Document Automation Series: Navigating the Powerful Features and Innovations of IBM Datacap for Streamlined Document Capture
INTRODUCTION
Step beyond the mundane chore of manual data entry and enter the realm of real-time analytics, enhanced decision-making, and accelerated business growth. Within the realm of IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation (CP4BA), document capture capabilities await, providing the means to empower your organization with the precision of data capture, classification, extraction, and validation that matches human perception. This isn't just data capture; it's data liberation, enabling your teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than mundane administrative tasks. Meanwhile, it adeptly captures, processes, and extracts invaluable insights from a diverse array of documents with utmost efficiency.
Some of the offerings for document capture include:
IBM Datacap :
This is a powerful document capture and data extraction solution that leverages advanced OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and intelligent document recognition techniques to capture and digitize information from various sources be it images or documents ( pdf, doc, csv , email ). It automates the capture process for a wide range of documents from structured documents like bank application forms to semi-structured ones including invoices, or unstructured ones like emails and contracts, and more. Datacap also includes features for data validation, document classification, and workflow integration, ensuring that captured data seamlessly flows into your business processes.
IBM Automation Document Processing :
This solution combines AI with deep learning and low-code tooling to help you eliminate manual document processing. Classify and extract information from your business documents more quickly, easily, and accurately. By seamlessly integrating advanced capture capabilities with intelligent automation, IBM Datacap redefines how organizations manage, extract, and leverage their critical data.
This article delves into the distinct features of IBM Datacap available within the CP4BA platform and as a stand-alone product.
FEATURES
#1. Multi-channel document capture: This capability provides document capture capability from a variety of sources. These range from traditional production or desktop scanners to multifunction devices, to mobile devices and applications, and everything in between. It may also include information received via web forms or website uploads; email attachments; and even fax and structured print streams.
#2. Handwriting Recognition Support: This capability allows the handwritten text on paper-based and electronic documents to be translated into electronic information that can be easily consumed by any application for further processing. The IBM Datacap Advanced Handwriting Recognition is an add-on for handwriting recognition for checks.
· Process a check with machine-printed and handwritten data.
· Detect and validate signatures on checks.
· Recognize cursive handwriting.
#3. Human-in-the-loop Validation: This capability allows human interaction that results in human verification and corrections in resolving errors and ambiguities in the extracted data. This ensures the accuracy of data extracted by IBM Datacap processors before it is used in critical business applications.
#4. Store documents in content repository: This capability offers out-of-the-box integration with various content management systems and repositories, such as IBM FileNet, IBM Content Manager, Microsoft SharePoint, and others. These integrations enable seamless transfer of captured documents and associated metadata to the content repository.
#5. Rule-based classification and extraction: This capability involves defining pre-set rules and patterns to automatically identify document types and extract specific data from documents during the capture process, enhancing accuracy and efficiency. This approach uses established criteria to classify documents and extract structured information, streamlining data capture while minimizing manual intervention.
#6. Role-based redaction: This capability provides a feature of automatically censoring or masking sensitive information within captured documents based on user roles and permissions, ensuring data privacy and compliance by revealing only necessary details to authorized individuals. This feature allows organizations to control access to confidential data while facilitating secure document processing and sharing.
#7. Supports 50+ languages: IBM Datacap can boast of this extensive language support that allows Datacap to accurately process and extract data from documents in various languages, catering to a diverse range of global business needs.
#8. Pre-integrated with CP4BA platform
IBM Datacap and IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation are designed to seamlessly work together to provide a cohesive end-to-end solution for document capture, processing, automation, and content management. CP4BA platform offers a unified suite of tools and capabilities to automate business processes, document management, and decision-making.
#9. Batch processing of documents: IBM Datacap provides a feature of capturing and processing multiple documents as a group or "batch" rather than individually. It involves grouping related documents together, such as invoices from the same vendor or forms of a specific type, and processing them collectively through automated workflows.
In the follow-up articles, we will discuss about cognitive capabilities of the IBM Datacap Insight Edition Add-on, Intelligent Extractor, and transition to AI-infused Capture offering as part of CP4BA.
Please connect with IBM Ecosystem Engineering - SI Labs Business Automation Squad for proof points and any specific engagements. Or reach out to me for any queries. We will see how best we can help.
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