Question

What are the new features of FlexiCapture 12 R4 U2?

Answer

1. Improvements in reporting services

1.1. Added API to download reports from Administration and Monitoring Console

ABBYY FlexiCapture includes monitoring features to provide you with information about the state and performance of the system and its components. You can get reports on site performance, processing performance, operator workloads, and license consumption. In earlier versions, reports could only be viewed and downloaded in the Administration and Monitoring Console. In ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2, an API has been added for downloading reports automatically, enabling the use reports
in other systems without human involvement.
API methods are available for downloading the following types of reports:
• Site performance
• License consumption by tenants
• License consumption by projects
• Processing performance
• General operators
The parameters of the API methods are identical to those used for creating reports via the Administration and Monitoring Console GUI. The resulting CSV file is also identical to the CSV file created using the Administration and Monitoring Console GUI. For more information about the new API methods, please see Using Web API for downloading reports.

1.2. Reporting for Business Monitoring: ability to store data in zipped CSV format

Starting from ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2, Business Process Reporting data is saved in zipped CSV.

1.3. Reporting Service: ability to connect to another database using EventLogApiCreateDb.exe

To change the database used by the Reporting Service, you need to modify the appsettings.json file. Starting from ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2, you can modify this file using the EventLogApiCreateDb.exe utility and the /ConnectEventlogDb.ps1 script. You can replace the database with another database that is already populated with data or with an empty one. In the latter case, the EventLogApiCreateDb.exe utility will initialize the empty database first. For detailed instructions on changing the database, see Changing the database used by the ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Reporting Service.

1.4. Saving registration parameters for "Unknown" documents in Reporting Service statistics

The program may fail to match some documents with their appropriate Document Definition. Such documents are assigned the “Unknown” status. In earlier versions, the registration parameters of “Unknown” documents were not recorded in the Reporting on Quality service database. However, users may want to see the registration parameters of “Unknown” documents in their reports. Starting from ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2, the registration parameters of “Unknown” documents will be
recorded and shown in Reporting on Quality service reports, just like they are shown for documents that have been successfully matched with their Document Definitions.

2. ABBYY FlexiCapture for Enterprises

2.1. Single Sign-On with MFA on desktop stations

Single Sign-On (SSO) allows users to use a single identifier to access all the resources that they are allowed to access, so that users don’t have to authenticate each time they access a new company resource. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is an authentication method that uses additional checks to verify a user’s identity before granting them access to an account or application. SSO and
MFA are not mutually exclusive. Used in combination, the two technologies provide greater security without complicating user experience. They also make it easier to monitor network activity.
Starting from ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2, you can use Single Sign-On authentication combined with с MFA for the following desktop stations:
• Project Setup Station
• Verification Station
• Remote Verification Station
• Data Verification Station
• Remote Data Verification Station
To connect to the Application Server using SSO with MFA:
1. Open a station and select Open Project from Server… from the menu.
2. In the dialog box that opens, specify the path to the Application Server in DNS format.
3. Click Connection Settings…
4. In the dialog box that opens, select Use Single Sign-on (SSO) authentication for the authentication method. In the Provider list, select an external identity provider (IDP) and click OK.
5. In the Open Existing Project from Application Server dialog box, click OK.
6. In the Authentication dialog box, specify your user account and complete the authentication procedure.
Once authenticated, you will be able to select a project on the Application Server.

2.2.OAuth authorization for SharePoint Online

ABBYY FlexiCapture allows you to export documents to SharePoint Online. In earlier versions, when exporting to SharePoint, users always had to enter their SharePoint credentials. Starting from ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2, you can use OAuth authorization via Microsoft services instead of explicitly entering your SharePoint login name and password. This functionality is based on Token Management Service (TMS, see 4.4 for more details), a service that stores and automatically updates tokens. The new IIS service is called “FlexiCapture 12 Token Management” and is installed together with ABBYY FlexiCapture.
Important! In local projects SharePoint Online OAuth tokens expire in 2 hours, but in projects located on a server tokens are automatically refreshed via TMS.
To enable OAuth authorization for SharePoint Online:
1. Select a Document Definition and open the Document Definition Editor.
2. Click Document Definition -> Export Settings…
3. In the dialog box that opens, click Add… to add a new export profile.
4. In the Export Destination Wizard, select Export to SharePoint, specify the necessary settings, and click Next.
5. In the Connection to SharePoint dialog box, click Connect.
6. In the dialog box that opens, in the Server field, specify the address of the SharePoint server in URL format and click Connection Settings…
7. In the Authentication type list, select SharePoint Online Oauth and click Use OAuth Login.
8. In the OAuth 2.0 Authorization Wizard, click the link and log in to your Microsoft account. Accept all the permissions that are required for the operation of the program. Then go back to the OAuth 2.0 Authorization Wizard and click Finish.
9. In the SharePoint Connection Settings dialog box, click OK. In the SharePoint dialog box, click Connect.
10. Specify additional settings in the SharePoint dialog box:
- SharePoint library
- Folder in document library
- Content type
11. Follow the Export Destination Wizard to complete the configuration of the export profile.
For more information about configuring export to SharePoint, see Exporting documents to a SharePoint library.

