ActiveDocs Opus Brochure A4

ACTIVEDOCS / DOCUMENT EXCELLENCE THROUGH INNOVATION

THE ACTIVEDOCS OPUS SUITE

WHY AUTOMATE DOCUMENT PRODUCTION?

Demand for ActiveDocs Opus has grown steadily as more and more companies realise what a drain document

production is when it’s done manually, and how simple, fast and accurate it is when it’s automated.

By delivering low cost of ownership, sophisticated integration and �exibility to the document generation process

within the organisation, ActiveDocs Opus provides the organisation with real compliance bene�ts, risk mitigation,

and revenue savings, by improving e�ciencies in a number of key areas.

www.activedocs.com

Risk mitigation

Regulations and compliance

Changes in the business environment

Changes in the organisation

Enhancing the organisation’s image

Reducing costs, increasing revenue

Improving productivity

Improving document management& content management systems

ABOUT ACTIVEDOCS

FEATURES BENEFITS OPERATING ENVIRONMENT

ActiveDocs was founded in 1992 and developed exceptional expertise in adding customised automation to document templates. The experience

and skills gained in this area led to development of the original ActiveDocs Desktop suite which enabled business users to build and use their

own automated templates using ActiveDocs technology. The groundbreaking server-based ActiveDocs Enterprise suite which followed

expanded the template technology and gave businesses a new enterprise-grade platform for deploying and using templates via the web.

Now, built on the latest Microsoft® O�ce and Windows Server technologies, ActiveDocs Opus enhances the server model, extends the Template

technology, and provides enhanced tools for managing, deploying, and using templates.

ActiveDocs’ reputation for innovative technology, cost-e�ective implementations, sharp understanding of business needs, and a passion for

helping businesses create great documents has seen the business �ourish into the global solutions partner that it is today, with sales and

support operations spanning the globe and its products installed in many Fortune 500 companies and major international corporations.

As a Microsoft® Gold Partner, ActiveDocs is committed to innovation and will continue to develop a suite of products to become the worldwide

standard for document automation.

Our aim is to enable our current and future clients to see immediately that our products will make very positive changes to their organisation,

and that they can count on our software to deliver maximum bene�t to their business.

Audit, management, and customised reporting

Browser-based Wizard-driven interactivedocument creation

Built on Microsoft® .NET

Content reuse

Content Version Control with Approval,Publish-Now, and Deferred Publishing

Data access (ODBC, OLE-DB, Stored Procedures,Web Services)

Design from within Microsoft® Word

Dynamic File Merge

Free Text support with integrated Editor

Graphical Data

Image support for all standard formats

Integrated Content Management with Check-Outand Check-In

Integrated Work�ow for Document Approvaland Finalisation

Multi-channel delivery

Multi-language support

Multiple document formats

Real-time and high volume processing

Scale up, scale out, modular architecture

Supports WebDAV and SharePoint for Templateand Snippet storage

Supports WebDAV, SharePoint, and Web Servicesfor Document Storage

User Access Control

Web Services for Automated DocumentProduction with Auto Populate option

XML support

PLATFORMS

Microsoft® Windows Server 2008 and 2003, 32- and 64- bit

Microsoft® O�ce 2010 and 2007 Professional Edition

Microsoft® Windows 7, Vista, XP

APPLICATION SERVERS

Microsoft® Internet Information Server (IIS)

Microsoft® SQL Server 2008 and 2005

DATA CONNECTIVITY

ODBC /OLE-DB

Microsoft® SQL Server

Oracle

Active Directory

Web Services

OUTPUT FORMATS

Adobe PDF

MHTML

Microsoft® Word DOC

Microsoft® Word DOCM, DOCX

Microsoft® Word RTF

Microsoft® Word XML

Open Document Text ODF(T)

XPS

PRINT FORMATS

Any printer driver supported format

PCL

PDF

PostScript™

TIFF

Centralised or decentralised content controlfor �exibility and business unit participation

