Remote scanning, or scanning from different workstations

Some of this info (in a slightly different form) is repeated in SCG. So update that if you update this! And: SCG refers to this topic by name.

Multiple workstations can be used to scan documents. This is the recommended process:

1. In the Persistence policy dialog > Instances settings, select Scan to file and store in database from Enhance. This causes the images to be stored to a local file server, as shown in the diagram in Image management: Overview.

2. Create a task that runs the Enhance activity on the same PC where the documents are scanned. Recommended: Run it as a Windows Service.

3. Ensure that the Enhance activity at one site does not try to access documents scanned at another site. The easiest way to do this is by using queues. (Example:If scanning is done at two local sites, one Scan site scans to Queue 1, and the other to Queue 2. Two separate production tasks, one at each site, are set up to enhance images from their respective queues only. Production tasks used for central processing are then set up to process documents from both queues.)

   Use this procedure:

   1. Define queues – a sufficient number of them so that each Scan workstation can assign "its" images to a specific queue.

   2. In the task that runs the Input activity at each workstation, in the Advanced input settings, select Add documents to queue. (See instructions.)

   3. In the task that runs the Enhance activity at each workstation, use the Queues settings to access only documents in that queue.

4. If bandwidth or file space are an issue, you could make these additional adjustments:

   • If you are scanning in color, select Create small display images, Use 8-bit palette image, and Delete original image after creating smaller display image in the Display image settings.

   • Select Compress data when communicating with the database and Allow lossy compression of images in the global Persistence policy dialog > Instances settings.

   • Require production operators to save batches manually. This puts less load on the database.

   • Add-ons (extensions, or plug-ins) may need to be copied to client PCs, with logging done locally.
      

After Enhance, the document images are removed from the local file server and saved in the database for central processing.

Tip: For a diagram of the different types of images that can be created as documents are processed, and where they are stored and used in a system with remote scanning, see Image management: Overview.

Related topics

Scanning documents: Overview