Today's businesses collect and archive huge amounts of data, integrating it into enterprise applications such as ERP or CRM, but are often faced with the challenge of outputting the data seamlessly, quickly, and in an aesthetically pleasing format. Cerenade's Visual eMerge is a simple but comprehensive mission critical solution to this challenge. Data is easily merged from the application data source into a usable WYSIWYG format at high speed. Then the formatted data is printed in a seamless manner to ANY output device (printer, fax) with NO resolution or driver restrictions. Plus, users also have the option of preparing data for envelope stuffing. Visual eMerge has complete archiving capabilities, logging activities including pending and finished jobs. Ultimately, there is no more trying to integrate incompatible systems together... just a seamless output management solution facilitated by Cerenade.

Visual eMerge Process Diagram (ZOOM)

What are the advantages of Cerenade's Visual eMerge?

Saves time and money
• Visual eMerge offers: - The ability to save time and money by using current data, current formats, and current hardware. Regardless of the software that produces the data, electronic forms can be printed quickly and easily using Visual eMerge.; - The ability to use current output devices (printers, fax servers). Delivery method for output and transmission of forms can be selected.; - The ability to use current printers (PCL, Laser, Dot Matrix, thermal transfer, and high-speed production printers including Zebra or Xerox).; - The ability to save time with powerful print capabilities and sophisticated forms architecture... forms and data are combined and queued at speeds higher than the rated speed of most printers.

Simple to use
• Visual eMerge offers: - A solution that is high quality and easy to use. Competitive solutions are complex, often involving additional equipment requirements and software additions.

Facilitates multiple applications
• Visual eMerge facilitates many applications including:: - Checks.; - Shipping documents, bill of lading, invoices, statements.; - The ability to print multiple forms from a single field-nominated data stream, such as invoices in multiple languages with different terms and conditions or invoices with credit and debit memos.; - Different logos that can be dynamically embedded without changing the form or data stream.; - Envelope stuffing; - The output can also be OMR stamped for recognition by envelope stuffing equipment.

Output that is more powerful and flexible than similar applications
• Visual eMerge enables...: - The creation of dynamic forms that allow portions of a form to appear or disappear depending on whether or not they contain data (i.e., invoices can be printed with 10 line items or 50 lines items, both with no unused white space).; - The ability to perform arithmetic calculations on form data: create subtotals, perform currency conversions, and add data from an external source.; - Implementation of market-focused, personalized messages on customer documents with dynamic capabilities that allow a customer message area to appear or disappear.

What features or functions does Visual eMerge provide?

Print Support
Visual eMerge can print on any printer supported by Microsoft Windows Operating Systems at a very high throughput rate and without the need for custom print drivers. Additionally, with Visual eMerge’s auto-overflow feature the structure of the form does not need to change to accommodate an overflow of information. For example, the number of lines on an invoice can increase beyond the scope of a one-page invoice; Visual eMerge can generate multiple pages of the same invoice automatically populated with the overflow data.

Fax capabilities
Visual eMerge provides full fax support via Microsoft’s Fax Service which is bundled into Windows 2000 and higher Operating Systems. Merged form and data is faxed to intended recipients with the same look and feel of the printed version. Additionally, Visual eMerge maintains a log file reflecting the status of all fax activity. In case of failure, an optional email notification is sent to Visual eMerge administrator.

email Support
Using Visual eMerge’s Email facility, merged form and data can be delivered to designated recipient via Email. The merged form and data can be sent to the intended recipient as either a PDF or an FAR document attached to the outgoing Email. Visual eMerge uses CDONTS component of Microsoft for Email delivery purposes.

Envelop Stuffer Support
Visual eMerge supports envelope stuffers by printing pre-defined set of OMR marks on each page that it prints. Envelope stuffers scan the OMR marks to determine where one set of forms start and end. Pages are then folded and stuffed into envelopes according to these OMR rules. The OMR marks are enabled on a per job basis.

Archive Support
Visual eMerge jobs can be marked to be archived once they are processed. Archived jobs contain both Form Template and form data in a single file. The archival files are created by Visual eMerge and copied to the appropriate directory. The supported archival formats are PDF and FAR.

Status and Activity Log Files
Visual eMerge provides status information for all of its activities via log files (*.LOG) created and updated in the log directories. Fax log files are created and updated by the Visual eMerge’s middle-ware application to Microsoft Fax Service.

Remote Monitor Facility
The Remote Monitoring Facility of Visual eMerge allows for remote operators to monitor processing of jobs, initiate Log-File searches and be advised of outstanding error conditions on instances of Visual eMerge Service running on servers across the network.

SAP Integration
For those who wish to integrate Visual eMerge with SAP, Visual eMerge installation provides 14 complex ABAP programs along with their corresponding Template Forms to be used as a starting point for the integration process.

Form creation and data output feature
• Visual eForms Designer (for more information, click here) is a GUI, easy to use application for creating WYSIWYG electronic forms.
• ASCII data files are merged with electronic forms at a high throughput rate. Output is sent to any printer supported by Microsoft Windows NT or 2000 (custom printer drivers not necessary), a fax server, or can be archived for future reference.

Custom Application Development
Toolbox (for more information, click here) is a component of Cerenade’s Visual eForms family of products which allows for development of custom applications as extensions to Visual eMerge.
Using the development environment of choice (e.g. VB, VC++, PowerBuilder, etc.), developers can use the Toolbox’s Filler OCX to build Windows applications capable of opening, reading and manipulating form archives in FAR format. A typical application of this tool is to provide a tight integration between Visual eMerge and your organization’s ECM (Enterprise Content Management system) by building a middleware application as a bridge between these two enterprise solutions:

Customizing Visual eMerge (ZOOM)

System Requirements

Server PC:

Intel® Pentium® III processor or higher
Minimum 256 MB of RAM
100 MB hard disk space for installation

Windows 2000 Server (Service Pack 2) or
Windows NT 4.0 Server (Service Pack 6a)

Email notification requires CDONTS 1.2 component w/ SMTP Service enabled

Faxing requires Microsoft Fax Service

Remote Monitoring PC:

Intel® Pentium® II processor
Minimum 64 MB of RAM
20 MB hard disk space for installation

Microsoft® Windows® 98 (Second Edition)
Windows ME
Windows NT® 4.0 (Service Pack 6a) workstation
Windows 2000 Professional
Windows XP Professional
Windows XP Home Edition


Client Support Center (Customer Service/Technical Support/Help Desk)
Support for all Cerenade products is available: Monday through Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, PST (Pacific Standard Time)
Phone Support: 310-645-0598 Email support: support@cerenade.com

Sales
Behdad Payami, Vice President of Sales & Marketing
Phone: 1-800-617-4202 (310-645-0598) ext. 7143
Email: sales@cerenade.com