The next stage in the evolution of automated data capture is emerging as so-called free-form technology moves from the concept stage to reality. First introduced more than two years ago, free-form systems use advanced combinations of neural network technology and sophisticated business rules to find data anywhere it might appear on the page. The technology automates document-centric business processes that have heretofore required expensive, time-consuming manual data entry. The basic business driver behind the development of free-form technology is the fact that companies often receive documents that contain the same data points but in different locations on the page. Incoming invoices are a prime example. All invoices contain supplier name, address, ID numbers, purchase order numbers, balance due and other identical data field types; however, different suppliers place this information in different places on their forms, making manual data entry the only reliable solution. Until now, that is.
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