Introduction

Installing the Intelligent Document Processing application consists of nine main steps:

1. (Optional) Set up Google Cloud.
2. Set up Document Extraction in the Admin Console
3. Deploy IDP plug-ins to the Appian environment.
4. Download the software package.
5. Update the import customization file.
6. Run the DDL script to set up your database for IDP.
7. Import the IDP application into the Appian environment.
8. (Optional) For storage buckets in the eu region, update the connected systems compute region.
9. Finalize the application set up.

Optional steps are part of the installation process if you plan to use Google's AutoML service to classify extracted documents in IDP.

If you have the IDP application pre-installed on your cloud site, you don't need to go through these installation steps. Go to Updating a pre-installed application to update the Google Cloud values in your Appian instance.

Before starting the installation process, review the System Requirements to make sure all minimum requirements are met.

Deploying to a target environment

If your Appian installation includes different environments, such as development, staging, and production, we recommend following these instructions to install or update your pre-installed application on your source environment first. This is usually your development environment. After installation, you can use your source environment to fine-tune your application before deploying the changes to a target environment.

After you have installed the application (or updated a pre-installed application) in your source environment, follow the same steps to install (or update) the application in your target environment.

If you made any modifications to the application in the source environment, follow the steps in Deploying Patches to deploy the changes to your target environment.

Updating a pre-installed application

Starting with version 20.1 of Appian, if you are a new Appian customer, the IDP application is pre-installed on your cloud site. However, in order to use your own Google Cloud values in your Appian environment, you will need to perform the following steps:

1. Follow the instructions in Step 1: Set up Google Cloud to obtain the Google Cloud values to update in your Appian environment.
2. In your Appian environment, log in as a system administrator and go to > Appian Designer.
3. Use the Google Cloud information to update the values of the following constants:
   • DU_CLOUD_PROJECT_ID constant
   • DU_CLOUD_REGION constant: Depending on the region you chose for your storage bucket setup, enter us-central1 for U.S. or eu for Europe.
   • DU_AUTOML_CLOUD_BUCKET and DU_STORAGE_CLOUD_BUCKET constants: Enter a storage bucket that does not delete content after a certain period of time. Otherwise, the documents might be deleted before the model training or prediction has completed.
   • If the environment is not a default Appian Cloud configuration, update the DU_DATA_SOURCE_NAME constant with your environment's data source name. For example,jbdc/<your data source name>.
4. For the DU Google Cloud AutoML and DU Google Cloud Storage connected systems, use the Google Cloud information to update the configuration values, then click TEST CONNECTION.
   • Note: If the connection is not successful, you will need to address the error message. You might have to double-check your values, or update the Google Cloud service account permissions.
   • If your bucket(s) are located in the eu multi-region:
     • For the DU Google Cloud AutoML connected system, for the Compute Region, select eu.

     • For the DU Google Cloud Storage connected system, for the Compute Region, select one of the Europe regions. These region options start with europe-.

       

5. Open the DU Google Cloud General connected system and upload the Service Account Key file that was provided or generated in Step 1: Set up Google Cloud, then click AUTHORIZE TO VERIFY.

   • Note: If the authorization is not successful, you will need to address the error message. You might have to double-check your Service Account Key file, or update the Google Cloud service account permissions.

     

6. Follow the instructions in Step 2: Set up Document Extraction in the Admin Console to enter your Google Service Account key information on the Document Extraction page of the Admin Console.
7. Follow the instructions in Step 8: Finalize the application set up to get your application up and running.

System requirements

• Appian running version 20.1 or higher.
• Appian using English (en_US) as the enabled locale.
• A supported version of a database as a business data source.
• A supported web browser.
• If your Appian installation is on a dedicated VPN, the VPN must allow Google's APIs to be accessible from the application server.

Step 1: Set up Google Cloud (Google AutoML users only)

Setting up Google Cloud and obtaining your key

Follow these steps to set up AutoML Natural Language and create your Google Service Account and key.

To set up Google Cloud AutoML Natural Language:

1. Create or select project As the Project Owner, log into the Google Cloud console and select an existing project or create a new project.
2. Enable billing Ensure that billing is enabled for your project.
3. Enable APIs Enable the Cloud AutoML API, Google Cloud Storage JSON API, and Cloud Document AI API.
4. Create storage buckets Create Cloud Storage buckets that follow the bucket requirements to store the AutoML Natural Language files:
   • For us-central1:
     • Location type: Region
     • Location: us-central1
     • Storage class: Standard (sometimes displayed in the Cloud Storage browser as Regional)
   • For eu:
     • Location type: Multi-region
     • Location: eu
     • Storage class: Standard (sometimes displayed in the Cloud Storage browser as Multi-Regional)

   Note:  You may choose to have two buckets: one for the training documents and one for the prediction documents. Or, you can use the same storage bucket for both. If you use two buckets, then they must be in the same regional location.

To create your Google Service Account and key:

1. Create a Google Service Account in the Google Cloud Console with AutoML Admin, Storage Admin, and Document AI Admin permissions
2. Create the service account key and save the file as a JSON document.

Step 2: Set up Document Extraction in the Admin Console

Customers should visit the Document Extraction page in the Admin console to choose which vendor they'd like to use to extract documents.

