ABBYY FlexiCapture - 9.0 Project Setup Guide

ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0

Project Setup Guide

Dear user!

This guide describes the actions performed during project setup.

If you still need more information, try the following:

· Use other help files. You can open them using the program menu or by clicking “F1” or Start > Programs >

ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 Stations> Helps.

· System Administrator’s Guide: Start > Programs > ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 Stations > Guides > System Administrator’s Guide.

· Operator’s Guide: Start > Programs > ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 Stations > Guides > Operator’s Guide.

· A Guide to Creating Machine-Readable Forms: Start > Programs > ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 Stations > Guides > A Guide to Creating Machine-Readable Forms.

· Help files for applications in FlexiLayuot Studio 9.0 and FormDesigner 9.0 are opened from the menu of the corresponding application or be pressing F1. You can also click Start > Programs > ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 Stations > Helps.

· ABBYY FlexiLayout Studio Tutorials. Start > Programs > ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 Stations > Guides > Tutorials.

For the standalone version, ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 Stations is replaced with ABBYY FlexiCapture

9.0 in the paths described above.

We hope you will enjoy using our product!

Contents

1. Introduction....................................................................................................................................... 4

1.1. The Purpose of Data Capture...................................................................................................... 4

1.2. Data Capture Automation ........................................................................................................... 4

1.3. Documents You Can Process in ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0......................................................... 5

1.4. ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 Stations ............................................................................................. 5

2. Creating a Project.............................................................................................................................. 5

3. Creating Document Definitions......................................................................................................... 6

3.1. Creating a Layout ....................................................................................................................... 7

3.1.1. Definition Objects’ Geometric Marking.............................................................................. 7

3.1.1.1. Field groups................................................................................................................ 8

3.1.1.2. Fields with no marking................................................................................................ 9

3.1.1.3. Table marking............................................................................................................. 9

3.1.1.4. Fields with multiple regions ........................................................................................9

3.1.1.5. Fields with multiple instances ................................................................................... 10

3.1.1.6. Excluding a region from recognition ......................................................................... 10

3.1.1.7. Deleting fields........................................................................................................... 11

3.1.2. Static Elements ................................................................................................................. 11

3.1.2.1. Barcode Specifics......................................................................................................11

3.1.3. Field Properties................................................................................................................. 12

3.1.3.1. General Field Properties............................................................................................ 12

3.1.3.2. Data Type ................................................................................................................. 13

3.1.3.2.1. Data types of the text entry field............................................................................. 13

3.1.3.2.2. Data types for checkmarks ..................................................................................... 16

3.1.3.2.3. Data types for checkmark groups ........................................................................... 17

3.1.3.3. Field recognition properties....................................................................................... 18

3.1.3.3.1. Text entry field recognition properties.................................................................... 18

3.1.3.3.2. Checkmark and checkmark group recognition properties........................................ 19

3.1.3.3.3. Barcode recognition properties ............................................................................... 20

3.1.3.3.4. Image recognition properties .................................................................................. 20

3.1.3.4. Verification settings .................................................................................................. 21

3.1.3.5. Image Export Parameters .......................................................................................... 21

3.1.3.6. Rules Check.............................................................................................................. 22

3.1.3.7. Custom action/script editing...................................................................................... 23

3.1.4. Creating a Document Definition for Multi-Page Documents ............................................. 24

3.1.5. Creating a Document Definition with Annex Pages...........................................................27

3.1.6. Export Settings ................................................................................................................. 28

3.1.6.1. Exporting to a file ..................................................................................................... 28

3.1.6.2. Exporting to a database ............................................................................................. 29

3.1.6.3. Exporting to SharePoint ............................................................................................ 30

3.1.6.4. Exporting images ...................................................................................................... 30

3.1.6.5. Custom export (script)............................................................................................... 31

3.1.7. Configuring Recognized Data Presentation ....................................................................... 31

3.1.8. Testing Document Definitions .......................................................................................... 31

3.1.9. Editing and Publishing a Document Definition ................................................................. 32

3.2. Creating a FlexiLayout ............................................................................................................. 32

3.2.1. Classifiers......................................................................................................................... 33

