Skip Headers
Oracle® WebCenter Content Administrator's Guide for Imaging
Release 11gR1 (11.1.1)

Part Number E12782-04
Go to Documentation Home
Home
Go to Book List
Book List
Go to Table of Contents
Contents
Go to Index
Index
Go to Feedback page
Contact Us

Go to previous page
Previous
Go to next page
Next
PDF · Mobi · ePub

1 Introduction

Oracle WebCenter Content: Imaging integrates electronic document storage, retrieval, and annotation with business processes to facilitate document use across an enterprise. This guide provides instructions for administering the Oracle WebCenter Content: Imaging product software on Oracle WebLogic Server.

This section covers the following topics:

1.1 About This Guide

The information contained in this document is subject to change as the product technology evolves and as hardware, operating systems, and third-party software are created and modified.

In this document and other documents in this product set, the terms application, search, input, and connection are typically being used in reference to object definition types within the Imaging product.

1.2 Getting Started

This guide assumes that Imaging is already installed. For information on installing Imaging and setting initial post-installation configuration options, see Oracle WebCenter Content Installation Guide.

This section provides an overview to the product architecture. Subsequent sections detail security contexts, initial configuration steps, administration procedures, and reference material for administering Imaging.

After installing Imaging and prior to configuring applications and other aspects of Imaging, ensure the following:

1.3 About This Product

Oracle WebCenter Content: Imaging provides organizations with a scalable solution upon which to develop process-oriented imaging applications and image-enablement solutions for enterprise applications. It enables image capture via Oracle Document Capture and Oracle Distributed Document Capture, annotation and markup of images, routing and approval automation, and support for high-volume applications for billions of items. With Imaging, organizations can quickly integrate their content and processes directly with Oracle enterprise applications, such as Oracle E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft Enterprise, and JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. Users benefit by having a single source for all transaction-based content, eliminating the need for double entry.

Imaging manages documents from image capture to archiving. A document is uploaded into Imaging either singly by individual users or in bulk via a background ingestion agent. Once uploaded, a document becomes part of an application. An application is a type of container for documents that defines metadata, storage information, and workflow process configuration for all documents within it. Applications are defined by the system administrator based on a specific business need. For example, an Invoicing application may track invoice number, date sent, date due, status, and any other metadata required by an accounting department. Applications use an input definition to map metadata from an input file to the correct application fields for bulk ingestion via the input agent. The input agent ingests the metadata and documents from a local file system or mapped network drive into Imaging.

Depending on how your repository is set up, uploaded documents can be stored within an Oracle database, on a file system, or in storage-specific hardware for retrieval. Security is applied to an Imaging document based on its application, ensuring access only by authorized users. And Imaging may be configured to initiate a business process instance within a workflow server.

Users can retrieve stored documents using a predefined search. Predefined searches are created to find documents based on document metadata and full-text indexes. With the proper permissions, users can:

Figure 1-1 Imaging Process Overview

Imaging Process Overview

1.4 Understanding Applications, Inputs, Searches, and Connections

Applications, inputs, searches, and connections refer to specific objects within Imaging created using the Imaging interface or services in the application programming interface (API). Understanding what they are and how they work together to control access to documents is critical to creating them and working with Imaging.

Applications

Applications are the core of Oracle WebCenter Content: Imaging. In Imaging, an application is not a separate software package, but a type of management container for documents uploaded to Imaging. In effect, an application is a category into which documents get sorted. Each application has unique security rights that are applied to documents in the application, and unique metadata fields to store the metadata values associated with each document. Changing security rights within an application affects access to all documents within the application. Similarly, adding a metadata field to an application adds the field to all documents within the application, however metadata values for the added field must be supplied individually to each document.

Inputs

Inputs are the way that documents are uploaded to Imaging and metadata is associated with them. Metadata values for a document are typically supplied when a document is uploaded. Documents can be uploaded individually and metadata values supplied manually by the person uploading the document. Most often documents are uploaded in bulk using a scanning station. When uploaded in bulk, the scanning station generates an input file. The input file includes the path to the scanned document and the values for the document metadata.

An input agent is used to watch specified locations and process any input files placed there by the scanning station. The documents specified in the input file are uploaded to an application in Imaging. The target application is also specified in the input file. The metadata values in the input file populate the fields of the application based on an input definition created in Imaging. The input definition maps the metadata values in the input file to the correct metadata fields of the selected application. Once documents are uploaded into an application with the correct metadata values, a search is used to retrieve documents relevant to your business process.

