Ask the Expert: Best Practices – 7.x Installation and Upgrade

This Ask the Expert session is now open for questions. For the next couple of weeks our Subject Matter Experts will be around to reply to your questions, comments or inquiries about our topic.

Let’s make this conversation useful, respectful and entertaining for all. Enjoy!

Welcome to "Ask The Expert"! On behalf of Captiva DSEs, I welcome you to this event. During these two weeks, please feel free to post your questions on this forum. A panel of experts will be taking your questions around Captiva 7.x installation and upgrade. Thank you!

In CaptureFlow Designer (specifically in 7.1)...how are RetriesLeft handled? Is our FinishRoutine called for every retry, or the FinishRoutine is only called after all retries have been exhausted?

Hi Guys, Thanks for creating the forum.

We recently upgraded our Captiva Infrastructure from InputAccel 6.5 to Captiva Capture 7.1 which connects to Documentum Content Server 7.1. We used the following modules in IA 6.5

Developer Tools:

a. Process Developer

b. CaptureFlow Designer

Attended Module

a. Scan+

b. Index+

Unattended Module(Which runs as service)

a. MDW (Multi Directory Watch)

b. Multi

c. Image Enhancement

d. Advanced Documentum Export Module

e. Timer

And when we upgraded to Captiva Capture 7.1, we used the same modules due to the time constraints and we did not change our process or setup to take advantage of the new modules which are replaced/ replacing the deprecated Module namely (Index+, Image Enhancement) and the Developer Tools (CaptureFlow Designer).

Now we are planning to change the capture flow, process, setup, settings,.. to make use of the new modules as the existing modules are deprecated.

Developer Tools:

a. Process Developer

b. CaptureFlow Designer  ----> Replaced/ Integrated  with Captiva Designer 7.1

Attended Modules

a. Scan+

b. Index+  --> We have to use the Captiva Desktop in 7.1 and Completion in 7.5

Unattended Module(Which runs as service)

a. MDW (Multi Directory Watch)

b. Multi

c. Image Enhancement  --> Replaced with Image Processor, together with Image Processing profiles

d. Advanced Documentum Export Module

e. Timer

Looks like the Capture 7.5 is also released and could you please guide us, how we can go with this approach. In Capture 7.5 , Captiva Desktop is now renamed or enhanced as Completion which has Index+ and other  Desktop Family of Modules - (Captiva Capture introduces a new interface for manual classification called Identification. The Identification module is part of the Desktop Family of modules. As part of this effort, Captiva Desktop is renamed to Completion. Both modules are aligned to have a similar look and feel as well as common functions. Identification allows customers to identify document types and assign templates and Completion allows users to complete the data entry form and validate any extraction results.)

Regards,

John

What are the best practices for doing image assignments in CaptureFlow Designer? In IPP development, even modules like ODBC required an InputImage. What modules do and do not require such an assignment in 7.1?

Hello Anthony,

Modules that are no longer shipped are not included in the installer. Although you may continue to use these modules if they are already installed, they are no longer supported. For ex - PDF Export (Standard Export along with Export profiles; most functionality is replaced by the Image Converter module). For complete list, please visit Captiva Capture Release Notes under “Release Notes > Features and Updates > Components and Modules: Legacy, No Longer Shipped, and To Be Deprecated >”

Shaishiv

Hello John,

Thank you for your question. To help you plan the strategy, let me cite an example of IndexPlus as you asked. Please remove IndexPlus steps from the process and replace with Completion. Also note that IndexPlus and Completion cannot coexist in the same process. Configure module settings as required. Please also note that MDW is replaced by Standard Import with File Import Profile and this is the last supported release for MDW so while you can still use it on 7.5, it will be going away in the later versions so please plan accordingly.

Shaishiv

Hello Jonnyvic -

You may also want to read up on some of the Captiva Whitepapers regarding Captiva Desktop that are on support site:

• Combining Scripting APIs to Develop Advanced Functionality in Captiva Desktop
• Captiva 7 Indexing Levels and Desktop
• Understanding Validation Rules in Captiva Desktop and Extraction

Even though the whitepapers were written in the 7.0 & 7.1 timeframe for the ‘Desktop’ UI, the underlying implementation/configuration approach discussed in these documents still applies to Completion.

Hi Micah -

Re: What are the best practices for doing image assignments in CaptureFlow Designer? In IPP development, even modules like ODBC required an InputImage. What modules do and do not require such an assignment in 7.1?

Currently this forum is geared toward installing and upgrading Captiva Capture.  Your question seems to fall more on the configuration side of things (post install/upgrade).  I would recommend posting this question to the main Captiva User Community Forum or open up a SR with Support. 

Whats the best practices for maintaining remote capture while on 7.1 past Dec 2015? Captiva 7.1 would still be in primary support, but eInput is not. Is Captiva Web Capture available for 7.1?

Hello Anthony Ford -

eStatus is part of eInput which is End of Life.  Therefore there are no plans to update this solution any further.  Per the support site, here are the relevant dates for this products support lifecycle:

Primary support ends Dec. 31, 2015

Extended Support ends Dec. 31, 2016

In lieu of this, I would encourage you to check out the new Captiva Web Capture solution that debuted with 7.5.  It is not a 1 for 1 replacement of eInput but does offer some very compelling features that in my opinion are game changing; things like Real-Time Image Processing and Advanced Recognition services.

I just want to add that it is always recommended to download the latest Release Notes and Help Files for the version you are interested in learning more about. These can only be found on the Support portal. For example, the 7.1 release notes have been updated 10 times since the initial release of the software to include items such as new DBS version support. There is a revision history at the top of each release notes. It is not enough to trust the release notes and documentation that are part of each installer because the installer is not updated when there are doc fixes/updates.

Micah – Re: Whats the best practices for maintaining remote capture while on 7.1 past Dec 2015? Captiva 7.1 would still be in primary support, but eInput is not. Is Captiva Web Capture available for 7.1?

Correct. eInput goes off of primary support before 7.1 goes off of primary support. The EOL notice for eInput was sent out in April of 2015 and is also available on the support portal. Captiva Web Client (CWC) is only available for 7.5 unfortunately.

It is our recommendation to contact your Account Manager to discuss options for 7.1 which, in short, can include obtaining extended support for an additional year or move to a partner solution that is supported on 7.1:

http://www.imageaccesscorp.com/software/search.asp?Brand=Image Access&OrderBy=Brand%2C+Model

Please keep in mind that the initial release of CWC allows users to Scan and Index in the same interface, at scan time. This has its benefits as the OCR can be set to occur in real time while scanning is taking place using the RESTful services component in 7.5. The results are delivered back to the browser in a matter of seconds. There currently does not exist an option to perform web-based indexing downstream at a later point in time. If batch indexing is required later in the process, then Captiva Completion will be needed for that task.

Did you know, before installing IA Server the machine name of the InputAccel Server must not be longer than 15 bytes; otherwise, client machines will be unable to connect. Also, EMC recommends disabling antivirus software and Data Execution Prevention (DEP), and to close any open programs before installing the InputAccel Server.

Please feel free to post your questions on this forum around installation and upgrade.