TPS Imaging
Feature Summary
Publication Date: 
August, 2008
Storage of
Documents in Imaging
Network
Bandwidth Considerations
Documents
from Alliance Import, Alliance Export, and CargoPoint
Automated
Processing of Source Documents
|
Introduction |
TPS Imaging is a
Kewill solution for the storage, retrieval, and identification of document
images for the Alliance Import, Alliance Export, and CargoPoint
products. It integrates tightly with
Kewill’s Internet Tracking and eVENT products. This document
outlines the characteristics and features of TPS Imaging. It refers to other documentation for
details. |
|
Imaging
Architecture |
TPS Imaging is a
3-tier (data-application-client) database solution supported by ancillary
tools and processes. The data layer is
the Cache’ database. TPS Imaging
information is stored in the AMITAL namespace in the Cache’ database. TPS Imaging integrates tightly with the
Kewill Internet Tracking and eVENT products, which share a common data
repository in the Cache’ database. For
CargoPoint installations, the CargoPoint database, hosted by Microsoft SQL
Server, is also part of the data layer. The application
layer is a Windows-based DCOM component called Alliance Imaging Connection
Server, which provides a connection-pooling mechanism for the Cache’
database. The client layer
communicates with the Cache’ database via Alliance Imaging Connection
Server. For CargoPoint installations,
the client layer communicates directory with the CargoPoint database. Also in the application layer are a number
of processes that support TPS Imaging: the TPS Source Document Manager
service and the TPS Cache’ Connection Check service. The client layer
is comprised of two Windows-based applications: TPS Imaging Document Viewer
and TPS Source Document Processing.
They provide all client functions, including viewing of indexed
document images, indexing of source document images, and system management. |
Storage of Documents in Imaging
|
Storage of Imaging
Documents |
Imaging stores
and presents rendered document images in multi-page compressed TIFF image
format. As inputs it accepts TIFF,
JPEG, and PDF image formats. Imaging stores
the document images in designated network folders. |
Network Bandwidth Considerations
|
Considerations |
Characteristics
of Imaging that require consideration for network bandwidth are:
|
|
Access Security |
The TPS Imaging
client layer is intended for use within a customer’s secured facilities. As such, its security is lightweight. Only system management functions are
secured. Integration with Internet
Tracking and eVENT is controlled by security features in those products. |
|
Document Viewer |
Indexed documents
are viewed via the TPS Imaging Document Viewer application in the client
layer. Simple search filters that
integrate with Internet Tracking (if present) help the user find documents. Indexed document
display leverages the capabilities of the workstation hosting the TPS Imaging
Document Viewer application. Users can print,
e-mail (MAPI), save to disk, delete, and recall (for reindexing) indexed
documents via the TPS Imaging Document Viewer application. |
|
Source Document
Indexing Description |
Source documents
are indexed (associated with shipments, as well as identified by document type
and suffix) via the TPS Source Document Processing application in the client
layer. Source documents queued for
indexing are displayed in a list called the Inbox in the TPS Source Document
Processing application. The user can
view the contents of the queue and select the source document image that they
want to process. The processing
screen in the TPS Source Document Processing application allows for document
association and identification of the source document as a whole. However, tools within the TPS Source
Document Processing application allow source documents to be split, merged,
and edited prior to processing. |
|
Description |
TPS Imaging
system management is integrated into the TPS Source Document Processing
application in the client layer.
System Management encompasses:
Security controls
access to System Management. |
Documents from
|
Description of |
Alliance Import
and Alliance Export send document requests to the CargoPoint sends
document images and metadata files directly to designated folders. A process in the Cache’ database reads the metadata files and stores the information for TPS Imaging. |
Automated Processing of Source Documents
|
Automated
Processing |
An important
function of the TPS Source Document Manager service in the application layer is
the retrieval of source documents from e-mail and/or folders. The service scans the source documents to
detect lead sheets and automatically index the source documents accordingly. This feature is called AutoScan. AutoScan
facilitates the association of a large number of documents with shipments
with a minimum amount of operator intervention. It works on the idea of lead sheets, which
are specially encoded pages that separate documents and groups of documents
in a scan stack. File Lead Sheets
identify a set of documents that are to be associated with a particular
shipment and precede that document group in the scan stack. Document Lead Sheets identify each document
by its type, and precede each document in the scan stack. Lead Sheets are printed using the Lead
Sheet Generator tool in the applications in the client layer. AutoScan uses either
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) or barcode recognition to detect and
decode lead sheets. Documents that can
be identified by a File Lead Sheet and a Document Lead Sheet are automatically
indexed; those that cannot are placed in the Inbox for manual processing. The example below
illustrates how AutoScan works. |
AutoScan Documents Example:
|
AutoScan
illustration |
The first page in
this scan stack is a Commercial
Invoice. Because it is not
preceded by a File Lead Sheet or a Document Lead Sheet, it is placed in the Inbox
for manual processing. The second page
is a File Lead Sheet for Import
file number 101495. The third page is
another Commercial Invoice. It is not preceded by a Document Lead
Sheet, so it too is placed in the Inbox for manual processing. The fourth page
is a Document Lead Sheet for a
Commercial Invoice. The last page in
this scan stack is a Commercial
Invoice. Because it is preceded by
both a File Lead Sheet and a Document Lead Sheet, it will be automatically
indexed as a Commercial Invoice associated with Import file number 101495. |
|
Source documents
retrieved from e-mail |
Source documents
retrieved from e-mail can be automatically indexed if the subject line of the
e-mail message contains the information necessary to automatically index the
document. [See the on-line
help of the TPS Source Document Processing application for details.] |