2.3. Security Event Log: Specify which user's permissions were added or removed

The Security Event Log contains events related to adding, removing or changing users’ permissions. This log is used for security audits. When changing the permissions of users or user groups, you want to be sure that users are only granted permissions they are entitled to, or that they actually don’t need the permissions you are going to remove. Starting from ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2, detailed information is provided for each security event. Now you will see additional information about the specific role given to or taken away from a user. This will help you prevent unauthorized access to data.

2.4. Monitoring memory consumption by tasks

Sometimes, non-optimal project settings may cause tasks to consume too much memory, resulting in slower processing or even in some tasks failing with a “Not Enough Memory” error. Starting from ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2, you can monitor and troubleshoot excessive memory consumption, e.g. by optimizing your project settings. Memory logging for tasks is disabled by default. To enable it, specify a memory limit in the \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ABBYY\FlexiCapture\12.0\FlexiBr\ExecutorsManagerWatchedTaskMemoryLimitMb registry key on the machines with the Processing Stations installed. Now if a task requires more memory that the specified threshold value, a corresponding warning message will be entered in the Event Log. To disable memory logging, set the value of the registry key to 0.

2.5. Ability to load FlexiLayouts using FCAdminTools.

Document Definitions may use FlexiLayouts that need to be periodically updated. When you update a FlexiLayout in one Document Definition, you may want to update it in all the other Document Definitions where it is used. In ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2, a new command, LoadFlexiLayout, has been added to the FCAdminTools utility. You can use this command to lead a new FlexiLayout into a Document Definition, replacing the old one. Either the main FlexiLayout or an additional FlexiLayout can be replaced. For more information, see this Help article.

2.6. More detailed logging in FCAdminTools for upgraded projects

Upgrading a project involves multiple steps — updating project properties, batch types, Document Definitions, working batches, training batches, etc. In earlier versions, if FCAdminTools reported an error while upgrading a project, it was not very easy to determine the step where the error occurred. Starting from ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2, the FCAdminTools utility will keep a detailed log for the UpgradeProject command, so that you can easily trace errors preventing a successful upgrade.

3. ABBYY FlexiCapture web applications

3.1. Internet Explorer 11 no longer supported

Starting from ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2, Internet Explorer 11 is no longer supported. Please use other recommended browsers.

3.2. Ability to specify an IP whitelist in the Administration and Monitoring Console

To secure your tenant, you can restrict access to certain IP addresses. The new IP Whitelist feature in the ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 authentication module can block access from IP addresses that are not in the specified range. In earlier versions, users had to specify white-listed IP addresses directly in the dbo.Tenant table in the ABBYY FlexiCapture database. Starting from ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2, you can specify white-listed IP addresses in the Administration and Monitoring Console.
Important! You can use the Administration and Monitoring Console to specify white-listed IP address only within tenants. You will not be able to white-list IP addresses in the main environment. You must have the role of ABBYY FlexiCapture administrator or tenant administrator to be able to white-list IP addresses.
To add IP addresses to the whitelist:
1. Launch the Administration and Monitoring Console under the required tenant.
2. Go to Settings -> IP Whitelist.
3. Select Enable IP whitelisting.
4. In the Allowed IP address blocks field, specify the allowed IP addresses or range of addresses in CIDR format.
5. Click Save.
For more information about IP white-listing, see Restricting access to a tenant using an IP Whitelist.

3.3. Configuring Single Sign-On authentication in the Administration and Monitoring Console

Single Sign-On (SSO) allows users to use a single identifier to access all the resources that they are allowed to access, so that users don’t have to authenticate each time they access a new company resource. In earlier versions, a special PowerShell script had to be used to configure Single Sign-On. Starting from ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2, Single Sign-On can be configured in
the Administration and Monitoring Console.
Important! Only the ABBYY FlexiCapture administrator can add and configure Single Sign-On on the default tenant. On other tenants, Single Sign-On can be configured by ABBYY FlexiCapture or tenant administrators.
To configure SSO authentication:
1. Launch the Administration and Monitoring Console.
2. Go to Settings -> Single Sign-On.
3. Click Add Configuration.
4. In the dialog box that opens, specify the required parameters:
• Name - the name of the external identity provider that will be contacted when the user clicks the Log in
with… button.
• Reference - the URL that will be used to access the server of the external identity provider.
• Upload Image File - the path to the image that will be used for the new button (images in *.svg, *.jpg, and *.png formats are supported).
• Upload Certificate File - the path to the public certificate.
5. Click OK. The new configuration will be added to the list. If required, you can change it by clicking Edit.
Note: You can specify multiple identity providers.
6. Select the Assign groups by SSO option if you want to assign ABBYY FlexiCapture groups based on identity provider groups.
For detailed instructions on using SSO in ABBYY FlexiCapture, see the Single Sign-On authentication section in the System Administrator’s Guide.