3.3. Specifics of Non-structured Documents .................................................................................... 33

4. Configuring Project Properties ........................................................................................................ 34

5. Configuring Batch Types ................................................................................................................ 35

5.1. General..................................................................................................................................... 35

5.2. Image Preprocessing................................................................................................................. 35

5.3. Recognition.............................................................................................................................. 36

5.4. Integrity Check......................................................................................................................... 36

5.5. Export ...................................................................................................................................... 36

5.6. Workflow ................................................................................................................................. 37

5.6.1. Standalone ........................................................................................................................ 37

5.6.2. Distributed........................................................................................................................ 37

6. Configuring Image Import............................................................................................................... 37

7. Uploading a Project to the Server .................................................................................................... 39

8. Keyboard Shortcuts......................................................................................................................... 39

8.1. Main window ........................................................................................................................... 39

8.2. Document Definition Editor Window ....................................................................................... 41

8.3. Group Verification Window ..................................................................................................... 43

8.4. Field Verification Window ....................................................................................................... 43

1. Introduction

1.1. The Purpose of Data Capture

A large variety of documents is used today: in business, production and services. Applications, questionnaires, invoices, drafts and other documents are essential for any company. Modern information technology makes paper documents insufficient, and most data is converted to electronic form for storage, analysis and processing purposes.

The most labour- and time consuming thing about electronic documents was data input. It could only be entered by hand, which was reasonable with a small amount of information. However, this doesn’t work well with large document volumes. The speed of manual entry cannot be momentarily increased when the situation so demands, because manual entry groups are hard to manage, and the costs of changes may equal those of starting the process anew.

Thus, manual entry is not the optimal way. Its alternative, a simpler and more effective way, is an automatic data capture system like ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0.

1.2. Data Capture Automation

ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 is data capture software for processing structured, semi-structured (FlexiLayout) and non-structured documents.

Automatic data capture consists of the following stages:

· A pack of pages is scanned using a document scanner first;

· The scanned pages are then automatically bundled into documents;

· The characters are automatically recognized;

· Uncertainly recognized characters are sent to the Operator for checking (verification),

· Confirmed data is finally exported to a file or database, and document images are saved to the

specified folder. Images can be saved in a graphical format or as a searchable PDF file.

ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 is an efficacious data capture automation solution allowing easy control over work progress and quality.

1.3. Documents You Can Process in ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0

ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 is a data capture application supporting different document types.

The following document types can be processed in ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0.

· Structured documents. Documents with dedicated data fields that remain constant in quantity, position and formatting throughout the document copies are called structured. These forms are often issued in printed form for filling by hand. In order to identify a structured form and capture the data, a layout must be created indicating field locations to the program. Layouts are created in ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 during project setup.

· Semi-structured documents. Documents with data fields that differ in quantity, position and formatting from copy to copy are called semi-structured or flexible. Invoices are an example of this type, because they are often different in the number of items and formatting, for they are issued by different companies. All invoices include an account number and the amount of payment, but these are located in different parts of the document. ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 uses FlexiLayouts for identification of semi-structured documents and data capture. FlexiLayouts are created in ABBYY FlexiLayout Studio. For information on ABBYY FlexiLayout Studio, see its Help File. Processing of flexible or semi-structured documents is different from that of structured documents only at creation and layout matching stages.

· Non-structured documents. If you need to process non-structured documents with information presented in free form, for example contracts, letters, orders, diagrams, ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 will also be a solution. Non-structured documents can be automatically identified as supplements to structured or flexible documents, or by using FlexiLayouts, and then exported to image and searchable PDF files. Index fields can be captured from non-structured documents automatically (using FlexiLayouts) or manually. A typical non-structured document processing scenario would be converting a paper archive to electronic form, with capture of a couple of index fields required for attribute-based search.

1.4. ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 Stations

Depending on the installation type (standalone or distributed), the system will include different Stations. If you are using the Standalone version, projects are set up at the Administrator Station. If you are using the Distribured version, projects are set up at the Project Setup Station and then sent to the Application Server.

