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 its done manually, and how simple, fast and accurate it is when its automated.
By delivering low cost of ownership, sophisticated integration and fexibility to the document generation process
within the organisation, ActiveDocs Opus provides the organisation with real compliance benefts, risk mitigation,
and revenue savings, by improving efciencies 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 organisations 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 Ofce 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-efective implementations, sharp understanding of business needs, and a passion for
helping businesses create great documents has seen the business fourish 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 beneft to their business.
Audit, management, and customised reporting
Browser-based Wizard-driven interactive
document 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-Out
and Check-In
Integrated Workfow for Document Approval
and 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 Template
and Snippet storage
Supports WebDAV, SharePoint, and Web Services
for Document Storage
User Access Control
Web Services for Automated Document
Production with Auto Populate option
XML support
PLATFORMS
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and 2003,
32- and 64- bit
Microsoft Ofce 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 control
for fexibility and business unit participation
Confgure user access to over 40 system functions
Confgure easily for specifc requirements
Controlled and standardised document creation
across the enterprise
Create documents in multiple languages
Customised audit reporting of document
creation and delivery
Deliver by print, fax, email, directory
Deployment and Publication control
Dynamic template control
Efective and seamless integration with
existing applications
Efcient control of content
Extended integration using Web Services
Format and insert logos and graphics
Incorporate existing documents into
new documents
Integration with existing DMS/ECM applications
and SharePoint
Leverage existing Microsoft Word skills
for Template Design
Leverage multi-CPU, multi-server topology
for performance and availability
No customisation required to start using
Scale up and scale out topologies supported
Simple end user interface for creating
complex documents
Update templates and other shared content
in minutes
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email: info@activedocs.com 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 MANAGEMENT
FOR DOCUMENT AUTOMATION
ACTIVEDOCS OPUS DESIGNER
ACTIVEDOCS OPUS TEMPLATE DESIGN ELEMENTS
ActiveDocs Opus Designer provides Design and
Management of Template design elements via
the 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 workfows, to be shared and managed across
the collection of Templates and across multiple
environments.
All ActiveDocs Opus user interfaces, including Designer, use
standard resource fles and double-byte Unicode for textual
content 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 Words 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, fltering, and sorting.
Workfows allow fexible control of storage, formatting,
watermarking, and SharePoint 2010 integration, during
document drafting, approval, and fnalisation. Workfows
may be applied widely or specifcally 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 Workfows. 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.
NORTH AMERICA / EUROPE / ASIA PACIFIC
email: info@activedocs.com 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
ACTIVEDOCS OPUS DESIGN TOOLS
Design Tools are integrated with Microsoft Word to enable the incorporation of ActiveDocs Opus technology while retaining all of
Words class-leading functionality. Design Tools enables the business to leverage Words 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, specifed 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 from
constants and from other felds, and can be validated against fxed
or 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 fxed 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 felds 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 specifc Snippets or Snippets selected from
categories, with or without flters, 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 Managers standard automatic check-out.
Extended check-in with Discard, Draft, Publish Now, and
Deferred Publishing
Previous Version promotion and copy-out
Previous Version view and Previous Version Compare for
Templates 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 confgured 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 designers 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 fles 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 Document
Wizard can be invoked from the ActiveDocs Opus
Express Wizard or from other applications including
SharePoint 2010.
User-driven document creation is also supported
from 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
COMPOSITION
SERVER
WORD
PDF
XPS
ODF
PRINT
FAX
EMAIL
SharePoint
WebDAV
Web Services
Network
Database
COMPANY DATA
ADP
SHAREPOINT DATABASES
SOLUTIONS
STUDIO
LINE OF BUSINESS
INTERACTIVE
LINE OF BUSINESS
PROCESS
ACTIVEDOCS
EXPRESS WIZARD
ACTIVEDOCS
SHAREPOINT MODULE
VERSION
CONTROL
ACTIVEDOCS
DOCUMENT WIZARD
CONTENT
REVIEW
ACTIVEDOCS
DESIGNER
Draft
Review
Approve
Finalise
DOCUMENT
WORKFLOW
WEB
SERVICES
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 Workfows which are fully integrated with SharePoint 2010 Document Approval workfows for document drafting, approval,
and fnalisation.
