6.7 Upgrade News

ImageNow 6.7 Upgrade - Primary Services Upgraded and Restored

posted Aug 4, 2013, 6:28 AM by John Brown

Primary ImageNow services, including the ImageNow Client, WebNow, eForms, and Fax Agent have been restored and the system has been upgraded to version 6.7. Our scripted, recurring processes have also been restarted, but did not run last night. Reporting is still offline, but should be available for tomorrow.

As one final reminder, if you use the ImageNow client to connect to the system, it will need to be upgraded to the 6.7 version before you will be able to log in. More information can be found here:

http://imagenow.maine.edu/imagenow-support/support-articles/imagenow-6-7-client-installation

Please do let us know if you run into any issues with the system.

ImageNow 6.7 - New Feature Update #3 - Reporting

posted Aug 1, 2013, 8:07 AM by John Brown [ updated Aug 1, 2013, 8:08 AM ]

Last year, we rolled out access to the new reporting tool for ImageNow - Business Insight. With this new tool came the ability to run and view reports through the ImageNow Client itself. Unfortunately, the interface for this was not as accessible as it should have been and had some issues with certain report types. Thankfully, these shortcomings have been identified and improved in the 6.7 version. The new reporting controls have been simplified and are part of the client, just like other options within the program. We are hopeful that these changes will allow us to deliver more user run reports for the system. The upgrade also adds several new stock reports that we can deliver or build on, based on user requests. If you have an ImageNow related report that you would like added to the system, please let us know at insupport@maine.edu.

Here's a look at the old and new reporting toolbars:

6.6 Reporting Controls

6.7 Reporting Controls

ImageNow 6.7 - New Feature Update #2 - Updated Document Index Keys

posted Jul 25, 2013, 12:47 PM by John Brown [ updated Jul 26, 2013, 6:01 AM ]

In the first ImageNow 6.7 update we took a look at the new Folders and Content Modeling feature. While this change does not directly impact any of our UMS ImageNow implementations, it does have a ripple effect on an area of the system that we do use - Index Keys. There are two key changes to be aware of:

The Folder and Tab index keys have been renamed to Field 1 and Field 2 - This brings the first two Index Key fields into line with the others, which were already named Field 3, 4, and 5. With Projects being renamed to Folders, it makes sense that the Folder key would be renamed to avoid confusion. For the most part, users will be minimally affected by this as the Index Keys for each implementation have their description set to match the data being entered - EMPLID, Name, etc. However, this may be visible when using some of the searches, like All Documents.
A new Index Key titled "Name" has been added - To allow for documents to have a discrete path when working with Folders and Content Modeling, a Name field has been added. Since we are not yet using those features, this field will be inaccessible for all users. However, given that Name is a standard Document Key for many implementations, this may still cause some confusion. The new Name field will either be empty or will contain a long string of letters and numbers. In either case, at this point in time we recommend just ignoring this field.

Here's a look at how the Index Keys look in 6.7 (left), compared to version 6.6 (right):

ImageNow 6.7 Upgrade - Client Installation Planning

posted Jul 19, 2013, 1:11 PM by John Brown

Work on the ImageNow upgrade progresses, and we look forward to a smooth transition for the user community on the first weekend in August. Part of that transition will be the upgrade/installation of the 6.7 ImageNow Client on any computers that need access to the system.

On Monday, August 5, if the 6.7 ImageNow client is not installed, you will not be able to access ImageNow.

If you currently access ImageNow through the desktop client (and not WebNow), appropriate plans should be in place for you or your IT support staff to ensure that the new client is installed and ready to be used. Administrator level access on a workstation is required to install the client. If you do not have this access, or are otherwise unsure how to install the updated client, please work with your IT contacts to develop a plan for that Monday.

We will be providing a link to the client the week before the upgrade, which will allow you or your IT staff time to download the installer ahead of time. We will also be posting this information to the support site (imagenow.maine.edu) along with directions on the installation. Please let us know if you have any questions, or if we can help you prepare for this in any way.

ImageNow 6.7 - New Feature Update #1 - Content Modeling and Folders

posted Jul 17, 2013, 1:42 PM by John Brown [ updated Jul 18, 2013, 6:11 AM ]

The primary new feature available in ImageNow 6.7 is the concept of Content Modeling and Folders. These features are an expansion and reworking of the existing Projects feature in the current version. We do not currently use Projects in any of our implementations, but the additional capabilities found in the new version may open this up as a path for us in the future. Post-upgrade we will be evaluating the new options with an eye towards how we can best use Content Modeling in new and existing implementations.

Here is a rundown of how Content Modeling and Folders work in version 6.7:

Folders and Content Modeling create an additional organization structure, beyond the drawers and document keys we use currently
Documents are assigned an absolute location or path in the system, allowing for easy reference
Folders are locations to hold documents within ImageNow, similar to how folders work on your desktop
Folders can represent things like an employee or a student
Once built, folders can be set to only allow and/or require certain document types
Shortcuts can be created that reference documents that exist in other folders, allowing for easy access to related or required documents
Multiple levels of folders can exist - folders within folders
Folders can be moved through workflow, just like individual documents

Here's a sample image showing a new folder, with an additional folder and a shortcut to a document underneath it:

ImageNow 6.7 Upgrade - Request for Testers

posted Jun 27, 2013, 8:35 AM by John Brown

The ImageNow upgrade process is moving along and we now have our test environment for the 6.7 version mostly in place. We would like to take the opportunity now to request volunteers for the testing process. Our hope is to get as broad a testing group as we can, covering as many functional areas and campuses as possible. We have our list of volunteers from the last upgrade that we can go back to, but we would also like to open the process up to other interested parties as well. Getting as much engagement from the user community as possible will be a key component to a smooth and successful upgrade process.

A few things to keep in mind if you are interested in being a tester:

The upgrade does require a new client to be installed. You will need to have access to a PC that will not need to maintain access to the current 6.6 production environment An out of use or secondary workstation would be ideal for this.
All processes may not be running initially, particularly those that rely on outside connections to other systems (like MaineStreet)
The data in the test environment is a couple of months old - you will not be seeing up to date documents that were created today, for example.
Our hope is to start opening the test environment up to volunteers by the end of next week.

If you are still interested in testing, please let me know and I will contact you individually with further information on the testing process.