2. Creating a Project

A Project includes all the settings necessary for data capture (Document Definitions, Image Import Profiles, Program Settings), and the documents to be processed.

Documents are merged into batches. The batch formatting type depends on the processing type. For example, you can merge documents with the same creation date or from the set of documents scanned at one go. Settings to be used during batch recognition are defined by the batch type. You can create several batch types with the most commonly used processing settings. In this case, the Operator will only have to

select the necessary batch type. You can also specify the settings for the whole batch. These settings will be applied to projects with the type set as “Default”. First, the project settings are specified, and then, on their basis, batch types are formed (project settings are default settings for batch types).

Work Batches are used for document processing. Test Batches are used during Document Definition debugging. The difference between these batch types is that Test Batches make use of the local (unpublished) Document Definition, while Work Batches use the published Document Definition. You can access the list of Test Batches right from the Document Definition Editor window.

A Document consists of an image of one or several pages (i.e. single-page and multi-page documents) and the data captured from them.

Multiple Document Definitions can be included in the project. In this case, documents of different types will be processed within one project. Thus, you don’t need to presort the documents for processing. You can combine different document types in one flow. However, if document flows don’t intersect, you can create separated projects for them.

First, you need to create a project and at least one Document Definition.

To create a new project, either click New… in the Open Project dialog box that appears at program start, or click File > New Project… on the main menu. Select a folder to save the project to and specify the name.

To add batches to the project, use the New Batch command of the shortcut menu that appears when you right-click the batch list. It is possible to load images without creating a batch. In this case, a batch will be created by the program automatically.

To view the documents that were added to the batch, double left-click the batch name. To return to the batch list, click Project > Work Batches or press Ctrl+B.

3. Creating Document Definitions

Creating Document Definitions is the main stage of project setup affecting the quality of resulting data after document processing. To create a Document Definition, do the following:

· Create a layout (layout proper – in the Document Definition Editor or by loading a form built in ABBYY FormDesigner, and FlexiLayout – by loading a file built in ABBYY FlexiLayout Studio

9.0);

· Set properties for each field and specify what data is to be found in each field (it increases recognition quality considerably). Also, soecify which fields are to be sent to the Operator for Verificat ion;

· Set Field Value Check rules. The rules help identify documents with values that don’t meet the requirements, for example, the field value doesn’t correspond to the values from a particular database.

· Set the data export method. Data can be exported to a file, a database, to Microsoft SharePoint or according to the script procedure.

When the definition has been created, it must be published. It will then be available for document processing.

The main actions of creating and editing the Document Definition are carried out in the Document Definition Editor window that opens after a new definition has been created. To open the Document

Definition Editor, click Project > Document Definitions…, then select the definition name and click Edit….

To create a new definition, click Projects > Document Definitions... and, in the dialog box that opens, click New…. The Document Definition Creation Wizard will open. In the Create New Document Definition window, you can specify the main properties of the definition: the name, comment, language and style. Then set the text type: select ICR (for hand-printed text) or OCR (for machine-printed text) from the dropdown list. Later, it will be possible to change the text type for individual fields, and the type selected at this stage will be used as default.

Next, you need to load or scan the image serving as a prototype for the Document Definition. (If your document consists of multiple pages, load the first page for now. To learn how to add additional pages, refer to the «Creating a Document Definition for Multi-Page Documents»). You can scan the page (preferably not filled in) or load the image from a file. If you are going to process semi-structured documents, use a FlexiLayout. Select Load FlexiLayout and enter the path to the FlexiLayout file with the *.afl extension (the file that was created in ABBYY FlexiLayout Studio). If you were creating a flexible Document Description, this will be the last step.

If you are creating a fixed Document Definition, the next step is as follows. Select field types to be automatically found on the image. You can set checkmarks and text entry fields. The best results during automatic search can be achieved if you use text fields with marking and retangular checkmarks. If entry fields have no marking, and the checkmarks are to be set against a white background, it is recommended that you create them manually.

If your form has anchors (static elements of the given form, for example, squares used for identification and/or matching of a Document Definition), they will be found and automatically marked on the image as well.