Con�gure user access to over 40 system functions

Con�gure easily for speci�c requirements

Controlled and standardised document creationacross the enterprise

Create documents in multiple languages

Customised audit reporting of documentcreation and delivery

Deliver by print, fax, email, directory

Deployment and Publication control

Dynamic template control

E�ective and seamless integration withexisting applications

E�cient control of content

Extended integration using Web Services

Format and insert logos and graphics

Incorporate existing documents intonew documents

Integration with existing DMS/ECM applicationsand SharePoint

Leverage existing Microsoft® Word skillsfor Template Design

Leverage multi-CPU, multi-server topologyfor performance and availability

No customisation required to start using

Scale up and scale out topologies supported

Simple end user interface for creatingcomplex documents

Update templates and other shared contentin minutes

NORTH AMERICA / EUROPE / ASIA PACIFIC

email: [email protected] web: www.activedocs.com

ActiveDocs and its respective components are all trademarks or registered trademarks of ActiveDocs Ltd.All other trademarks or registered trademarks are those of the respective trademark holders

INTEGRATED TEMPLATE DESIGN AND MANAGEMENTFOR DOCUMENT AUTOMATION

ACTIVEDOCS OPUS DESIGNER

ACTIVEDOCS OPUS TEMPLATE DESIGN ELEMENTS

ActiveDocs Opus Designer provides Design and Management of Template design elements viathe Content Manager and Design Tools functions.

Designer works with Templates, the core design elements in ActiveDocs Opus, and enables the design and management of these and the reusable elements that enable common content, common ActiveDocs technology, access to data sources,and work�ows, to be shared and managed across the collection of Templates and across multiple environments.

All ActiveDocs Opus user interfaces, including Designer, use standard resource �les and double-byte Unicode for textualcontent to support most end-user language requirements.

www.activedocs.com

Templates are the core design elements in ActiveDocs Opus.

Templates are designed in Microsoft® Word using the

ActiveDocs Opus Design Tools add-in which enables

ActiveDocs technology to be incorporated while retaining

all of Word’s class-leading features.

Template Sets allow combinations of Templates to create

multiple or merged documents. Template Sets support

contextual Rules to include or exclude individual Templates

and allow Templates to be repeated for sophisticated super

mail merge operations.

Snippets allow common content to be encapsulated,

maintained, and reused across collections of Templates. Like

Templates, Snippets are designed in Word and may include

any combination of static content and

ActiveDocs technology.

Design Item Sets allow common ActiveDocs technology

to be encapsulated, maintained, and shared across

collections of Templates and Snippets. Typical examples

are customer or employee data and related Rules which

would be used by many Templates or Snippets.

Data Views allow access to data sources including ODBC,

OLE-DB, and Web Services, to be reused across collections of

Templates, Snippets, and Design Item Sets. Data Views support

custom SQL, Stored Procedures, previews, �ltering, and sorting.

Work�ows allow �exible control of storage, formatting,

watermarking, and SharePoint 2010 integration, during

document drafting, approval, and �nalisation. Work�ows

may be applied widely or speci�cally and can be

dynamically altered for each document.

ACTIVEDOCS OPUS CONTENT MANAGER

Content Manager allows the business to centrally manage ActiveDocs Opus Templates, Template Sets, Snippets, Design Item Sets,

Data Views, and Work�ows. Content Manager provides permission-based reporting, design approval, dependency management,

and export-import functions for control across multiple environments such as Development, Quality Assurance, and Production

systems. Content Manager integrates with ActiveDocs Opus Version Control for enhanced functionality.




ACTIVEDOCS OPUS DESIGN TOOLS

Design Tools are integrated with Microsoft® Word to enable the incorporation of ActiveDocs Opus technology while retaining all of

Word’s class-leading functionality. Design Tools enables the business to leverage Word’s functionality, ubiquity, and large skills base,

and eliminate the need to learn yet another document design interface.

