TOLIABatchEntryThis article is the second in a series discussing our document imaging workflow system.  This article discusses the batch workflow processing.  The TOLIA Batch Entry imaging module adds a method of mass upload of images to the TOLIA document imaging system built on top of TMWSuite.  Even with the image upload capability of the TOLIA Image Viewer, there are times that we need to mass upload images in a batch process.

This need arises several times a week actually since we rely on the TripPak overnight service that allows our drivers to send in all of their signed bills of lading, toll and fuel receipts, etc.  It would be too cumbersome to try to individually scan and upload these images, so an efficient batch processing tool was developed, aka the TOLIA Batch Entry application.

Process

This tools whole purpose is simple, to quickly allow the tagging and classification of images with paperwork check in.  We use a high speed Fujitsu scanner that processes pages very quickly outputting TIFF images in a temporary directory.  We then open the batch entry tool, drop these images on there and tag them before uploading them to the TOLIA database.  Here is a context overview of how this workflow goes:

ToliBatchEntryProcess

Features

There are several key features that are built into the Batch Entry tool to make the process more efficient and user friendly.

  1. Multiple Image Format – The image viewer supports multiple image formats, however 1 bit black and white CCIT4 TIFF Images are the optimal document image type which all scanners are able to produce.  We leverage an extra piece of software which works wonders called Kofax.  It enhances images and reduces noise greatly.  It ships with some Fujitsu scanners.
  2. Drag and Drop Support – To make getting images loaded into the tool easier, we built in the ability to drag images from the file system and drop them onto the Batch Entry tool.
  3. Image Preview with Sticky Zoom – Sometimes we will jot notes in the upper right corner of images before we scan them.  As you scroll through images in the grid, a preview is shown and you can zoom in on a section of the document and it will hold the zoom from preview to preview.
  4. Doc Type Mode Selection – Sometimes an operator may be scanning a group of one particular document type (e.g. Bill of Ladings).  They can go to the “mode” menu and set the default doc type to this type and it auto tags every document dropped onto the tool as that doc type.
  5. Tag Skipping - This is a huge time saver.  Say you have a 80 page bill of lading.  It would be cumbersome to have to go through and tag each page of that document set.  Operators can simply tag page 1, then move to the next document set leaving pages 2-80 untagged.  When the batch is uploaded, the tool automatically assumes when an image is untagged, to use the previous images tags.
  6. Instant Validation - We tie back instantly to TMWSuite to ensure that the order number specified is correct.  It not only does a lookup to see if the order is valid, it has a time constraint in place so that if we are entering a really old order number, a warning is triggered since odds are we would not be batch processing images for orders which are extremely outdated.  A row is highlighted yellow when errors are detected.
  7. Smart Lists - When tagging documents, we associated documents at the trip segment level (e.g. if we have split a trip and put multiple drivers on it).  If a trip is split, a drop down list of the drivers names on that trip are displayed allowing the operator to select a driver to assign the particular image(s) to.

The interface is designed to allow quick tagging of the documents so that an operator can whiz through a massive amount of documents using they keyboard only tagging and moving on, kind of like how you’d do in a spreadsheet.  Then with a 1 click, they are all uploaded to the system becoming instantly available.  Then with another click, the paperwork is checked into TMW accordingly.�

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