Content Management and Capture

 View Only
Expand all | Collapse all

Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

  • 1.  Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted Thu May 30, 2024 06:13 AM

    Have your team ever delivered a Datacap solution without ICN Navigator?

    In one project, we chose to install ICN Navigator along with WAS.

    But there is no Verify task to be used on ICN Navigator.

    We only needed Job Monitor and Configuration panel.

    But TMWeb (Datacap Web Client) can do most of these tasks.

    I've been thinking TMWeb (Web Client) is simple, light, and easier to use than Navigator.

    So I am wondering if TMWeb is enough to maintain Datacap Applications in production.

    So that we may do away with WAS and estimate shorter schedule and lighter documentations.



    ------------------------------
    dsakai
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted Fri May 31, 2024 04:23 AM

    Hi @dsakai,

    I first started working with Datacap when version 7.6 was current (I think around 2008, iirc). In those days, TMWeb was all we had. Content Navigator came later and was marketed as a unified interface for interacting with content across several IBM repositories, of which Datacap was one.

    It was certainly more modern than TMWeb at the time (TMWeb's Verification Thin Clients were very dated and were only supported in Internet Explorer) but its footprint meant that some customers didn't require it (for example, those who didn't need a Thin Client verify UI).

    TMWeb is, as you said, simple and lightweight and is certainly good enough to maintain Datacap applications in production. There are a lot of installations that still rely on it.

    I hioe this helps!



    ------------------------------
    Shaun McDowall
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted Fri May 31, 2024 07:19 AM

    Like Shaun, my company has been using Datacap since before version 8.  We have always used TMWeb exclusively with no issues.  We have custom scan and verify panels that we use through Datacap Desktop.  Our system consists of two Taskmaster servers and 5 rulerunner servers with TMWeb being installed on an 8th server that has other admin softwares for other products as well.  This setup has served us well.  



    ------------------------------
    Danny Mann
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted Fri May 31, 2024 12:01 PM

    Like Shaun I started with 7.5 but 7.6 was a better version.  Danny is correct.  Datacap Navigator can afterward.  You can use dcDesktop or tmweb to process batches without datacap navigator.  But tmweb only works will in IE.  

    As for the second part to your question, Datacap navigator can also do verify task meaning process a batch in verify task.  It can do pretty much the same as if you are using tmweb. There are plus and minus. 



    ------------------------------
    Duke Lam
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted 28 days ago

    Hi Shaun, Danny, Duke

    I've been using TMWeb in Chrome without any issues.

    I've never used Datacap Desktop because I thought it was for debugging purpose.

    Since you told me there are already installations without Navigator and working fine,

    I think I will seriously consider going without WAS.

    There have been much complication with WAS team because of Datacap Navigator.

    They say its ours to maintain. But the contract seems to say Navigator's maintenance work belongs to WAS team.

    We could've skipped all these "that's your work" conversations if we didn't install WAS and ICN.

    TMWeb was enough for our installation.

    >TMWeb is, as you said, simple and lightweight and is certainly good enough to maintain Datacap applications in production. There are a lot of installations that still rely on it.

    >We have always used TMWeb exclusively with no issues.  We have custom scan and verify panels that we use through Datacap Desktop.  

    >You can use dcDesktop or tmweb to process batches without datacap navigator.  But tmweb only works will in IE.  



    ------------------------------
    dsakai
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    IBM Champion
    Posted 26 days ago

    One note/piece of advice. We are at the point where there are features and capabilities that exist in DCNavigator that do not exist in TMWeb and as far as I know there's no plans to add new features to TMWeb at this point. I definitely appreciate your thought about reducing component clutter, but I cannot say with certainty that you will have everything you need with just TMWeb at this point from an administration perspective.



    ------------------------------
    Eric Walk
    Director

    O: 617-453-9983 | NASDAQ: PRFT | Perficient.com
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted 26 days ago

    Hi Eric,

    There are definitely end-user features and capabilities that exist in Datacap Navigator which are not in TMWeb, but I've not found any admin features or capabilities in Navigator that don't exist in TMWeb. 

    The Original Poster only required Job Monitor and Configuration capabilities and wasn't using any of the newer thin clients.

    Are there admin features in Datacap Navigator that don't appear in TMWeb?

    Many thanks,

    Shaun



    ------------------------------
    Shaun McDowall
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    IBM Champion
    Posted 14 days ago

    Hi Shaun,

    Sorry it took me a while to respond here.

    I've never seen a complete list, but I know of a few configuration things that are only in Navigator (like the ability to configure printing on scan, although that's not relevant for the OP). It does look like later in this thread @Duke Lam discovered that Navigator lets you set multiple return conditions for a workflow step where tmweb only allows one. Part of the problem, tbh, is that there isn't clear documentation on this, which is why I've been advising my clients to move away from tmweb as they're able to (my best guess is that we reached full feature parity for admin around 9.1.4 and that new features have been ICN-only for some time, potentially since before that).

    Best,

    Eric



    ------------------------------
    Eric Walk
    Director

    O: 617-453-9983 | NASDAQ: PRFT | Perficient.com
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted 14 days ago

    You got my attention. 
    I was able to add multiple return condition after playing around.  Just need to hit the return key. 
    Yes document did not mention specifically to setting up multiple return condition. 

    https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/datacap/9.1.8?topic=splitting-defining-condition-associated-action



    ------------------------------
    Duke Lam
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted 14 days ago

    Thank you Duke.

