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Dart KnowledgeWorker™ Automated Loading Package (ALP) Installation & User Guide (Version 3.1 SP1)
1. INTRODUCTION
The Automated Loading Package (ALP) is an additional tool for KnowledgeWorker® that provides a mechanism for the bulk uploading of content into a KnowledgeWorker repository.
The main features are as follows:
- An Executable that can be run manually or from a scheduled task to examine defined network locations and uploads any content to destination folders within KnowledgeWorker
- Allows uploaded content to inherit permissions and category meta-data from the receiving (destination) folder
- Supports the upload of single folders as well as folders with sub-directories
- Handles both new files as well as versioning of existing files
The ALP is an extremely flexible tool, and can be used for many purposes. Some of the more common tasks for which it is being used are:
- Initially loading a repository after installation
- To enable devices such as scanners and Multi-Functional Devices (MFD) to have content automatically loaded into a repository
- To enable software applications that can write files to a directory structure to have content automatically loaded into a repository
2. INSTALLATION PROCEDURE
2.1 Copy Installation Files
The ALP software will have been copied onto your server during the standard installation and will normally be located at: C:\Program Files\KnowledgeWorker\CD\ALP.
Alternatively, from the KnowledgeWorker installation CD, copy the folder \KnowledgeWorker\CD\ALP to your application server.
The ALP folder contains the following files and directory:
2.2 Template Setup
Within the Templates directory there are a number of XML files. Only one of the files needs to be configured; ALP_CONFIG.XML.
Open the file ALP_CONFIG.XML in an editor such as notepad.exe. The following XML identifiers are displayed:
There are 6 possible options which can be configured. The options and their descriptions are explained in the table below.
After setting the parameters required, save the ALP_CONFIG.XML file.
2.3 KnowledgeWorker ALP Setup
Login into your KnowledgeWorker system and navigate to the System Administration area. Select List Categories from the Admin menu.
The system will display a list of your existing categories defined within your KnowledgeWorker repository.
The ALP module is driven by a special category called ALP. This category needs to be imported into your KnowledgeWorker system.
To import the ALP category, click on the green cross at the top of the screen and select the Import Categories option.
The following screen is displayed.
Click on the Browse button and navigate to the file ALP_KworkerExport.xml, which is located in the ALP directory copied from the installation CD in section 2.1 above.
Click on the Open button to select the file and then click on the Load button. The screen will refresh to display the ALP category which it will have found in the export file.
Click on the Select check box to select the ALP category and then click on the Import option at the top of the screen.
KnowledgeWorker will ask you to confirm that you wish to make the changes selected.
Select OK if you want to import the ALP category.
The screen will refresh to display the results of the category import.
The report shows that the category ALP was added, and each of the attributes listed were added to the category. Click Cancel to return to the List Categories page which will now show the new ALP category.
For further information on Categories and the Import and Export of Categories, please refer to the KnowledgeWorker System Administration Guide.
3. SETTING UP ALP CATEGORY RECORDS
The ALP category has been defined as a Data Category, and therefore holds data records. Each data record added to the ALP category will provide the ALP execution program (see section 4 below) with instructions on what directories on the file system it needs to scan and where to upload the content in KnowledgeWorker if it finds any files to upload.
The configuration of the ALP_CONFIG.XML file in section 2.2 above defined three of the key pieces of information required by the ALP application:
- The repository name
- The user within the repository under which to add content
- The maximum content to be uploaded in a single execution
Each record added to the ALP category will now define the following information:
- A Label identifier for the ALP record
- The source UNC directories
- The destination folders within the KnowledgeWorker repository
- Determine, if sub-directories are to be included
- Determine if inheritance is required
- Determine the handling of failed files
- Determine Versioning requirements
- Determine the handling of uploaded files
Click on the data link for the ALP category.
The following screen will display:
Click on the green cross at the top of the screen and select the New Entry option.
The screen will now display the screen to allow a new ALP record to be added to the ALP category.
The following table describes the possible inputs for each of the fields shown above.
Note - the information for the automated loading package (ALP) is based upon the details entered for each unique label. The unique label is defined in the data category as a unique id but this may also be a unique textual label. The unique label provides the means for the source directory or destination folder to be used in multiple entries.
After completing the entry of the category data, click on the Update button the save the record. The screen below shows an example of a completed entry.
To edit, delete or view current ALP records, please refer to the System Administrators Guide on the use of categories.
4. RUNNING THE ALP EXECUTION PROGRAM
The executable file for the ALP is called ALP_AUTOEXE.exe and is in the root of the ALP installation files folder.
The program can be run manually by right clicking on the exe file and selecting Run As from the menu as shown below.
5. NOTIFICATIONS
When files have been uploaded by the ALP, all recipients that have been identified for notification will automatically receive an email. An example is shown below.
The email lists all the files added / versioned and also includes a spreadsheet to enable subsequent storage and analysis if so required.
6. ERROR LOGS
If an error is encountered during execution of the ALP executable program, then an error log file is created as shown below.
Here are some example error messages: -
7. FURTHER NOTES & CONSIDERATIONS
7.1 ALP Execution Methodology
The maximum number of files to process in an execution is important as it will prevent the executable running for long periods when there are a large number of simultaneous updates. This is particularly important if the executable is to be frequently run throughout the working day, every hour.
The automated loading package (ALP) executable reads the active entries from the ‘Automated Loading Package’ data category and orders the entries by descending last polled date / timestamp. Using the last polled date timestamp in this way ensures that all active labels are visited within a defined timeframe and that no single active label will prevent others from receiving a processing cycle.
Once the executable has loaded the list of active labels it then processes each of the labels by checking for the presence of files within the defined source directory and sub directories, if instructed to do so. If there are no files for automated upload for a label then the executable will simply update the last polled entry for the label in the ‘Automated Loading Package’ category and move onto the next active label.
If there are files present in the source directory for a label then the executable will create a new directory in the holding and processed location named with the label and the date/timestamp.
Checks will then commence to establish that a version of the file exists in the destination folder of the repository and any criteria related to a successful upload will be tested, such as whether the file should be added or version an existing file.
The file based upon the criteria will then be uploaded to the repository. The post processing action would then be implemented. Where a copy of the file is saved into the processed directory then a batch folder for the execution would be created and the original file moved to the batch processed directory. If a file does not meet the criteria it will be moved to a batch holding folder, and the reason logged for subsequent reporting to the system administrator.
The file processing will continue until all the files for the active folder have been uploaded, or the maximum file count has been encountered, at which point the active folder last poll date / timestamp will be updated. If the maximum file count has not been reached then processing of the next active folder will begin.
When the process completes, either because all the active folders have been processed or the maximum file count has been reached, an email notification will be generated to the system administrator to summarise for each active Folder the files that not been successfully uploaded, including the identified reason for failure.
7.2 Important Considerations
The automated loading package (ALP) will be executed as a user with full rights. These rights are required so that files within the source directory may be moved to the processed folder once successfully uploaded or the holding folder upon failure.
The vault manager add-in will be run at least once per day as a scheduled task that is run outside the hours of operation in which the automated loading package (ALP) is run to avoid contentions.
Deployment considerations must avoid collisions between Vault Manager, KWXMLuploader and Automated Loading Package executions.