This is one of the highly potent benefits of DataCap. When properly implemented, it provides significant value, and users find it very enjoyable. During the proof of concept (POC) phase, customers interacted with the product's interface and were highly impressed by its quality and functionality. It received very positive feedback. Implementation would be considerably smoother if the necessary resources were available. However, as previously mentioned, the scarcity of resources may hinder the process, making it less straightforward.

Datacap is not that difficult to set up, however, there are some limitations. For example, it's supposed to only be used with Windows. It'll not support a Linux platform and has been built on top of .Net technologies. For C#, we have to wait for some code, for example. The code itself is limited. Basically, I'm a Java developer. The finance support completely Java. .Net has been somewhere else. I never see any development with technology using .Net, yet Datacap is completely on top of .Net only .Net and C# files. We have tried the code in that way only.

The scope is not up to that mark. Coming in the future, however, there may be the open-source side.

In terms of deployment, for us, the planning was already done in a minor version only, with completely new software. We planned it for three months with more than one month of buffer on offer. It has been a long process, however, otherwise, you can complete it, including unit testing, within three months.

Configuring Datacap is a little complex. The time needed to configure it depends on whether you want to create a new profile or a new job. You have to put in a request to the vendor, and they will create the profile in two to five days. 

It is now very easy for me. For someone who is starting with the product, they have a manual, and it can be very straightforward if no issue occurs. If there are some issues, it can be a bit complex to solve when you're doing the setup. Because I already have a massive experience with the setup of the environment, it's quite easy. Even when I find errors, I manage to solve them quickly.

When it came to deploying the actual Datacap solution itself, we carried out an on-premises deployment. I was responsible for the technical deployment. We deployed it on our own virtual servers on our own virtualized infrastructure. We deployed several servers and set up a clustered configuration for the data. We also set up a clustered configuration for the front end for data, which is a product called IBM Content Navigator. So, we had a cluster setup for the front and the back end. Rolling it out from the start to the finish took us about a month. 

After that was completed, we reached out to IBM to give us a sample application for trade finance, and this is where they gave us a special plugin module called the Trade Finance Accelerator for IBM Datacap. That's where we spent most of our time. We were just deploying changes to the Trade Finance Accelerator module. So, that's where we spent the bulk of our time after the infrastructure and the core software were built.

We bought IBM DataCap then and we have had training using it. After training, we were working on preparing all servers,like UAT servers, and SIT server. And for me as a business analyst, I sat down with all the stakeholders and attempt to understand their needs and requirements to build the required structure and integration between IBM DataCap and the interface which will be used by the end-user. The integration between the interface and backend after reading, scanning, and verifying the document by IBM DataCap, the documents which will be transformed and transferred to IBM Filenet. So far we are working with our stakeholders at the  UAT phase and after receiving  the required confirmations , we'll be able to move to production.

The time it took us to implement IBM DataCap was approximately two years. However, this is not a normal situation. We had many elements that caused the delay, such as solution negotiation and contracting also Corna Virus Quarantine.

The complexity of initial setup depends very much on the architecture and use case for individual customers. A simple use case (for example, data extraction from a fixed form) can see a solution up and running in a few days, but more complex use cases with several document types and unstructured data can take longer to implement.

The installation of the solution is very simple. We need a CPE, a database, a batch file like a TIFF converter file and the complete round from the Taskmaster and a Rulerunner. Installation is designed in an efficient way. We have four to six hours of downtime, so it is more efficient to get covered for any upgrade. 

This is one of the highly potent benefit of Datacap. When properly implemented, it provides significant value, and users find it very enjoyable. During the proof of concept (POC) phase, customers interacted with the product's interface and were highly impressed by its quality and functionality. It received very positive feedback.Implementation would be considerably smoother if the necessary resources were available. However, as previously mentioned, the scarcity of resources may hinder the process, making it less straightforward.

If only one person was working on the deployment of this solution, it would take one to two weeks. 