    You helped us go further.

    Your pic shows only one Condition name "Document Integrity Failed",

    while you added three Criteria ("jump", "dump", "bump"). I cannot be sure if these are three different Conditions, 

    or one Condition with three Criteria, which current Datacap no longer supports?

    Doesn't it work if each Criteria doesn't have a unique Condition name?

    I will test if ICN Navigator's multiple condition defining panel and TMWeb panel (the one showed above with hitting Return keys)

    define the same Conditions and that they produce the same result when running from Rulerunner.

    Thank you very much.



    ------------------------------
    dsakai
    ------------------------------



  • 11.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted 13 days ago

    I was using native travel doc as a test.  I am sure you can add more condition.  I was curious as to why datacap navigator has this but not in tmweb as I remember there use to be a way to do this.  I  don't know about one condition with three criteria would work or not.  Need to test it out.



    ------------------------------
    Duke Lam
    ------------------------------



  • 12.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted 21 days ago

    Tmweb is supported for the last Datacap version 9.1.9 ifix004 and MS Edge 
    This release supports also Windows 2022 server and Windows 11, if you get a look in the IBM  software and hardware compatibility..

    We also use this including tmweb for our customer and also ADSI.

    By the way you may also use ICN only for Datacap as repository. For each new Datacap application you must define an ICN repository and a desktop 
    Everything can be installed on your Datacap TM windows server ...WAS and ICN .and Datacap tmweb and wTM ...
    Think about it...

    For more questions address them to IBM Datacap support.. the team is a very good team anytime helpful..

    Hoping this helps you for a good decision,
    Dorothea 

    SOL UG (haftungsbeschränkt)

    ______________________________

    Dorothea Vulcan

    phone: +49 171 7832 120
    ________________________________
    This email is strict confidential otherwise not specified. All other receivers are required to use no content and addresses and to delete  them from all clients and servers. In any other cases they could be punished conform international laws.
    ___________________







  • 13.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted 21 days ago

    Thank you. Nice to hear this.

    >We also use this including tmweb for our customer and also ADSI.

    I think Workflow Routing configuration (Like Jump criteria) cannot be done TMWeb.

    Otherwise, configuration options are identical between TMWeb and ICN Navigator.



    ------------------------------
    dsakai
    ------------------------------



  • 14.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted 20 days ago

    Should be able to do jump, split, routing.  It's in tmweb admim where you configure the workflow.



    ------------------------------
    Duke Lam
    ------------------------------



  • 15.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted 18 days ago
    perfectly correct Thank you very much Duke that you help here in your professional style and not at least nice to hear about you!

    Dorothea
     
    ______________________________

    Dorothea Vulcan

    phone: +49 171 7832 120
    ________________________________
    This email is strict confidential otherwise not specified. All other receivers are required to use no content and addresses and to delete  them from all clients and servers. In any other cases they could be punished conform international laws.
    ___________________








  • 16.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted 18 days ago
    Edited by dsakai 18 days ago

    Hi Duke,

    Thank you for correction.

    I tried to add Condition for Router from TMWeb admin page before. I couldn't do it.

    I couldn't find any button anywhere to add it.

    So I use ICN Navigator to add Conditions. The panel shows Condition ("Dup Check Loop") that I configured from ICN.

    If possible, could you please tell me from which TMWeb workflow menu or button I could add Condition for Routing?

    Sometimes I configure multiple Conditions as well.

    Sorry that my writing may not be that good. 



    ------------------------------
    dsakai
    ------------------------------



  • 17.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted 17 days ago

    Hello Dsakai, 

    It's not about adding a  button.  You need a condition flag to be raised.  Task_RaiseCondition action raises a condition flag that determines what happens when the task profile completes.

    For example in the Traveldoc application there is a min and max document.  If it does not meet that condition it fail document integrity and trigger to go to fix up.

    https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/datacap/9.1.8?topic=splitting-condition-flags

    https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/datacap/9.1.8?topic=splitting-branching-versus



    ------------------------------
    Duke Lam
    ------------------------------



  • 18.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted 16 days ago

    Hi Duke,

    I am not talking about raising a flag. I am talking about Condition that the raised flag points to.

    It seems I can define only one Condition from TMWeb.

    In my past projects, a task had two or three conditions. I couldn't add the second or the third condition from TMWeb.

    I did it from ICN Navigator. So I think for full workflow configuration, we may need ICN Navigator. 

    Defining Condition. 

    https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/datacap/9.1.8?topic=splitting-defining-condition-associated-action



    ------------------------------
    dsakai
    ------------------------------



  • 19.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted 14 days ago

    interesting...... 



    ------------------------------
    Duke Lam
    ------------------------------



  • 20.  RE: Datacap in production without ICN Navigator?

    Posted 20 days ago

    Minor correction.

    Correct on - development system for all in one system.

    For production it must be in a distributed system.  See red book below. 

    Also "For each new Datacap application you must define an ICN repository and a desktop "

    Correct on adding repository but you can use existing desktop add your repository to the desktop. 



    Red book

    https://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooks/pdfs/sg247969.pdf

    Page 205

    Considerations must be taken into account when load balancing wTM. In large-scale

    implementation wTM should be located on its own server, ideally local to the clients it serves.





    ------------------------------
    Duke Lam
    ------------------------------