3.1. Creating a Layout

3.1.1. Definition Objects’ Geometric Marking

When all the steps of creating a Document Definition are complete, the loaded image will appear in the Document Definition Editor window. The image will have fields of the types you selected at the last step as well as anchors.

Automatic object selection can be carried out later by clicking the element you need to select. The element type and loation will be identified automatically.

The Document Definition Editor has a set of easily accessible tools for field and static element marking:

· Field Regions Mode ( ) and

· Static Element Mode ( ).

To create a static element or field manually, you need to select one of these modes by clicking the corresponding button on the toolbar, and then, clicking and holding the left mouse button, draw a rectangle around the desired element. You can also hold Shift and left-click somewhere in the object area. In this case the field or static element region will be defined automatically.

and clicking somewhere in the area of

This is the list of tools for creation of different element types:

Fields:

Static Elements:

- text entry field

- checkmark

- checkmark group

- barcode

- anchor

- separator

- static text

- barcode

- picture

- table

- group (of fields)

A barcodes can be either a recognizable field or a static element. Care must be taken when selecting the mode that depends on the barcode purpose – if information is to be captured from the barcode, mark its region in Field Regions Mode, and if it is used for definition identification and matching, mark it in Static Element Mode.

Created fields appear in the list on the Fields tab of the Document Structure window. Names matching the comments or the field names will be used by default. You can change the field name by selecting it in the document structure and pressing F2. If you want the field to have the name matching the comments, select the field, right-click it and, in the shortcut menu, click Get Name from Image…. Then, draw a rectangle around the necessary text.

Field type can be identified by the icon in the list of fields and the frame color. Static elements are not displayed in the list.

Objects can be copied (including to other document sections), deleted, and moved, and their size can be changed. Names of field copies are numbered.

You can also select several objects at a time. To do it, hold Ctrl while selecting. The

tool can also be

used.

3.1.1.1. Field groups

Fields can be combined into groups to make document structure more illustrative or to created repeated field groups. For example, the city, street and house number fields can be combined into the “Residence Address”. Then, you can copy the “Residence Address” field group to create the “Work Address” fields.

To combine documents, use the

If there are repeated field groups in the documents, you can create several instances of the group you have created. All field properties as well as rules set within the group will work for each instance of the group. See 3.1.1.5 “Fields with multiple instances”.

You can also copy a field group, but, in this case, copying will result in creating a new independent group.

tool.

3.1.1.2. Fields with no marking

There can be fields having no corresponding region on the image. Fields with no marking are marked with a red asterisk in the list. Such fields can be used to store calculation results for values in recognized fields.

Fields with no marking have all the properties characteristic of their type: they can be sent to the Operator for Verification, the format check can be executed, and the field values can be exported.

To create a field with no marking, do one of the following:

1. In the Document Definition Editor, click Edit > Create Field and create a field of the required type. The field will appear in the list and will be marked with an asterisk. In this case, a document structure field will be created, but not its region on the image.

2. Delete marking of a regular field. Select a field on the image or list and, on the shortcut menu, click Delete Region. The marking will be deleted, and the field will be marked with a red asterisk.

To create a region for fields with no marking, click asterisk in the list, the program will prompt you to select a name for one of such fields. This may happen when you set the list of fields first and define their locations later.

on the toolbar. If there are fields marked with an

3.1.1.3. Table marking

ABBYY FlexiCapture 9.0 gives you the possibility of working with tables. The Table fields are used for it.

A range of tools is available for table marking in regular Document Definitions. These tools are used to draw tables, position lines and columns.

Draw a table region using the

the table cells using the tool to add separators. To create vertical separators, point the cursor to the table region, then drag the dotted separator to the desired place and left-click to fix it in its place. Horizontal separators are created using the same method, only holding Alt. You can also initiate an automatic separator search. To do it, select the table you have just created and use the following commands of the shortcut menu: Autodetect Vertical Separators and Autodetect Horizontal Separators. To delete

a separator, click

clicking graphic elements or barcodes. The program will prompt you to select the column type when you set it.

and clicking in the column region. Each column contains cells of one type: text, checkmarks,

. When you have added the required number of separators, set the columns by

tool. The table header must not be included in this region. Next, marj

When the geometric marking is finished, you will need to set the recognition and verification properties as well as the data type for each column. Column properties are set exactly like the properties of regular document fields.