3.4. SSO-only authentication mode

In high-security environments, access to all of the corporate resources must be controlled from a central location in order to avoid human errors when granting access permissions. For this purpose, SSO-only authentication mode has been added in ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2.
Important! SSO-only authentication can only be enabled for non-default tenants.
To enable SSO-only authentication:
1. Launch the Administration and Monitoring Console.
2. Go to Settings -> Single Sign-On.
3. Select SSO-only authentication mode option.
As a result, only those users will be able to access the system who have been authenticated through an external identity provider. Creating and importing users in the Administration and Monitoring Console will be automatically disabled. For detailed instructions on using SSO in ABBYY FlexiCapture, see the Single Sign-On authentication section in the System Administrator’s Guide.

3.5. Assigning groups by SSO

ABBYY FlexiCapture supports Single Sign-On (SSO) authentication. Starting from ABBYY FlexiCapture Release 4 Update 2, you can also assign groups using SSO. This means that now you can create groups in ABBYY FlexiCapture based on the groups in IDP. You can both add users to certain groups and update groups after they are changed in IDP.

Important! Only the tenant administrator can assign groups. For the default tenant, only the ABBYY FlexiCapture administrator can change this setting.
To assign groups via SSO:
1. Launch the Administration and Monitoring Console.
2. Go to Settings -> Single Sign-On.
3. Select the SSO-only authentication mode option.
After enabling this option, when creating a new group, specify the GUID of the corresponding IDP group in the External ID field. As a result, users from the IDP group with the specified External ID will be added to the ABBYY FlexiCapture group.

4. General improvements

4.1.New handwritten text recognition technology

Earlier versions of ABBYY FlexiCapture could only recognize printed and hand-printed text. With the addition of this new technology, the program can now also recognize handwritten text.

4.2. New recognition mode added: Accurate

FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2 includes a new recognition mode named “Accurate.” This mode isintended for extracting data from barely readable digital images or from poor-quality documents. This primarily applies to text printed on pictorial or textured backgrounds and to documents protected with holographic security elements (e.g. ID cards or licenses). The new Accurate mode is also useful for poor-quality digital images which are too dark or too bright, are not sharp enough, have perspective distortions, or contain very small or barely readable text (e.g. receipts, invoices or contracts).
You can specify a recognition mode when creating a Document Definition in the Document Definition Wizard. Later, you can change the recognition mode on the Recognition tab of the Document Definition Properties dialog box. For details, see Document Definition Properties.
Important! Recognizing documents in Accurate mode will take longer than other modes. Be sure to use this mode only for documents that will actually benefit from this mode.

4.3. Changes to recognition modes

• We have assessed the performance and our ability to improve the various OCR modes and have determined that the "Balanced" recognition mode will be frozen from a development perspective. Starting from FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2, no attempts will be made to improve the quality or speed of recognition in this mode.
• “Thorough” recognition mode has been renamed to “Normal” so that it is not confused with the new “Accurate” mode.
• All new FlexiLayout Studio and FlexiCapture 12 projects will have “Normal” recognition mode selected by default.

4.4. Token Management Service

Starting from FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2, a new service is available, called “Token Management Service.” It allows keeping and automatically refreshing OAuth2 tokens within FlexiCapture 12, specifically for export to SharePoint Online, or for import from The Microsoft Graph API and IMAP (OAuth 2 for IMAP import from Microsoft Exchange will be introduced in FlexiCapture 12 Release 4 Update 2 Patch 1). This service is installed automatically as part of the Application Service and runs as IIS Service.
Important! When upgrading from previous versions of FlexiCapture 12, for TMS to work properly you need to re-connect to the existing database (see Connecting to an existing database). When connecting to a new database, IIS pools should be recycled as well.
Important! TMS works only for projects located on the ABBYY FlexiCapture 12 Server. Authentication tokens in local projects cannot be refreshed automatically with TMS.
Note: If you were using OAuth2 for Microsoft Graph import prior to Release 4 Update 2, you will need to re-authenticate for TMS to catch the authentication token and refresh it automatically in the future.

4.5. Sorting through all the pages in batch and task view

On the Project Setup Station, Verification Station, and Web Verification Station, batches and tasks are now sorted using all the pages in the batch and task view