Testing a Batch Setup

A Batch Setup is only as good as its results on real documents. DocView Capture gives you several ways to test your settings before operators see them, without creating batches or sending anything to your systems.

Quick tests read the file you choose and show the result on screen; nothing is saved and no batch is made. They take files of up to 25 MB and read only the first pages (as listed above; the Test tab reads up to 25). A few tests run at a time on the server; when it is busy you are asked to try again in a moment, so testing never slows down the batches being processed.

The Test tab

The Test tab runs this version's cleanup, OCR, separation, classification and extraction on a sample file. Nothing is saved and no batch is created.

1. Open the Batch Setup and go to the Test tab. You can test released versions and drafts.
2. Under Sample (PDF, TIFF, JPEG or PNG; first 25 pages), choose a file.
3. Click Test.

You can also reach it from the OCR step of the workflow: click Test separation and classification with a sample » or Test with a sample ».

Reading the result

Separation decisions This lists which separation rule started each new document, and why: for example "barcode DOC-123", "blank page", "patch T" or "new file".

Documents For each document found you see:

• the Document number and its pages,
• the class DocView chose, or Unclassified, with its confidence,
• a table of every Class with its Score and Why: the rules that matched, or the model's result,
• a table of each Field with its Value, confidence (Conf.) and the Method that found it. Values that need attention are highlighted, with the validation message.

Pages For each page you see a thumbnail, whether it was blank or removed, the OCR confidence, the cleanup notes (for example "Deskewed by 1.20°"), barcodes found, and the recognised Text.

What to look for

Tip: Keep a small "test pack" of real documents for each Batch Setup: a typical one, a difficult scan, a multi-page one and one from a new supplier. Run the whole pack after every change.

Test finders on many samples

On the Finders tab, drag samples onto the Samples & testing panel under the page (or use Add files). Tick the samples (or All), choose All finders and click Run test. You see the value each finder found in each document, misses, and a hit rate per finder in the Found on row. Click a sample to open it with its results marked on the page; click a value to see where it was read.

To look at one finder in detail, select it, choose This finder (or one zone of an advanced zones finder) next to Test in the panel, and click Run test. The panel shows each value per sample; hover for its confidence and page, click it to see where it was read on the image. The finder's Test tab shows how it ran and its candidates. Move between the tested documents with the arrows or Alt+Left and Alt+Right. See Test finders.

This is the best way to see whether a finder works across suppliers and layouts, not just on one sample.

Try validation rules and scripts

On the Validation tab, select a formatter, validator or rule and use Try it:

• For formatters and validators, type a value and click Try.
• For rules, enter field values, one per line as Name = value, and click Try.

The Events tab works the same way for event scripts. Scripts are tried on the server; browser scripts behave the same.

Test lookups

On the Lookups page (Administration › Batch Settings › Lookups), type a Test value next to a lookup and click Test. You see the rows your query returns. See Lookups.

Test output and export

On Output & export:

• Test against a sample batch converts an existing batch of this Batch Setup with the saved settings and shows the files it would make. Nothing is written or sent. You need at least one batch with documents; scan or import one first.
• Check export checks every export setup, template and destination of the version.
• Test on a destination checks its settings and connection. For a C# script, it compiles the script without running it.

See Output and export.

Run a real batch

When everything looks right on its own, run the whole flow:

1. Release the draft (see Versions and publishing). If live batches should keep using the older version, first pin Operations use to it.
2. Import a few real documents with Importing documents or Scanning.
3. Follow the batch in the Batch Manager through each step.
4. Check the exported files and data in the target system.

Note: A test system is the safest place for this. Build and test the Batch Setup there, then move it to live with Export and Update from file. See Import and export Batch Setups.

Checks DocView makes for you

Some mistakes are caught automatically when you save or release:

• the workflow must follow the workflow rules,
• field and finder names must be valid and unique,
• finders may not depend on each other in a circle,
• a version needs a workflow and at least one document class before it can be released,
• output templates must only use fields that exist and produce valid XML and JSON,
• destinations must have their required settings, and named secrets must exist.

These checks catch configuration errors. Only testing on real documents tells you whether the results are good.