3.1.1.4. Fields with multiple regions

If there are fields with regions consisting of several parts on your form, for example, tables stretching across multiple pages, you can create fields with multiple regions for processing of such data.

Values from all regions of a field are merged and exported as one field. The line break serves as a separator here.

To create a field with multiple regions, create one of the field regions, select it, then right-click it, and, on the shortcut menu, click Continue Region… Then, select a place for the region to continue at. Repeat the procedure the required number of times.

3.1.1.5. Fields with multiple instances

Your document can include repeated objects – fields or field groups that are present in several instances and that describe similar objects, for example, the same information about employees or their children, or invoices. Fields with multiple instances are created for such objects.

Any field, except for a table, can have multiple instances, with their regions located far from each other, possibly on different pages. Field instances have the same properties, and fields with multiple instances are exported to separate database files or tables.

Fields with multiple instances can be useful when creating repeated field groups: you create a field group, and then the necessary number of instances is created.

To create a field with instances, create one instance first, them select it, right-click the field region and, on the shortcut menu, click New Instance…. Create the necessary number of region instances and move their images to the required location on the page.

Figure 1. Using fields with multiple instances

3.1.1.6. Excluding a region from recognition

You may need to exclude a region fro m recognition in certain cases, for example, a region w ith comments

that hinders data capture of a field (Figure 2). To exclude a region from recognition, click region to exclude with your mouse.

and draw a

Figure 2. Excluding an unrecognizable region

3.1.1.7. Deleting fields

To delete a field, select it and press Delete or click Delete on the shortcut menu. To delete marking only, leaving the field in the document structure, press Shift+Delete or click Delete Region on the shortcut menu of the field.

3.1.2. Static Elements

Static elements are objects that do not provide information for capture. They are used for Document Definition matching and identification. Anchors are a type of static elements.

To begin working with static elements, switch to the special mode by clicking

, which will display

static element marking.

All static element types can be used to match a Document Definition, but the best results can be achieved only if the documents have standard anchors – black squares, crosses or angles. They must be set manually or automatically as a static element of the Anchor type. Their shape must be specified in the Element Properties window, the General tab.

Static elements of any type can be used as identifiers as well. Analyzing the position and value of the identifiers, the program finds the document the current page belongs to. If a barcode is used as the identifier, you can specify its value manually – this helps identify the page quickly and precisely.

To use a static element for Document Definition matching and/or identification, select the corresponding option in the General tab of the Properties dialog box. To open the Properties dialog box for any element, click Properties... on the shortcut menu.

Static elements can be used when matching a Document Definition (select Use to match Document Definition) and/or for Document definition identification (select Use to identify Document Definition).

Anchor: set the anchor type (square, cross, angle or rectangle). For standard anchors, select Use to match Document Definition. Select Use to identify Document Definition only if the anchor locations are

unique for the current document section.

Static text: if the static text will be used for identification, you can enter the text value. You need to enter the text value only if the page can’t be identified by its location alone (for example, if the pages are different only in heading texts, while the location and size of these headings are the same).

Separator: choose to use the separator for document definition identification or matching.

Barcode: if the batcode will be used as an identifier, you can enter the barcode value. On the Recognition

tab, specify the barcode type, its orientation and image processing options.

3.1.2.1. Barcode Specifics

If a barcode is used as an identifier, it is an anchor barcode and it belongs to static elements. Create it when you are working with static elements. The Properties dialog box of such barcode has two tabs: General and Recognition.

If a barcode is used for data capture, it is a field. Create it when you are working with fields. The Properties dialog box of such barcode has all the tabs of the Field Properties dialog box: General, Data Type, Recognition, Verification, and Rules. The value of such barcode will be recognized and, if the settings provide for it, sent to verification and export.

3.1.3. Field Properties

It is important to set field properties correctly, because they affect the quality of field recognition and define whether the field values are to be exported and sent to the Operator for verification. Some properties are important for data recognition. For example, the text field marking property is to be set carefully, so that the marking that doesn’t disappear during scanning is separated from the characters. It will lead to the recognition resulting in text only, without unnecessary elements.