The first step in setting up this solution is to install all the prerequisite software from IBM. Once installed, we run the installer on Rulerunner servers and on Taskmaster servers. We then install the IBM Content Navigator for use in the front-end followed by creating the default desktops of IBM Datacap.  The final step is to customize the solution using any plugins or any widgets based on our client's requirements.

I wasn't around when Datacap was deployed, but they have done two upgrades since I joined the company. The process was tedious. We needed to upgrade the server and the client. If it automatically upgraded the client when we updated the server, that would be fantastic. 

When we updated the client, we lost all our settings, like the shortcuts and preferences. Those settings go into an XML file or somewhere. The upgraded client should retain that file. It should not be completely deleted. The user has to set it up from scratch, which is frustrating.

The setup is getting better. IBM has introduced some more configuration wizards and the like. But what we always advise customers is, if you're just starting in with Datacap, bring in a partner like us to do the first one, because we've been working with this type of technology for many years. It's becoming easier to set up but you really want to work with someone who knows it, knows how to optimize it, knows what the best practices are to really make sure that you're getting the most ROI from the investment.

Its deployment is quite fast. It's easy to set up, but it can grow quite easily. It can grow quite complex. You have a lot of options and possibilities.

It is easier to set up than Captiva. The configuration doesn't depend on the technical admin. The business admin can handle the configuration. In the past, we had billions of documents. For each type of document we have to configure the system to apply the security and it's important to configure each document apart. When we had Capatra we had to go back to our partner and configure the document. Now we can add members of documents without asking for support from the IT department.

To deploy a departmnet took two months without much customization. For the standard deployment, it won't take more than three months .

There are two ways to deploy Datacap. If you have multiple servers, we can use the Datacap deployment server, a new service IBM provides. You can also deploy it the traditional way, where we zip the file, add it to the main server, map it with our application manager, and update the XML file where all the application names are listed. 

Once we successfully authenticate with the database—Oracle, Access DB, etc.—we connect with the Datacap studio to test that the application is working fine. We later map the application inside the Datacap navigator. 

After that, we add a repository with Datacap that includes all the details using the LDAP authentication or a normal username and ID, and we create a new desktop. If there's an existing desktop, we export and import the desktop on the same server, add the repository inside the desktop's menu, configure all the menus. Finally, we can start with our application.

If you're doing a custom deployment, it's easy. But if you're wanting a personalized setup then the initial deployment is complex because it requires a lot of research and there are numerous problems. 

The installation and configuration are fairly simple. It's a standard install process, not overly complex. An argument across customers is that it is difficult to build solutions using IBM Datacap. I think they're continually trying to work on that. 

We also provide solution accelerators that we build on top of Datacap, to accelerate those processes so it's not as complex. That's one of the reasons why we hope that people come to our company, Imagine Solutions.

The initial setup was easy for us.

It can take some time to implement. As long as the customer understands that they have to be patient with the entire process, it's very easy to work with people and have the level of the technology they want to work. However, everybody has to be onboard with it.

The initial setup of IBM Datacap is easy, with no issues.

The initial setup was complex because the system was complex inherently.

If someone is looking just to install and remedial capture, the initial setup is maybe a month.

Most of our engagements are a four to six month time frame. Not overly long, when compared to SAP or Oracle, which have about two to four year engagements. We are about a six month average. Primarily ours is more about understanding the business requirements. We'll not alter the business to fit the software. We'll make the software fit the business. It's understanding it to a finite degree.

That's the complicated part. Almost 20% of any of our engagement is talking to the client and end users, and understanding what they need.

The great thing about the cloud offering and tools that IBM Datacap implements are customers don't have to rely on anything. They are supported, maintained, and fix by IBM, so customers just pay and use. 

The initial setup is straightforward.

The deployment takes less than one day and requires one person.

The solution's initial setup is straightforward. I rate the process as a seven or eight. The deployment process takes a week to complete.