ACTIVEDOCS OPUS VERSION CONTROL

Content Manager supports permission-based access to multiple

Catalogs of design elements across the ActiveDocs Opus

environments deployed by the business.

Content Manager allows design elements to be allocated to folders.

Folders can be made subject to Design Approval and may be shared

between, or restricted to, speci�ed subsites in the ActiveDocs Opus

server system.

Designers and administrators can create Categories, which are

independent of the Content Manager Folder structure, of single or mixed

design element types for end-user or design/administration purposes.

Templates and Snippets may optionally be subject to design approval.

With the design work completed by a design specialist, a subject matter

expert can approve the content before the changes are published.

Active Fields are placeholders for data and include type, presentation, validation, and data linkages. Values may be pre-calculated fromconstants and from other �elds, and can be validated against �xedor calculated values.

Groups are designer-created collections of related Active Fields which

may be Rule-controlled and which determine presentation in the

ActiveDocs Opus Document Wizard.

Rules compare Active Fields with other Active Fields or �xed or

calculated values to dynamically alter document content and/or the

behaviour of the Document Wizard.

Charts and graphs allow data to be represented graphically in a wide

range of formats from pie charts to bar graphs with comprehensive

presentation options.

Free Text �elds allow entry of formatted text via the Web Service

interface or in the Document Wizard with the option of a blank page

or a Snippet for initial content.

Snippet Links allow speci�c Snippets or Snippets selected from

categories, with or without �lters, and Dynamic File Merge points for

external documents, to be inserted into the document.

Repeating Items allow multiple-instance data to be used in lists,

tables, charts, and graphs. Repeating Items may encompass single

or multiple Active Fields, Snippets, and Dynamic File Merge points.

The Document Wizard has a reordering option.

Version Control applies to all Design Elements via Content Manager and integrates with Content Manager’s standard automatic check-out.

Extended check-in with Discard, Draft, Publish Now, andDeferred Publishing

Previous Version promotion and copy-out

Previous Version view and Previous Version Compare forTemplates and Snippets

Integration with Template and Snippet pre-publishing Design Approval

Version Control also provides an option to recreate documents using the original Design Elements with which the documents were created, even if the

original Design Elements have been superseded. This is supported in both Program-Driven and User-Driven modes. In User-Driven mode the use of the

Document Wizard in the document re-creation process means that all of the variable information is updatable.

INTEGRATED END-USER SERVICES FOR DOCUMENT AUTOMATION

USER-DRIVEN DOCUMENT CREATION

ACTIVEDOCS OPUS EXPRESS WIZARD

Auditing and Reporting

Selection of Templates via a folder-based structure

Document creation using Templates and Template Sets via the ActiveDocs Opus Document Wizard

Document Approval

Access and management of created documents including download, upload, recreate, delivery via con�gured channels for print fax and email, reassignment, and deletion

Express Wizard provides an easy browser-based interface for document creators and other end users. All functionality is permissions-based and includes:

Document Wizard works automatically with any ActiveDocs Opus Template or Template Set, assisting the document creator through an interview

process to acquire the Answer data required for the document. Designers are not required to develop the end-user interface of the Template.

Document Wizard follows the designer’s group and order structure, provides access to external data sources, and enables other functionality such

as default value settings, data validation, drop-down lists, date picking, Image acquisition, Free Text Editing, and Dynamic File Merge.

Document Wizard is invoked automatically when a user clicks on a Template or Template Set name in the Express Wizard. When integration is enabled,

Document Wizard may be invoked from other applications with the option of using preset complete or partial Answer data.

The appearance of the ActiveDocs Opus Express Wizard and Document Wizard user interfaces can easily be customised using standard web

techniques. All ActiveDocs Opus user interfaces use standard resource �les and double-byte Unicode for textual content to support most end-user

language requirements.

