1.2 About This Product

Oracle Imaging and Process Management (Oracle I/PM) is a transactional content management tool that manages each document as part of a business transaction or process. A document is important to you when a transaction is occurring, such as when receiving and paying an invoice, or when collaborating on editing a proposal or contract.

By allowing you to convert physical documents into an electronic format, Oracle I/PM enables organizations to quickly integrate their content and processes directly with Oracle enterprise applications, such as Oracle E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft Enterprise, and JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. This allows you to proactively and automatically deliver critical invoices, checks, faxes, applications, resumes, expense forms, and reports where and when they are needed. Additionally, users will benefit from having a single source for all transaction-based content, eliminating the need for duplicating work.

The system applies metadata to documents that can be used to find and make them available to relevant users inside and outside the organization. To support business transaction needs, Oracle Imaging and Process Management manages scanned documents, faxes, e-mail, HTML, XML, electronic forms, Microsoft Office documents, all from a single user interface. The end result: document volumes are more predictable since they are managed in one system instead of being mailed or faxed. Also, security and version control ensure that only the right users can edit or access content, and when used in conjunction with Oracle Universal Records Management, additional control of documents and legal retention policies can be used.

Oracle I/PM takes advantage of Oracle's Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) product to integrate with process automation throughout the organization using a combination of Web services. BPEL provides enterprises with an industry standard for business process orchestration and execution. Using BPEL, a system administrator can design a business process that integrates a series of discrete services into an end-to-end process flow. This integration reduces the complexity of the process through improved productivity and decreased costs.

1.2.1 Supported Document Repository

Oracle I/PM leverages Oracle Content Server for storage of documents and metadata. Oracle Content Server is the foundation for a variety of Oracle content management products. It provides a flexible, secure, centralized, web-based repository that manages all phases of the content life cycle: from creation and approval to publishing, searching, expiration, and archival or disposition. Every contributor throughout the organization can easily contribute content from native desktop applications, efficiently manage business content via rich library services, and securely access that content anywhere using a web browser. All content, regardless of content type, is stored in the web repository or database for management, reuse and access. While stored in the repository, all types of content, ranging from e-mail, discussions, documents, reports, spreadsheets and records to images, multimedia or other digital formats, receive the same set of fundamental core services.

For more information about the integration of Oracle I/PM and Oracle Content Server, see Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Imaging and Process Management.

1.2.2 Supported Databases

Oracle I/PM supports the following databases:

• Oracle

• SQL Server

For more information about these databases and the storage mechanisms available for document content, see the Oracle Fusion Middleware Administrator's Guide for Imaging and Process Management.

1.2.3 Key Features and Benefits

Oracle I/PM improves your business with the following key features and benefits.

Key Features

• Apply metadata, security, and version control to documents

• Annotate and mark up documents

• Automate routing and approvals

• Apply record and retention management capabilities

• Integrates with leading document scanning and capture solutions

• Physical records management

• Load balancing, parallel processing, and priority distribution rules

• Certified integrations with ERP and LOB applications

• Supports high-volume applications for billions of items

Key Benefits

• Decreases business transaction cycle times for back-office operations

• Eliminates duplicate data entry

• Allows internal customers to check transaction status on their own

• Eliminates process bottlenecks

• Minimizes document error and loss

• Eliminates mailed and faxed documents

• Reduces physical storage space costs

• Finds and retrieves documents directly from ERP, CRM, and HR management systems

• Enhances customer and vendor satisfaction