Queues: Overview

Note that this information applies to queues for documents in general, compound documents, or batches. A different type of queues is available for invoices (more information).

A queue is a gathering place for a group of documents, compound documents or batches having certain properties. Queues are used to separate this group from the main document flow so that they can be processed in a specific way.

Moving documents to and from queues

In order for queues to be of any use, you must set up some way for documents to be moved to and from queues. There are different ways of doing this. The most common way is described in Defining queues.

You can also create rules that put documents into queues when they meet certain conditions. (See Adding a rule to a document or other object and Adding a rule to a field specification.) Alternatively, use the DOCUMENTS API.

After queues are set up, you can specify them in a production task.

Note: Verify operators can move a document to a different queue, for example if they discover that a document is in the wrong queue. This option is only available when Keep batch together is not selected in the Batch specification editor: Structure tab. FYI, this statement about batches and queues  is true despite TFS 3756. Birgitta wrote: Det finns menyalternativ i Verify för att byta kö, och API anrop  och de fungerar förhoppningsvis. Det här [TFS 3756 and associated changes] handlade egentligen om hur task dialogen väljer ut vilka batcher/dokument en speciell task kan köra.

Example uses for queues

• To direct documents containing a value within a certain range to a particular person. Example:

  When processing documents from customers requesting a credit limit increase, by using a queue, requests for credit exceeding $25,000 could be redirected to a senior manager who would receive only these documents, separated from the normal production flow based on an exceeded value.

• To direct documents to the specific users who are most suited to verifying them. Example:

  To divide the verifying and optimizing work among multiple workstations or operators, documents could be added to a queue according to supplier, placing invoices to suppliers whose names range from A to D in queue 1, from E to G in queue 2, and so on.

   

Invoice queues

Use invoice queues to organize invoices for verifying in an invoice solution that uses Invoice modules. (More information about invoice queues.)