Searches

Searches are used to retrieve a listing of documents from Imaging. A search can be run across one or multiple applications, and the returned results listing can be e-mailed to others or exported to a file. Documents listed in a search result can be viewed, downloaded, copied to other applications, or otherwise manipulated as your business need requires.

Searches are created using the Imaging interface in much the same way that applications are created. The person responsible for creating the search determines what fields are to be searched within which applications. Note that searches can span multiple applications. For example, someone in the Accounts Payable department at XYZ Company receives an invoice that references a purchase order number. Before the person pays the invoice, they must first verify that the purchase order is valid and that the goods listed on the invoice have been received. They could execute a single search on the purchase order number that would search both the documents uploaded into the Purchase Orders application and the documents uploaded into the Shipping Receipts application. The search results listing returned could show whether the purchase order existed and note if there is a shipping receipt associated with it, verifying that the goods were received. If the person needed more detailed information from the documents, they could open both the purchase order and the shipping receipt in the Imaging viewer and compare them to ensure that all items on the purchase order matched the items on the invoice and that all items on the invoice were listed as received on the shipping receipt.

Connections

Connections are created in Imaging and used to access necessary servers. Two types of server connections are defined in Imaging:

Imaging stores documents in repositories set up using Oracle WebCenter Content. Multiple repositories can be used, with connections created in Imaging to each repository using the Imaging interface. If your business process requires documents in a particular application to move through a workflow, then a connection to the workflow server where the workflow is defined can also be created in Imaging, and the application can be set to initiate the workflow when a document is upload to it.

Controlling Access

Access to the documents is controlled by a number of factors. First, by controlling access to the Imaging system. Second, by assigning permissions to the applications, searches, and other tools provided by the Imaging system. Lastly, by assigning permissions to the documents within different applications. In the preceding XYZ Company example, only the people authorized to view the purchase order, shipping receipt, and invoice documents would have the rights to do so. The person accessing the documents must have the right to execute the search. If they do not, then they wouldn't even be able to retrieve the documents for viewing. They must also belong to a group that has access to the individual documents in each specific application they work with: Invoices, Purchase Orders, or Shipping Receipts. The type of document security rights granted to the group in the application determines what a person can do with the document. For example, a person in the Accounts Payable group may be able to delete an invoice, but not a shipping receipt, whereas someone in Shipping and Receiving could delete a shipping receipt, but not even view an invoice.

1.5 About System Administration

Imaging system administrators are typically responsible for the following tasks:

1.5.1 Administrative Accounts

The first user to log into Imaging after installation is given full administrative privileges for the installation. This user can give permissions to access the system to others. If for any reason system security needs to be reset, you can do so following the procedure in the section "Installation Security Initialization" in chapter 2 of the full Oracle WebCenter Content Administrator's Guide for Imaging documentation set.

1.5.2 Administrative Tools

Administration of Imaging is done using the following administration tools:

  • Imaging user interface. Administration capabilities are exposed in the interface based on user permissions.

    Note that business users typically do not interact with the Imaging administrative interface. Most user contact with Imaging is accessing search results listings and viewing documents, both of which are typically done from an integration of Imaging with an existing business suite such as Oracle E-Business Suite or PeopleSoft.

  • Oracle Enterprise Manager can be used for reviewing statistics on deployed resources, statistics of individual domains, details of web services, and other information. For more information, see the documentation that comes with Enterprise Manager.

  • Oracle WebLogic Server can be used for reviewing log files, installed modules, installed Enterprise JavaBeans, configuration parameters, setting configuration MBeans for Imaging, and more. For more information, see the documentation available with Oracle WebLogic Server.

  • WebLogic Scripting Tool (WLST) is a command-line interface for navigating, monitoring, and configuring Oracle WebLogic Server. It can be used to configure Imaging parameters, review log files, and more. For more information on using WLST, see Oracle Fusion Middleware WebLogic Scripting Tool Command Reference.

1.5.3 System Administration Tasks Not Covered in This Guide

Some Imaging system administration tasks are not covered in this guide. The following table explains what these tasks are and where to find more information.

