Document and activity variants

Document variants

Create variants against a document type and specify the fields to ignore. Thus, you can have one generic document and present it differently depending on the variant in use.

Benefits of document variant include:

Flexibility: Variants allow you to have a flexible and scalable approach. Using variants, you can accommodate different document types without having to design and maintain multiple forms.
Simplified maintenance: Instead of managing several form templates, you only need to maintain one generic form. Then update or change it centrally, reducing the effort, and ensuring consistency across all document variants.
Efficient data capture: Users can focus on relevant fields for each document type, minimizing errors and improving data capture accuracy by hiding unnecessary fields on the user interface.

The Document variant option is only available when you generate a Scan create new job or Scan - Activity form. Variants are not available on the File upload or any other Capture controls; documents captured this way can be updated to apply a variant using the SDK.

Use case: Create variants for document types

In this example, the master document includes example fields for purchase orders, invoices, and receipts. Each document variant represents a specific type of document and displays the relevant fields while hiding the unnecessary ones.

Document Variant	Fields displayed	Fields hidden	Purpose
Invoice document variant	Invoice number Billing address Item details Total amount Due date	Purchase order number Shipping address Receipt number Payment details	This variant focuses on the fields required for processing invoices. Fields specific to purchase orders and receipts are hidden since they do not apply to invoices.
Purchase order document variant	Purchase order number Billing address Item details Total amount Requested delivery date	Invoice number Shipping address Receipt number Payment details	This variant displays the fields necessary for purchase order processing. Fields specific to invoices and receipts are hidden in this variant.
Receipt document variant	Receipt number Billing address Item details Total amount Date of receipt	Invoice number Purchase order number Shipping address Payment details	This variant displays the fields relevant to a receipt. Fields specific to invoices and purchase orders are hidden in this variant.

Document Variant

Fields displayed

Fields hidden

Purpose

Invoice document variant

Invoice number
Billing address
Item details
Total amount
Due date

Purchase order number
Shipping address
Receipt number
Payment details

This variant focuses on the fields required for processing invoices. Fields specific to purchase orders and receipts are hidden since they do not apply to invoices.

Purchase order document variant

Purchase order number
Billing address
Item details
Total amount
Requested delivery date

Invoice number
Shipping address
Receipt number
Payment details

This variant displays the fields necessary for purchase order processing. Fields specific to invoices and receipts are hidden in this variant.

Receipt document variant

Receipt number
Billing address
Item details
Total amount
Date of receipt

Invoice number
Purchase order number
Shipping address
Payment details

This variant displays the fields relevant to a receipt. Fields specific to invoices and purchase orders are hidden in this variant.

By creating these document variants, it becomes easier to present and process specific types of documents while ensuring that irrelevant fields are hidden, reducing confusion, and enhancing efficiency in document handling.

Activity variant

You can create an activity variant for a document variant to show and hide fields. This enables multi-stage validation, where multiple resources can validate a document in stages with the visible fields considered valid for the activity but possibly invalid for the document.

Benefits of activity variant include:

Enhanced validation workflow: Activity variants allow for a more granular validation process by showing or hiding specific fields based on the stage of validation. It ensures that each resource focuses on the relevant fields and can provide accurate validation feedback.
Streamlined collaboration: Resources can work simultaneously on different validation stages, reducing dependencies and improving overall efficiency. Each resource can validate its assigned fields without being burdened by irrelevant information.
Improved data integrity: By validating fields at different stages, potential errors or inconsistencies can be identified and rectified earlier in the process ensuring document accuracy.

The Activity variant option is only available when you generate a Take Activity form for a Scan, Validation, Verification, or Document review activity.

You can use an activity variant in a Capture form.

See Properties of a Capture composite control.

Use case: Create activity variants for the Invoice document variant

In this example, the activity variants are designed to align with the Invoice document variant. Each activity variant represents a specific stage in the invoice processing workflow, tailored to the needs of that activity. The fields displayed and hidden in each activity variant reflect the requirements for that stage, streamlining the validation and review process.

Activity Variant	Fields displayed	Fields hidden	Purpose
Activity: Data Entry Variant	Invoice number Billing address Item details Total amount Due date	None	This activity requires a comprehensive view, so all fields are displayed.
Activity: Review and Approve Variant	Invoice number Billing address Item details Total amount Due date	None	This activity requires a comprehensive view, so all fields are displayed.
Activity: Finance Verification Variant	Invoice number Billing address Total amount Due date	Item details	For this activity, item details may not be relevant, so those fields are hidden.
Activity: Payment Verification Variant	Invoice number Billing address Total amount Due date	Item details	For this activity, item details may not be relevant, so those fields are hidden.
Activity: Compliance Verification Variant	Invoice number Billing address Item details Total amount Due date	None	This activity requires a complete view of all fields, ensuring compliance with all necessary information.

These activity variants allow for a more focused and efficient validation process, enabling different stakeholders to work on specific stages while considering the relevant fields for their respective activities within the invoice processing workflow.

Additional information about variants

When a document type is used within a Scan, Validation, Verification, or Document review form, the fields configured to be ignored in a document or activity variant do not display and are considered valid for the lifetime of that document. This means that the ignored fields in a document or activity variant do exist on the form but are hidden.

When you design a variant, ensure that the required fields are visible for the multi-field validation rule to execute.

When you apply a validation rule, all fields hidden at the document and activity variant level are considered valid. If you configure a multi-field validation rule and some of the required fields are hidden by the activity variant, and if these fields are used in the multi-field business rule, then the business rule is still executed. However, if a multi-field business rule is mapped to fields hidden by the document variant, then the business rule is not executed.

When you design an activity variant and hide some fields, you will not be able to correct the fields if a multi-field business rule fails.

When you take an activity or create a new job using Scan, the variant is applied to the document at the point of creation and the variant version is set to the latest active version. If the variant does not exist at that point, the document is stamped with the variant, but the version is set to 0. The only way to update the version and apply the variant is to re-classify the document.

You can copy a variant within a document type or from a parent document type to a child and modify it without the need to recreate the entire variant manually.

On exporting a document type as part of a process or package, any configured variants are retained.

On upgrading TotalAgility, any configured variants are available for the existing document types.

Any fields removed from a document type are automatically removed from the variant configuration.

Any fields added while editing a document type are automatically added to the variants of the document type and process but are unmarked as ignored or hidden.

If the activity variant does not exist when the activity is taken, the document variant is applied.

How to: