Maarch Framework 3/Maarch Sample Overview

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Sommaire 1 Introduction 2 Sample application description 2.1 Real estate loans folders 2.1.1 A generic module for physical archiving 2.1.2 A mass import tool after scanning 2.1.3 Folder searching and viewing 2.1.4 Security and traceability 2.2 Customer invoices 2.2.1 Dynamic Classification 2.2.2 Basket management 2.3 Workflow 3 Installation from the package 3.1 Prerequisites 3.2 Downloading and installing Maarch packages 3.3 Dababase creation and default values 3.4 Document Servers creation 3.5 Lucène Indexes folders (Full text search) 3.6 Loading sample documents 4 Quick tour 4.1 Built-in user profiles 4.2 Working with customer invoices 4.2.1 Advanced Search 4.2.2 Automatic categorisation 4.2.3 Lucène Full Text Search 4.2.4 Processing Baskets 4.3 Workflow procédural : Validation d'une facture fournisseur 4.4 Working with loan folders 5 What's next ?

Introduction

This guide explains how to quickly run the Maarch v3 sample application after downloading it. On a simple configuration (basic XP or Vista systems), you will be able to let this application run in less than 30 minutes.

While putting Maarch in free downloading, we allow organizations to envision a widened and cost-efficient broadcasting of information contained in the documents.

Maarch Professional Services and their partners live only from integration services, training and support for projects based on the Framework. There is no "professional" version  : all Maarch users can download the same software. On the other hand, expertise on the product, deep customization capabilities, and development of specific modules are only proposed by the network of Maarch partners.

Make sure that you adress an official Maarch Solution Advisor to help you to install Maarch.

Good installation!

Sample application description

The sourceforge package contains Maarch Framework v3 including a demonstration application. This application makes it possible to manage real estate loans, and also makes it possible to view some customer invoices. There are thus two distinct document collections, with specific search screens and set of functionalities.

Real estate loans folders

ACME company manages real estate loans, each file including folders, sub-folders, and documents inside. ACME wishes to digitize its files before physical filing, so that filing is not done any more by customer number, but by date. In this example scanning takes effect after loan "instruction" and decision on its acceptance. The goal of the application is to digitize these files and then propose them in consultation. The module 'Physical Archive' allows to open an archive box, to describe the documents inside the customer folder, and then to print a bar code separator which is positionned on top of each document type.

The paper bundle is placed into the charger of the scanner, then scanned.

A generic module for physical archiving

Thanks to the combination of Folder and Physical Archive modules, it is possible to completely define structures inside a folder, for a specific folder type. For example, you can within a same document Collection have real-estate and human resources folders.

Folder number, batch number, and document type are written in the barcode of the separator page. After scanning, documents are put into an archive box that is referenced into Maarch.

Scanner control, image transmission through the internet, document separation, and PDF conversion depend on equipment and on non-free components, so will not find them in this sample.
Maarch partners deliver these tools with the sources, for illimited volumes.

A mass import tool after scanning

After digitization and internet transfer of images, we obtain PDF + indexes that are put into the incoming directory for Maarch AutoImport. This tool allows mass import of images into Maarch, while using the file XML for the descriptors. The sample application provides a set of loan related documents with their indexes ready for import.

Folder searching and viewing

Thanks to the Folder module, you have access to folder search in the application, as well as to its structured presentation, according to classification plan for this file type. File structure is presented dynamically, the content of the selected node displaying itself in the upright part of the screen

Security and traceability

All customer folder documents are secured through access rights defined for the user groups. In contrast to many DMS software, security rules are not established at one time when puting the document in the archive, but in a dynamic manner by granting privileges to the groups, according to index values. This way security policy can be easily changed along the document lifecycle, according to changes in the organization.

Customer invoices

The ACME company has many customers for whom it emits invoices coming from its central IT. For legal compliance, print flow is duplicated to produce PDF files intended to be archived, each invoice having an index file containing its descriptors.

The XML description file contains meta-data by which the accountant will be able to find the invoice over a period going from 6 to 10 years according to the countries:

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='iso-8859-1'?>
<ROOT>
<INVOICE_DATE>26/07/07</INVOICE_DATE>
<INVOICE_NUMBER>F2007-052</INVOICE_NUMBER>
<PO_NUMBER>PO2007-052</PO_NUMBER>
<CUSTOMER>FORTIS</CUSTOMER>
<CONTACT_NAME>John MURPHY</CONTACT_NAME>
<COUNTRY>Belgium</COUNTRY>
<AMOUNT>1300</AMOUNT>
</ROOT>

Maarch AutoImport adds service information for traceability. All information can be used in the search.

Dynamic Classification

There are two categories of people:

• Those who know what they look for ("invoices emitted for P0#2445")
• Those who don't ("invoices for this Asian customer last year, unless it was the year before...")

For the first category, no problem: a request on advanced research will enable them to find their invoices easily.

For the seconds, Maarch proposes a dynamic classification system making it possible to navigate into the archive in exploratory mode. It is possible to define various ways to reach the documents, according to their descriptors.

This access mode to the documents is very practical, and makes it possible to non experts to find documents without a great knowledge of the values to be sought.

Basket management

The Sample integrates a simplified example of use for basket module. The baskets allow to obtain views on a specific document set, and thereafter do changes on indexes to make circulate the documents from one basket to another. In the example, the person in charge of accountancy must systematically validate all the invoices higher than 10.000 euros. The documents are then found either in the "rejected invoices" basket, either in the "validated invoices" one.

Workflow

In Maarch Sample, we put an example of workflow for invoices approval. Even if in real life, it would make more sense with suppliers invoices, we chose to set up workflow on customer invoices for sinplicity reasons.

The aim of workflow is to define fixed approval process.

We propose the following process :

1. An employee from accounting receives an invoice and indexes it in Maarch.
2. Just following recording, the invoice is sent to an employee from account management, who must verify if the invoice is right. Three cases can occur:
   • The invoice is wrong, it is rejected
   • The invoice is undoubtedly OK, it is approved
   • The invoice seems Ok, but the account manager wishes the approval of his manager. The invoice is then sent to the manager.
3. The manager approves or reject the invoice.

Installation from the package

Prerequisites

Prerequisites are described in detail here.
However, to quickly install a fully working Maarch application, we recommend to:

• Download and install XAMPP version 1.7.1 or less on an XP or Vista box, using basepath C:\xampp.
• Check the following parameters in PHP.ini (C:\xampp\php\php.ini)
  • error_reporting = E_ALL & ~ENOTICE
  • display_errors = on
  • short_open_tag = On
  • magic_quotes_gpc = off

You can use any LAMP installation under Windows. However, it asks for more configuration. In this case you can refer to the general setup and configuration guide to set up MAarch Framework.

Downloading and installing Maarch packages

Download on Sourceforge or Adullact the following packages:

• MaarchFramework-3.0
• MaarchAutoImport-3.0

Unzip and install:

• Maarch Framework 3 in C:\xampp\htdocs (c:\xampp\htdocs\maarch_v3)
• AutoImport package in C:\autoimport

Maarch AutoImport Package contains sample docs and invoices. Those docs will be used to explore Maarch Sample functionalities.

Dababase creation and default values

Using phpmyadmin (http://127.0.0.1/phpmyadmin), create a new database named "maarch_v3".



Set collation to "utf8_unicode_ci" (last in list).

Still using phpmyadmin, go to database maarch_v3 and click on "Import" tab.

• Import file C:\xampp\htdocs\maarch_v3\db_structure_v3.sql to create the schema
• Import file C:\xampp\htdocs\maarch_v3\db_values_v3.sql to insert default values for the sample.

Document Servers creation

Document Servers are storage spaces declared in Maarch.
Create the following directories :

• C:\Maarch\DocServer\res_x
• C:\Maarch\DocServer\res_x_ai
• C:\Maarch\DocServer\res_invoices
• C:\Maarch\DocServer\res_invoices_ai

Lucène Indexes folders (Full text search)

You must create a folder for each collection. Create following directories:

• C:\Maarch\indexes\coll_1\
• C:\Maarch\indexes\coll_2\

Loading sample documents

At this stage, you can already connect to the application as a super-user (superadmin/superadmin) or a functional user, but the document collections are empty. To make the sample more realistic, we created for you two sets of sample documents (loan and customer invoices), to upload using Maarch AutoImport.
The documents are located in:

• C:\autoimport\samples\documents (loans)
• C:\autoimport\samples\invoices (customer invoices)

Copy the documents and their index in the incoming directory of autoimport:

 copy C:\autoimport\samples\documents\*.* C:\autoimport\incoming\documents
 copy C:\autoimport\samples\invoices\*.* C:\autoimport\incoming\invoices

If necessary, edit the file autoimport_documents.bat to modify paths according to the working environment you just set up.

Next execute command files for the upload:

• C:\autoimport\autoimport_documents.bat
• C:\autoimport\autoimport_invoices.bat

Et voilà ! You are now ready to use Maarch Framework 3 !
Follow the quick user guide in the next chapter.

Quick tour

This chapter is intended to quickly show the product functionalities, through concrete examples taken from the sample data.

Built-in user profiles

Connection name	Name	Password	Profile
superadmin	-	superadmin	Super-administrator
ccharles	Charlotte Charles	maarch	Accountant. Can see invoices only
bsaporta	Barbara Saporta	maarch	Customer manager. Can see loan documents only
pparker	Peter Parker	maarch	Supervision manager. Can see both collections

Working with customer invoices

Advanced Search

• Connect with ccharles user, then in the menu select "Advanced search"
• You arrive directly on the invoices search screen because you have only access to this collection. Search for the Belgian invoices by typing " Belgium" in the field "Country", then click on "Search".
• You will find 24 invoices. Click on to see the invoice details, and on to see the document itself.
  

You can also browse the invoice collection using a tree structure. Previously, you must carry out the module Maarch AutoFoldering at least once:

C:\xampp\htdocs\maarch_v3\modules\autofoldering\launch_autofoldering.bat

• In Maarch menu, select "Browse by folder", than select a tree to browse out of the two already setup.

Charlotte Charles has a privilege of modification for the invoice collection. Let us see the reaction of the dynamic classification when one changes the country of destination:

• Carry out an advanced search on the invoice #F2008-152 (field "Reference")
• Go on the detail form(document #60), cliquez sur
• In the form, change the value of the "Country" field from "Belgium" to "Senegal", then click on "Modify the document".
• Run once again the Maarch AutoFoldering module, then browse the tree "View by country/year/customer": Senegal appears in the list of the countries, and you can find your invoice inside the node.

Automatic categorisation

Running the automatic classification module is only necessary when a new branch is added. If a new invoice for Senegal is manually created, this one appears automatically in the tree.

• In the menu, select "Index a file"
• As you are Charlotte for a time, you can only create invoices. Choose a PDF file to upload, your file appearing on the right of the screen.
• Select the document type of document "Facture - Customer invoice". The field list for indexing automatically appears for this type. Type in the following values:
  • Document date: 01-10-2008
  • Reference: F2008-999
  • External number (PO): PO2008-999
  • Contact name: Julien SOREL
  • Country: Senegal
  • Amount: 100
  • Customer: FORTIS

Validate, then browse again the tree "View by country/year/customer": for the Senegal country in 2008 and the customer FORTIS, Maarch displays this time two invoices.

Lucène Full Text Search

full_text is a module to enable full text indexing and search in Maarch. It is based on Zend implementation of Lucene Engine.

In order to perform full text search (currently only on text PDF) from Advanced Search Form, you must first execute a batch script to build indexes.

 C:\xampp\htdocs\maarch_v3\modules\full_text\scripts\launch_fulltext_documents.bat
 C:\xampp\htdocs\maarch_v3\modules\full_text\scripts\launch_fulltext_invoices.bat

Processing Baskets

The sample shows a mechanism of simplified baskets. The baskets are accessible starting from the home page. In the example, they are setup to post the invoices of more than 10.000 euros, to be able to validate them or reject them.

• First connect to Maarch Framework with ccharles account.
• In Maarch Menu, select "Baskets", choose the basket for invoices of more than 10.000€.
• Choose an invoice with the checkbox, then reject it (drop-down list at the bottom). The invoice appears now in the basket of the rejected documents.

Workflow procédural : Validation d'une facture fournisseur

We will now try to approve an invoice that just arrived in accounting.

1. Make sure you are loged in with Charlotte Charles account (ccharles/maarch): she is the only one allowed to record an invoice.
2. In Maarch menu, choose "Indexing", and proceed as follow (click on the picture to enlarge) :

1. 1. Select a PDF, if possible, it must look like an invoice (more realistic!)
   2. Choose The collection Invoice. The list of indexes for the selected type of doc now appears.
   3. Fill in the indexes. (warning : in the sample, the amount of the invoice must be an integer)
   4. Down the list, choose "start a workflow: invoice approval", then click on "Index". The invoice has now been sent to suppliers managers.
2. Log out, and re-log in with Barbara Saporta account (bsaporta/maarch). She is one of them. From the home page, click on the button "My Tasks" (right of the screen).
3. Choose invoices workflow, then click on the invoice we just record. You must see a processing form, with this document logs, a notes module, a feature to put a watermark, and a set of possible actions for this invoice.
4. To please the manager, let's choose to ask for his approval. Log out and log in again as the boss (finally!). He is Peter Parker (pparker/maarch).
5. On the home page, click on my tasks. Choose the invoice, and reject it!

As workflows can manage states, they can be combined with Baskets. The invoice you just rejected will show in the basket of rejected invoices (only Charlotte Charles can use it).

Working with loan folders

The sample illustrates scanning and retrieval of loan files after their acceptance by the credit institute. It is necessary to start by printing barcode separators to prepare the scanning, each separator representing a document type. For this purpose connect with user Barbara (bsaporta/demo), and in the menu select " Scanning".
Let's start creating a new archive box in which we will put in the originals after the scanning process.

• In the paragraph "Create a box", enter an archive box id and click on "Create a box". The newly created box appears in the bottom list.
• Select the box in the list by clicking on it. You arrive on the page listing the batches (in this equivalent case of the files) contained in the box.
• Click on the button "Create a batch". in the "Folder" tab, search for a folder number in the business database, for example by typing " LO" in the "Name" field. Two folders will display: Angelo BRANDUARDI and Ismael LO.
• Select Ismael LO (#F_000012). Maarch goes to the next tab for document type selection. The document types are presented inside their sub-folder types.
• Check document types present in the folder, validate, then in the following tab confirm your actions while clicking on "Create the batch".

Maarch displays then as many barcode separators than of document types checked, and automatically launches the printing.
The separators contain the following information: batch number, folder id, document type id.

As indicated above, the process of scanning, document separation and secured communication require some expertise and cannot appear in the Open Source package because it includes non open source components for barcode recognition.

Consultation of the folders is possible through the "Search folder" menu item. The documents previously uploaded with the AutoImport are related to the folder #F_000001.

• Carry out a search on this folder number (F_000001)
• Click on the "information" icon to reach the folder detail form. You can see appearing the classification plan, the action history on this folder, and missing document type for the folder to be declared complete.
  

The documents are also accessible from advanced search menu item.

• In the menu, select "Advanced search". Contrary to her colleague Charlotte, Barbara comes directly to the loans collection, because of the security policy.
• Carry out a search on batch #60. Documents for Eric SPRITZ appear. From the document details there is a link to the related folder.

What's next ?

First of all, congratulations for reaching up here !

To know how to proceed with your Maarch experiment, let's see how long it took you to setup and try the product:

• less than 30 minutes

You are a PHP and Mysql artist, and you have good technical training. Student in Information Technology, you flew over the product within the framework of a training course or of your studies. Contact us for a job or a training course at Maarch! (mailto:info@maarch.org)

• less than 2 hours

You took time to install Maarch the most properly possible. You spent time to play with, to read the documentation of the modules, to change two or three small things, and you have nice business ideas with it: you are a software firm ! Call us directly (+33 1 47 24 51 59) to become a "Maarch Solution Advisor" and to represent Maarch in your geographical area. The large integrators are also welcome because we are structured for direct and indirect sales. Contact us for an appointment for a personalized presentation here in Paris or by web conference.

• 2 hours and more

You are not an expert but managed to do it anyway, congratulations again! You noticed that Maarch answers in a simple and cost effective way to your actual needs for a production DMS suited for your organization. You find in this demonstration the tools allowing you to get rid of your existing paper, to preserve and quickly retrieve your documents.
We have already built with this Framework many business applications, organized in modules, answering a vast majority of production needs. Everything cannot appear in a generic example like this one, but our catalogue enlarges itself with the experience and contributions of the Maarch network.
Be sure that our Open Source DMS offers all the guarantees of transparency and openness, synonymous of control upon your information system.
Contact us on +33 1 47 24 51 59 or on mailto:info@maarch.org for more information !