click Import.

The Batch Setup is created as a new draft, v1. If the name is already taken, DocView adds a number, for example "Supplier invoices (2)".

Then:

1. Add any secrets the connectors and lookups need under Settings, using the names the file refers to. See Settings.
2. Create any lookups the fields use, with the same names. See Lookups.
3. Check the export destinations, for example folder paths that differ on this server. Check export on the Output & export tab lists anything missing.
4. Test the Batch Setup. See Testing a Batch Setup.
5. Click Release.

Important: A file that contains C# export scripts can only be imported by a user with the permission Write C# export scripts, because those scripts run on the server.

Update a Batch Setup from a file

Use Update from file to bring a tested configuration into an existing Batch Setup, typically from a test system to live. The Batch Setup keeps its name, its released versions and its batch history.

1. On the target system, open the Batch Setup.
2. Click Update from file.
3. Choose the .dvsetup file exported from the other system, and enter its password if it has one.
4. Click Update.

The file becomes this Batch Setup's draft. If a draft already existed, it is replaced; the dialog warns you when this happens. Released versions and batches in progress are not changed.

Review the draft, test it, and click Release when it is right. With Operations use on Auto, new batches use it straight away; if operations are pinned, choose the new version when you are ready. See Versions and publishing.

Sample documents stay with the Batch Setup and follow their class by key. A trained classifier model is not part of the file, so train again on the new draft if you use one. See Classifier training.

A typical test-to-live routine

1. Build and change the Batch Setup on the test system.
2. Test and release it there.
3. Export the released version.
4. On live, Update from file with that file.
5. Check secrets, lookups and paths, then Release.

Because the same file goes to live, what you tested is exactly what you release.

Tip: Use environment variables named DOCVIEW_… in export folder templates, and the same secret names on both systems. Then the same file works on test and live without edits. See Output and export.

Clone a Batch Setup

1. Open the Batch Setup.
2. Click Clone.
3. Type a New name. It suggests the current name with "(copy)".
4. Click Clone.

The clone is a new Batch Setup with its own history, starting as draft v1. It is a copy of the latest version of the original, whatever version you were viewing. Samples and trained models are not copied.

Cloning is handy when a new department needs almost the same setup, or to try a big change without touching the original.

Export setups for a single document type

The Output & export tab has its own, smaller files: Download setup saves one export setup (output settings and destinations), and Load setup file loads one. Use these to reuse an export configuration between document types or Batch Setups. See Output and export.

Audit trail

Exports, imports, updates from file and clones are recorded in the Audit log.

Troubleshooting

Files are limited to 5 MB.