DocBridge Pilot
DocBridge Pilot:
Output Management with Piece Level Intelligence
Download PDF VersionUntil recently, high volume output management has had a difficult coexistence with composition applications, silo-ed output preparation tools and integration with print, web and archive systems. DocBridge Pilot brings these individual systems together by providing piece level control of each document in a central database driven solution. It supports the decoupling of input streams for multi-channel output, providing the document control for postal optimization, scheduling, reprinting, repurposing, last minute production routing and job accounting for MIS system integration.
Overview
- Centralized mail piece tool, de-coupled from input processing
- Central storage and processing of PC documents
- Mixing and conversion of different datastreams
- Comprehensive insert control and optimization
- Format conversion
- Automatic overlay conversion
- Bundling and routing of different types of input documents
- Affixing postage (country specific)
- Secure multi-client capability
- Reprint and resubmit
- Delivery feedback
- Graphical configuration interface
- Web services interface with support for SOA architectures
The Challenge
Companies that need to create, route and dispatch large volumes of documents are facing a host of both new and old challenges including:
Central output management control:
The increasing variety of new applications and formats with which a document can be created often stress the existing infrastructure, as these systems run on different platforms with diverse print and output formats.
House-holding and co-mingling:
Postage costs are the largest part of any mailing: the ability to optimize postage when working with composed documents is the biggest opportunity for increased efficiency. The ability to combine different jobs, segment and sort on specific criteria can dramatically reduce postal costs. In addition to co-mingling, the possibility to house-hold, or recombine same individual or family member’s documents from disparate sources into the envelope enables further efficiency.
Multi-channel routing:
Many enterprises could further reduce their production and postage costs by rerouting letters to e-mail or by using a web based delivery solution. Working with existing systems across the enterprise is often a difficult undertaking, but a single output management tool allowing intelligent selection and rerouting is often much faster and easier to implement.
Messaging and finishing flexibility:
Marketing departments want to target their customers individually resulting in the detrimental effect of upstream decision making and inflexibility. The ability to make downstream production decisions involving letters that match specific advertising inserts – or to identify and replace white space with custom messaging has become the key to effective marketing and cost effective production.
Central printing of office documents:
Ad hoc office documents, like letters, invitations and newsletters have traditionally been created, enveloped and posted on a departmental basis. The digital accumulation of PC documents and the ability route via a common print center not only saves the creator and the enterprise a great deal of time, but also saves postage and material cost.
DocBridge Pilot offers a sustainable design and all the appropriate functions for each of these requirements.
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The DocBridge Pilot Design
DocBridge Pilot architecture has the following key components.
All print files and documents are centrally analyzed with all relevant content necessary for further processing extracted to a database.
DocBridge Pilot assigns this metadata information to a centralized mail piece pool here all the processing and reporting rules are stored in a relational database. The scheduling functionality provides the document aggregation and release business rules. In addition, if a datafile is required for the insertion integrity system, it can automatically be created in this step.
After the production output is submitted, a secondary process can be called for reprints or archive support (like conversion to PDF/A). All further processing steps can, depending on the configuration, run fully automated or be initialized to run manually though the web enabled administrator.
For mail output, additional functions may be configured for each job such as sorting on specified criteria, the conversion of documents into the required format, as well as page enhancement with additional information such as one and two dimensional barcodes, graphics, text in addition to converting white space to advertising messages.
Because DocBridge Pilot is multi-channel enabled, these jobs can serve all output channels including central or distributed printing, e-mail, archiving, call centers or web portals.
Additional Functions
Graphical configuration interface:
The way in which a document type of an input document should be processed can be configured and reviewed using a graphical user interface. These configurations can be versioned, and support secure rollback as well as a deployment process.
Mailing trace and reprint:
If the different downstream systems are capable of closed loop feedback, DocBridge Pilot can, in the event of a dispatching error, reproduce or resend the mail via an alternative channel.
Scheduler and workflow:
DocBridge Pilot also provides a scheduler and workflow design for the automation and control of process chains. These may also be integrated in external workflow and control tools.
Accounting:
All cost and relevant processing data can be saved in detail or in summary and provided to an accounting or invoicing system.
Supported Input and Output Formats
Supported Platforms
Application-Server:
- Apache Tomcat 5.5 with Sun Java Runtime Environment 6
Operating Systems:
- Microsoft Windows 2003 Server 32/64-Bit
- SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 10.2 32/64-Bit
Databases:
- Oracle v9.1
- MySQL v5.0
More platforms available on request.