Multi-language support for document creators and document recipients enables true multi-national deployment of documents across the

organisation while maintaining consistency and compliance with corporate and external standards.

ActiveDocs Opus provides a superior interactive experience for document creators via the smart-form Document Wizard.

As a browser-based smart-form the DocumentWizard can be invoked from the ActiveDocs Opus Express Wizard or from other applications includingSharePoint 2010.

User-driven document creation is also supportedfrom the desktop via the ActiveDocs Opus Client or through integration, using the same smart-form Document Wizard.

ACTIVEDOCS OPUS MULTI LANGUAGE SUPPORT

ACTIVEDOCS OPUS DOCUMENT WIZARD

www.activedocs.com

ACTIVEDOCS

COMPOSITIONSERVER

WORD

PDF

XPS

ODF

PRINT

FAX

EMAIL

SharePoint

WebDAV

Web Services

Network

Database

COMPANY DATA

ADP

SHAREPOINT DATABASES

SOLUTIONSSTUDIO

LINE OF BUSINESSINTERACTIVE

LINE OF BUSINESSPROCESS

ACTIVEDOCSEXPRESS WIZARD

ACTIVEDOCSSHAREPOINT MODULE

VERSIONCONTROL

ACTIVEDOCSDOCUMENT WIZARD

CONTENTREVIEW

ACTIVEDOCS

DESIGNER

DraftReviewApproveFinalise

DOCUMENTWORKFLOW

WEBSERVICES

DATA SOURCES

.XPS

The optional ActiveDocs Opus SharePoint 2010 module is a ready-to-deploy Microsoft® SharePoint® 2010 solution that enables seamless

integration between ActiveDocs Opus and SharePoint 2010. The solution provides specialised libraries and web parts that can easily be incorporated

in a SharePoint 2010 installation. SharePoint 2010 pages can be provisioned with web parts that list the ActiveDocs Templates available to the user and

provide direct access to the ActiveDocs Opus Document Wizard for User-Driven document creation. ActiveDocs Opus SharePoint Document Libraries

support ActiveDocs Opus Work�ows which are fully integrated with SharePoint 2010 Document Approval work�ows for document drafting, approval,

and �nalisation.




ACTIVEDOCS OPUS SHAREPOINT 2010

To understand the power of ActiveDocs Opus Version Control, consider the following scenario. Last week, the business sent an Insurance Policy

Document, produced by ActiveDocs Opus in secure PDF format, to one of its most valued customers. Then during the weekend, the business released a

change to the Insurance Policy Template.

Yesterday, the customer told the business about a change of address. The business needs to re-issue the policy with the new address but the rest of the

policy details must stay the same. The new version of the policy Template will cause changes that the business does not want on this customer's policy

document. What does the business do?

ActiveDocs Opus Version Control provides the option to recreate the document using the original Design Elements with which the document was

created, even if the Design Elements have since been superseded. Recreating a document through the ActiveDocs Opus Document Wizard in

User-Driven mode means that any or all of the variable information is retrievable and updatable.

So tomorrow, the customer receives an updated policy document showing their new address, with the remaining content matching the original.

The ActiveDocs Opus Client is an optional module that extends ActiveDocs Opus functionality to the user’s desktop with three advanced features:

Update – the ability to automatically save documents that have been opened and edited from the ActiveDocs Opus Composition Server

Research – the ability to use the Microsoft® Research Service to search for, and use, Snippets. This Research feature can be used within other

Microsoft® O�ce applications allowing Snippets to be inserted into other documents, for example Microsoft® Outlook emails.

O�ine – when users are ‘in the �eld’ and don’t have access to the company’s networks, documents can still be produced in real-time and

simply updated to ActiveDocs Opus Composition Server when the user reconnects to the company’s networks.