NORTH AMERICA / EUROPE / ASIA PACIFIC
email: info@activedocs.com 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
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 users 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 Ofce applications allowing Snippets to be inserted into other documents, for example Microsoft Outlook emails.
Ofine when users are in the feld and dont have access to the companys networks, documents can still be produced in real-time and
simply updated to ActiveDocs Opus Composition Server when the user reconnects to the companys 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 workfow for document Drafting, Review, Approval and Finalisation. The basic Workfow confguration includes:
Draft settings for document formatting, document properties, watermarking, and storage location
Document Review and Approval with fne-grained Approver selection and extended notifcation choices, and interaction with
Microsoft SharePoint 2010 document approval workfows
Finalisation settings for document formatting, document properties, watermarking, storage location, notifcations, and housekeeping
including retention policies
Workfows may be applied widely or specifcally and can be dynamically altered for each document.
ACTIVEDOCS OPUS VERSION CONTROL
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 fexibility 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 efective 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 defnes 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 features
for program-driven Automated Mode document
generation, data integration, storage and delivery
integration, robust scalable high-performance
availability, comprehensive workfow management,
and fne-grained reporting and auditing capabilities.
ACTIVEDOCS
COMPOSITION
SERVER
WORD
PDF
XPS
ODF
PRINT
FAX
EMAIL
SharePoint
WebDAV
Web Services
Network
Database
COMPANY DATA
ADP
SHAREPOINT DATABASES
SOLUTIONS
STUDIO
LINE OF BUSINESS
INTERACTIVE
LINE OF BUSINESS
PROCESS
ACTIVEDOCS
EXPRESS WIZARD
ACTIVEDOCS
SHAREPOINT MODULE
VERSION
CONTROL
ACTIVEDOCS
DOCUMENT WIZARD
CONTENT
REVIEW
ACTIVEDOCS
DESIGNER
Draft
Review
Approve
Finalise
DOCUMENT
WORKFLOW
WEB
SERVICES
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 specifed as part of the ActiveDocs Job XML.
ACTIVEDOCS OPUS VERSION CONTROL
ACTIVEDOCS OPUS DYNAMIC FILE MERGE
ActiveDocs Opus provides integrated workfow for document Drafting, Review, Approval and Finalisation. Workfow parameters include:
Workfows may be applied widely or specifcally and can be dynamically altered for each document. All ActiveDocs Opus Workfow functionality
is fully supported in both User-Driven Mode (Interactive) and Automated Mode (Program-Driven) document creation.
NORTH AMERICA / EUROPE / ASIA PACIFIC
email: info@activedocs.com 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 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, notifcations, and housekeeping including retention policies
Document Review and Approval with fne-grained Approver
selection and extended notifcation choices, and interaction with
Microsoft SharePoint 2010 document approval workfows
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, fltering, and sorting.
In both User-Driven (Interactive) and Automated (Program-Driven) modes, Data Views can automatically access data via easily-confgured fltering. 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 identifer, leveraging Data Views to obtain the full data set from specifed data sources.
SERVER SCALE-UP AND SCALE-OUT
ActiveDocs Opus is a fully scalable solution, with support for single and multi-core hardware and multiple server confgurations for load-sharing
designed to work with or without network load-balancing appliances.
ActiveDocs Opus
CompositionServer
SQL Server
ActiveDocs Opus
Express Wizard
ActiveDocs Opus
CompositionServer
ActiveDocs Opus
CompositionServer
ActiveDocs Opus
Express Wizard
SQL Server
ActiveDocs Opus
CompositionServer
ActiveDocs Opus
Express Wizard
ActiveDocs Opus
CompositionServer
ActiveDocs Opus Users
Document Creators
Network LoadBalancer
(Cisco, Citrix...)
ActiveDocs Opus
Express Wizard
SQL Server Cluster
Typical Typology Load Sharing Load Balancing
ActiveDocs Opus Users
Document Creators
ActiveDocs Opus Users
Document Creators