Batch Scan

Definion

In bitfarm-Archiv Document Management a Batch Scan refers to the process of automatic and unattended scanning and archiving of large batches of documents. The batch need not only contain one type of document (e.g. invoice). For later retrieval the OCR runs a background process to extract the Full-text index. The (sometimes unsorted) documents get processed automatically according to specific characteristics – the Document Management System's technology can place several pages into one document as well as, depending on the type of document, automatically sort them into the corresponding archives all by itself. Tagging can also be automated according to a specific set of rules.

The documents in the batch do not have to be the same document type (e.g. invoices). The problem with capturing heterogeneous scanned material as a batch is splitting the entire scanned batch into individual documents. It is often the case that the documents involved have different page thicknesses. For example, a 5-page invoice is placed in the batch before a 3-page delivery bill, followed by a 10-page contract, and so on. After scanning and placing them in the DMS, the documents should again be available individually, as they are placed in different storage trays, indexed differently and fed to different workflows.

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Unfortunately, computers are not yet intelligent enough to recognize independently when one document ends and the next document begins. Therefore, some assistance is required. A marker must be used to indicate the separation points between documents before scanning. Barcodes are used as markers because they can also contain other information, such as the document type, the department responsible, or a sequential number for indexing. The barcodes can, for example, be stuck as small stickers always on the first page of a document (position and orientation do not matter). Alternatively, separator pages with barcodes are used.

Batch Document Scanning Software

In the Enterprise version of bitfarm-Archiv DMS, it is also possible to use file barcodes to provide information for several subsequent documents. All documents that follow a file barcode are linked to a virtual file in the DMS. As soon as the next file barcode is recognized, it applies again to all subsequent documents in the scan batch until the next file barcode arrives or there are no more documents in the batch. For later retrieval, of course, the OCR also works out the full text index in the background. Automatic further processing, such as correct sorting or the extraction of keywords and index fields, can also be performed on this basis.

Summing up, the keypoints are:

• A Batch Scan in bitfarm-Archiv Document Management refers to the process of scanning and archiving huge batches of documents automatically and unattended.
• It is not necessary for the batch to contain only one type of document (e.g. invoice).
• Tagging can also be done automatically based on a set of rules.

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