Question

Real time lookup in Laserfiche Client? Populate index fields from SQL table like Quickfields?

Updated August 17, 2016

asked on August 16, 2016 • Show version history

Has anyone been able to create a real time lookup that populates index fields in the Laserfiche Client much like it works in Quickfields? We have a customer that is looking to switch from OnBase and apparently they can key in an account number or SS# and have it populate the rest of the index fields. I know this is possible in forms and quickfields but what about the client?

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replied on August 16, 2016

Maybe I'm missing something here, but... why not use Dynamic Fields? They can provide real-time lookup functionality. Make the Account Number or SS# field the parent field and configure the rest as child fields, and when you key in the first, the rest will populate.

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replied on August 16, 2016 • Show version history

Good for normalized tables but not good if the key values are not in the table. Won't allow you to 'add' a new record by doing data entry in the metadata pane. A plug-in on the other hand can do the reverse lookup and if the key value is not found then it can prompt for the remaining values (or take them directly from the keyed in metadata) and add the new record...

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replied on August 16, 2016

To argue for using dynamic fields; if the key value for a set of dynamic fields is an account number then that key value probably already exists in a database somewhere. Perhaps not so likely if the key value is an SSN?

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replied on August 17, 2016

I tried what you suggested, but two issues. One is that where this is a customer ID or SS# field If I start typing it literally would pull up several hundred thousand values until you narrow it down to the exact number.

The second issue I that I can't add a new number unless it is found in the database, which would be fine but we are updating on a 24 hour basis so it is not a true real time look up into the "live" database.

Thanks for the suggestion, It was close.

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replied on August 16, 2016 • Show version history

I'd think you could do it as a business process but not real time. You could maybe schedule a workflow to run on entries every so often? Do you have more details about the process they will follow to get documents into the system?

A better solution might be to use import agent and workflow, then lookup the data in a custom query...

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replied on August 16, 2016 • Show version history

Scott - This is something that you can do with the SDK or by partnering with a Laserfiche PDP (Professional Developer Partner). With the SDK you can create a client based 'plug-in' that can manipulate the document and metadata. In your case I would probably create a toolbar based client plug-in (maybe activated by a hotkey?) that would pop-up a modal dialog box asking for the account number or SSN on a selected document. Once populated it would then do a reverse lookup and populate the rest of the metadata fields.

Not as clean as something like a dynamic field in the metadata pane but certainly do-able...

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replied on August 17, 2016

Thanks for the suggestions all,

we do have customers currently on Oracle that do this as you are dealing with one database, but this customer has Oracle and no desire to use LF in that environment so we are trying to find a way to emulate that Real time functionality via SQL. We have developed the SDK plugins already described, and have developed workflows that will fill in after the fact pulling from the SQL database, but was hoping someone had a way to provide the same functionality but in real time. I appreciate all the help! Thank you! Scott

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replied on August 17, 2016

You should be able to create MSSQL Views that pull information from the Oracle database, then hook those up to the dynamic fields. This approach involves configuring the Oracle database as a Linked Server in MSSQL first. We have done similar things with flat-file databases, so it should also be doable with Oracle. Good luck!

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Real time lookup in Laserfiche Client? Populate index fields from SQL table like Quickfields?

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