ActiveDocs Opus Solutions Studio is the toolkit for developers to integrate ActiveDocs Opus functionality into document based solutions, systems

and processes. For example, Solutions Studio enables developers to enhance the User-Driven experience by:

Integrating the ActiveDocs Opus Document Wizard with existing applications

Implementing customised functionality within the Document Wizard via Step Event Handling

Preparing and using preset Answer data in the Document Wizard

ActiveDocs Opus provides integrated work�ow for document Drafting, Review, Approval and Finalisation. The basic Work�ow con�guration includes:

Draft settings for document formatting, document properties, watermarking, and storage location

Document Review and Approval with �ne-grained Approver selection and extended noti�cation choices, and interaction with

Microsoft® SharePoint 2010 document approval work�ows

Finalisation settings for document formatting, document properties, watermarking, storage location, noti�cations, and housekeeping

including retention policies

Work�ows may be applied widely or speci�cally and can be dynamically altered for each document.


ACTIVEDOCS OPUS CLIENT

ACTIVEDOCS OPUS SOLUTION STUDIO

ACTIVEDOCS OPUS WORKFLOW

INTEGRATED SERVER TECHNOLOGY FOR DOCUMENT AUTOMATION

INTEGRATION FOR AUTOMATION

ACTIVEDOCS OPUS ADP (AUTOMATED DOCUMENT PRODUCTION)

www.activedocs.com

In conjunction with ActiveDocs Opus Solutions Studio, ActiveDocs Opus ADP (Automated Document Production) enables unattended programmatic

generation of documents, allowing other applications to use the power and �exibility of ActiveDocs Opus Templates for on-demand or batch-mode

Automated document production.

ActiveDocs Opus Solutions Studio's Web Services play a key role in integration, enabling connectivity between ActiveDocs Opus and existing business systems.

The Solutions Studio Web Services facilitate the use of a range of methods for providing simple and e�ective document creation and delivery management.

Some web service methods utilise ActiveDocs Job XML, an XML schema that delivers instructions to enable a document to be generated in conjunction

with ADP. It de�nes the document(s) to be created and may include the data, which template(s) to use, delivery rules and other business logic. Solutions

Studio may also be used for consuming other business system web services.

Beyond integration of the ActiveDocs Opus end-user interfaces with other applications, ActiveDocs Opus provides a wealth of integration and server featuresfor program-driven Automated Mode document generation, data integration, storage and delivery integration, robust scalable high-performanceavailability, comprehensive work�ow management, and �ne-grained reporting and auditing capabilities.

ACTIVEDOCS

COMPOSITIONSERVER

WORD

PDF

XPS

ODF

PRINT

FAX

EMAIL

SharePoint

WebDAV

Web Services

Network

Database

COMPANY DATA

ADP

SHAREPOINT DATABASES

SOLUTIONSSTUDIO

LINE OF BUSINESSINTERACTIVE

LINE OF BUSINESSPROCESS

ACTIVEDOCSEXPRESS WIZARD

ACTIVEDOCSSHAREPOINT MODULE

VERSIONCONTROL

ACTIVEDOCSDOCUMENT WIZARD

CONTENTREVIEW

ACTIVEDOCS

DESIGNER

DraftReviewApproveFinalise

DOCUMENTWORKFLOW

WEBSERVICES

DATA SOURCES

.XPS

ACTIVEDOCS OPUS SOLUTIONS STUDIO

ActiveDocs Opus Version Control provides the option to recreate a document using the original Design Elements with which the document was created,

even if the Design Elements have since been superseded.

This feature is fully supported in both User-Driven Mode (Interactive) and Automated Mode (Program-Driven) document creation.

ActiveDocs Opus Dynamic File Merge makes it easy to incorporate additional existing documents in Word, PDF, and graphic, formats into the

completed document.

Dynamic File Merge allows single-document and multi-document merging and is fully supported in both User-Driven Mode (Interactive) and

Automated Mode (Program-Driven) document creation. In User Driven Mode the user can browse to single or multiple additional documents.