Table 1-1 System Administration Tasks and Information Not Covered in This Guide

Task Where to Go For More Information

Administering Oracle SOA Suite

Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Oracle SOA Suite and Oracle Business Process Management Suite

Administering Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control

Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide

Administering Oracle WebLogic Server

Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide

Administering WebCenter Content Server

Oracle WebCenter Content System Administrator's Guide for Content Server

Administering Oracle Document Capture

Oracle Document Capture Administrator's Guide

Administering Oracle Distributed Document Capture

Oracle Distributed Document Capture Administrator's Guide

Administering Oracle Application Adapters for Oracle E-Business Suite and Oracle PeopleSoft

Oracle WebCenter Administrator's Guide for Application Adapters


1.6 Integration with Key Oracle Technologies

This section contains the following topics:

1.6.1 Integration with Oracle Document Capture

Imaging integrates with Oracle Document Capture and Oracle Distributed Document Capture to allow you to convert physical documents into an electronic format to be uploaded to Imaging. If using Oracle Document Capture or Oracle Distributed Document Capture, ensure that it has been configured with the Oracle I/PM 11g Commit Driver. Talk to the Oracle Document Capture administrator or see the administration documentation for Oracle Document Capture or Oracle Distributed Document Capture.

1.6.2 Integration with Content Server

Imaging leverages Content Server as a repository for document storage and retrieval. Content Server supports both out-of-the-box content management services and open, customizable integration options that can manage a broad range of enterprise content such as emails, documents, and images from different content sources. Content Server supports Oracle, SQL Server, and DB2 databases to allow indexing and storage of content in a variety of ways. Depending on the database and configuration, documents and metadata can be stored within the database, on a file system, or a combination of both. Flexible search options allow you to configure the repository to support either metadata searching or full-text searching per Imaging application to provide the most applicable search capabilities.

1.6.3 Integration with Oracle WebLogic Server

Imaging is designed to leverage many of the features of Oracle WebLogic Server including its standard J2EE architecture, integrations with Oracle security components, scalability including clustering, system management tools like Enterprise Manager, WebLogic Scripting Tools, and WebLogic Server Console.

1.6.3.1 Working Within a Clustered Environment

For production environments that require increased application performance, throughput, or high availability, you can configure two or more Managed Servers to operate as a cluster. A cluster is a collection of multiple Oracle WebLogic Server managed servers running simultaneously and working together to provide increased scalability and reliability. In a cluster, most resources and services are deployed identically to each Managed Server (as opposed to a single Managed Server), enabling failover and load balancing. A single domain can contain multiple Oracle WebLogic Server clusters, as well as multiple Managed Servers that are not configured as clusters. The key difference between clustered and nonclustered Managed Servers is support for failover and load balancing. These features are available only in a cluster of Managed Servers. For more information on configuring a clusters in WebLogic Server, see the guide Oracle Fusion Middleware Using Clusters for Oracle WebLogic Server.

1.6.4 Integration with Oracle Workflow Server

A connection to an workflow server is used to initiate a workflow process when documents are uploaded to Imaging, allowing for business process integration across the enterprise.

1.7 Oracle WebCenter Content: Imaging Architecture

Imaging business logic produces business objects for defining applications, document control, and security. The following sections describe the underlying technology for Imaging:

1.7.1 Application Architecture Overview

Imaging resides within Oracle WebLogic Server, connected to a database. Imaging events are routed through Oracle WebLogic Server using Java Messaging Service (JMS) to communicate with its background agents. Custom applications can interact with Imaging through its set of custom Imaging application programming interfaces (APIs). For more information about Imaging APIs, see Oracle WebCenter Content Developer's Guide for Imaging.

Figure 1-2 Imaging Architecture Overview

Imaging Event Architecture

1.7.2 Web Services and Java API

Custom applications integrating with an Imaging system can communicate with Imaging through the Imaging public API. The API is available in two forms:

  • through standard web services generated with the Java API for XML Web Services (JAX-WS)

  • through Imaging Java APIs, a set of portable Java class files

The Remote Java API uses the same API as the Imaging user interface.

Figure 1-3 Imaging Web Services and Java API

Surrounding text describes Figure 1-3 .

1.7.3 Business Logic and Agents

Imaging provides architectural concepts that are designed to help business managers simplify the process of building imaging solutions. These architectural concepts, such as applications, searches, and inputs, provide convenient constructs around which a business user can organize their solution, grant security to relevant user groups, and finally migrate between differing system instances, for example, development and production. Imaging's public API provides services aligned with these architectural concepts whose implementations reside in Imaging's business logic layer. Although most requests flow directly through these layers producing immediate responses, some tasks are better performed in the background. These tasks are relegated to a collection of Imaging background processes known as agents.

Standard Java Management J2EE Beans (or MBeans) are used to configure the operation of Imaging's business logic as well as its agents. The values of these MBean configuration objects can be manipulated through Oracle Enterprise Manager and WebLogic Scripting Tool, allowing you to choose the best system management tool for your needs.

Figure 1-4 Imaging Business Logic and Agents

Surrounding text describes Figure 1-4 .