Correct field properties lead to better recognition results making the Operators’ work easier. When you set field properties, document verification can be reduced to minimum.

When you have created a field of a certain type, it will have default properties. Some properties are taken from the Document Definition (for example, language), others are defined automatically (for example, marking type). They can be changed in the dialog box that opens when you click Properties on the shortcut menu of any object. Every field type has its own properties.

3.1.3.1. General Field Properties

The Properties dialog box of every field has the General (Figure 3) tab. The Name and description are specified on this tab. You can change the name automatically given to the field at the creation stage which corresponds to the comments that are most close to the field. Caption is the field name as displayed as data. The field type is displayed on this tab as an icon to the right of the name.

Additionally, the following options can be selected on the General tab:

· Export Field Value – clear this option if you don’t need to export the field value. This may be necessary, for example, if the field value is used to get the value of the calculated field (see Rules Checking

), and you need to export the final result only.

· Read only – select this option to prohibit any changes by an Operator. You may want do select the option for fields with values to be calculated automatically (according to rules), for example, for fields where you plan to save a sum or combination of values of other fields (see Rules Checking

· Show in data form – clear this option if you don’t want the field to appear on the data form when viewing documents. If an error occurs in such field, you will be unable to correct it in the Document Editor window, because the field will not be displayed. Thus, it is recommended to specify the settings that will not cause any errors in such fields.

· Cannot be blank – select this option if the field is required to be filled in. If the field is empty, a format error will occur.

· Index field – select this option if you are going to index the field. In this case, the field value will appear for each document in the list, and the Operator will be able to sort and search for documents by the value of this field. The index field value can also be used for file naming during export.

Figure 3. The Field Properties dialog box, General tab

3.1.3.2. Data Type

Data Type defines the set of possible field values and the allowed field format. If the value entered in the field doesn’t correspond to the specified data type, the operator will receive a verification error message. The text data type usually has a simple area of valid values: the date, time, address, taxpayer’s account number (INN), and sum. As for the checkmarks, the data type means values the field assumes when the checkbox is selected or cleared.

3.1.3.2.1. Data types of the text entry field

It is important to set the data type of the text entry field correctly. This tells the program what data type is to be found in tthe field – figures, certain letters, specific characters, date or other. The program allows the user to flexibly set data types. The user gets a ready set of data types which includes the types used most often. Besides, the user will be able to create his/her own data types to suit the task at hand.

When you set data types, you can configure the system to check the format of input value as well as set value restrictions, such as maximum and minimum numbers, time period for the date, and maximum number of characters for text fields.

The data type is set on the Data Type tab of the Field Properties dialog box (Figure 4).

Select a category from the Content list. In the Details field, the description of one of the data types (chosen by default, or specified manually earlier) that belong to the category will be displayed.

If the Process value as text option is selected, the values of fields with any content will be processed and exported as text. The field format check will not be carried out either.

To change the recognition Language or specify a more restricted data type, click the Edit… button located to the right of the description.

For standard (or general) types (General is selected in Content settings list), you can do the following:

· For Text – select several recognition languages (the “…” button). You can use the built-in dictionary and/or custom dictionary. Information in the dictionaries will be taken into consideration during field recognition then.

· For Number – select Integer if the value is expected to be an integer number;

· For Date – select the date component order, choose (not) to show months in words, choose (not)

to show time and day of week;

· For Address, Name, Code – use a custom dictionary.

Special types (select Special in the Content settings list) contain predefined data types you can choose the most suitable from. Mind the description on the bottom of the dialog box when making a selection.

You can create your own data type if none in the list suits your needs.

1. To create a new data type, select one of the values in the Contents list on the Data Type tab. You can select any value in list that would correspond to the purpose of your type. The resulting data type will be stored in the selected category, although the category itself doesn’t influence the new type.

2. Click the Edit… button located to the right of the Details field. In the dialog box that opens, select Special in the Content settings list. Click New….

3. Follow the New Data Type Wizard’s instructions.

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