In Automated Mode the document names and locations are simply speci�ed as part of the ActiveDocs Job XML.


ACTIVEDOCS OPUS DYNAMIC FILE MERGE

ActiveDocs Opus provides integrated work�ow for document Drafting, Review, Approval and Finalisation. Work�ow parameters include:

Work�ows may be applied widely or speci�cally and can be dynamically altered for each document. All ActiveDocs Opus Work�ow functionality

is fully supported in both User-Driven Mode (Interactive) and Automated Mode (Program-Driven) document creation.



ActiveDocs and its respective components are all trademarks or registered trademarks of ActiveDocs Ltd.All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the respective trademark holders

ACTIVEDOCS OPUS WORKFLOW

AUDITING AND REPORTING

DOCUMENT FORMATTING, STORAGE, & DELIVERY

DATA INTEGRATION

Draft settings for document formatting, document properties,

watermarking, and storage location

Finalisation settings for document formatting, document properties, watermarking,

storage location, noti�cations, and housekeeping including retention policies

Document Review and Approval with �ne-grained Approver

selection and extended noti�cation choices, and interaction with

Microsoft® SharePoint 2010 document approval work�ows

ActiveDocs Opus Reporting provides Business Managers and System Administrators with a comprehensive set of audit and management reports

showing Document Creation, Template Usage, and Performance Statistics, using the power of Microsoft Reports for drill-down and summary analysis.

All reporting is available directly from the ActiveDocs Opus Express Wizard browser interface. Running any report is a simple one-click operation to

invoke a standard ActiveDocs Opus Report Criteria dialog. Reports can be exported in Excel and PDF formats. ActiveDocs Opus Reporting can be

extended with customised Microsoft Reports which are easily developed using Microsoft Visual Studio Express and the ActiveDocs Opus database

schema which also includes built-in Views to support reporting. Running any built-in or customised report is a simple one-click operation in a web

browser, and the ActiveDocs Opus Report Criteria dialog will run automatically for a consistent user interface.

ActiveDocs Opus supports a comprehensive range of output document format options including Microsoft® Word 2007 (OOXML), Microsoft® Word

2003, DOC, PDF, XPS, ODF, RTF, and, in Automated Mode, TIFF, MHTML, and Named Drivers.

ActiveDocs Opus allows documents to be stored in and retrieved from locations other than its built-in SQL Server database. These options include Web

Services, File System, Microsoft® SharePoint libraries, and WebDAV-compliant applications.

Delivery Services use existing infrastructure for Print, Email, and Fax delivery. Printing may encompass format changes and/or conversion to print stream

formats like PCL and AFP through the use of appropriate drivers. Delivery can be controlled via Solutions Studio Web Services.

ActiveDocs Opus integrates with existing data sources to reduce or eliminate the risks and costs of transcribing data. ActiveDocs Opus Data Views

provide access to data sources including ODBC, OLE-DB, and Web Services, and support custom SQL, Stored Procedures, previews, �ltering, and sorting.

In both User-Driven (Interactive) and Automated (Program-Driven) modes, Data Views can automatically access data via easily-con�gured �ltering. In

Automated Mode it is easily possible to complete an entire document or document set through the provision of just one data item such as an employee

or customer or transaction identi�er, leveraging Data Views to obtain the full data set from speci�ed data sources.

SERVER SCALE-UP AND SCALE-OUTActiveDocs Opus is a fully scalable solution, with support for single and multi-core hardware and multiple server con�gurations for load-sharing

designed to work with or without network load-balancing appliances.

ActiveDocs OpusComposition Server

SQL Server

ActiveDocs OpusExpress Wizard




SQL Server




ActiveDocs Opus UsersDocument Creators

Network Load Balancer(Cisco, Citrix...)


SQL Server Cluster

Typical Typology Load Sharing Load Balancing



Documents

ActiveDocs Opus Brochure A4