1. If you're using Appian's built-in document extraction services with IDP, the services may be automatically enabled. See Using Appian Services to understand if the services are enabled by default or available to enable manually. Proceed to Step 3 to deploy plug-ins.
2. If you plan to use Google services, follow these steps to set up Google Cloud Document AI for your Appian environment:
   1. In your Appian environment, log in as a system administrator.
   2. Go to > Admin Console.
   3. Go to the Document Extraction page.
   4. Check the box Connect to Google Cloud Document AI under Google Cloud.
   5. Enter the Google Cloud values that you obtained at the beginning of the Set up Google Cloud step. See the Document Extraction section of the Appian Administration Console page for more information.
      • Paste the entire Private Key value from the Google service account key JSON file. It may begin and end with ----BEGIN/END PRIVATE KEY---- or similar. This portion is required for the configuration to work properly.
      • If you have a storage bucket set up to delete content after a certain amount of time, enter this bucket for the Destination Bucket and Source Bucket fields.
   6. Click TEST CONNECTION.
      • Note: If the connection is not successful, you will need to address the error message. You might have to double-check your values, or update the Google Cloud service account permissions.

Step 3: Deploy plug-ins

In order for the IDP application to work, the following plug-ins are required:

• ZIPFilesUtilities
• Google Cloud Storage
• Google Cloud AutoML
• Task Management Smart Services

To deploy plug-ins for self-managed installations, see Appian Suite Plug-Ins.

To deploy the plug-ins for cloud installations:

1. In your Appian environment, log in as a system administrator.
2. Go to > Admin Console.
3. On the left side of the console, click Plug-ins.
4. Click DEPLOY NEW PLUG-INS.
5. Search for and click the desired plug-in.
6. Click DEPLOY.

Step 4: Download software package

The next step in installing IDP is to download the software package that contains the following files. These files will be used in the remaining set up steps.

• IntelligentDocumentProcessing(IDP)v1.8.0.sql: SQL script for creating the database entities needed for the IDP application.
• IntelligentDocumentProcessing(IDP)v1.8.0.zip: Application package to import into Appian.
• IntelligentDocumentProcessing(IDP)v1.8.0.properties: Import customization file for the application package.

To download the software package:

1. In MyAppian, go to the SUPPORT Tab.
   • Note: You must be registered with your company on Community to access this site.
2. Select DOWNLOADS.
3. Select PLATFORM.
4. Select the version of Appian that you are using.
   • Note: IDP is only available in versions 20.1 and higher.
5. In the Downloads section on the right side of the page, under Add-ons, click Intelligent Document Processing.
6. Unzip the IntelligentDocumentProcessing(IDP)v1.8.0CombinedFiles.zip file to access the installation files.

Step 5: Update import customization file

Next you will need to update the IntelligentDocumentProcessing(IDP)v1.8.0.properties file that you downloaded in Step 4: Download software package to use the Google Cloud values that were generated in Step 1: Set up Google Cloud. This document will be uploaded when you import the application and will automatically update certain design objects with the values you specify.

To update the import customization file:

1. Open the IntelligentDocumentProcessing(IDP)v1.8.0.properties file that you downloaded in Step 4.
2. If your environment is not a default Appian Cloud configuration, update the DU_DATA_SOURCE_NAME constant with your environment's data source name. For example,jbdc/<DataSourceName>.
3. (Google AutoML users only): Replace all placeholder values (surrounded by @) with the Google Cloud values you obtained in Step 1. For example, you'll paste a real value to replace @ProjectId@.
   • DU_CLOUD_REGION constant: For storage buckets in the us region, enter us-central1. For storage buckets in the eu region, enter europe-north1, europe-west1, europe-west2, europe-west3, or europe-west4 depending on your storage bucket set up.
   • DU_AUTOML_CLOUD_BUCKET and the DU_STORAGE_CLOUD_BUCKET constant: enter a storage bucket that does not delete content after a certain period of time. Otherwise, the documents might be deleted before the model training or prediction has completed.
4. Save the file.

Step 6: Run the DDL script

In order to set up your database for the IDP application, you will need to run the DDL script in your database.

To run the DDL script in your business database, run the IntelligentDocumentProcessing(IDP)v.1.8.0.sql DDL file that was downloaded in Step 4: Download software package.

Step 7: Import the application

Next you will import the application files into the your Appian environment.

To import the application:

1. Log in to your Appian environment.
2. Go to > Appian Designer
3. Click IMPORT.
4. Click UPLOAD. Select the IntelligentDocumentProcessing(IDP)v1.8.0.zip file that was downloaded in Step 4.
5. Select Include related import customization file and click UPLOAD. Select the IntelligentDocumentProcessing(IDP)v1.8.0.properties file that was downloaded in Step 4 and updated in Step 5: Update import customization file.
6. Click INSPECT.
7. Review the inspection results. If there are no issues, click IMPORT.
   • NOTE: The import may time out due to file size, but import will continue in the background.

Step 8: Update the connected systems (Google AutoML users with EU storage buckets only)

If your storage bucket is in the eu multi-region, you will need to update the compute region for two of the connected systems.

To update the connected systems:

1. From Appian Designer, open the DU Google Cloud AutoML connected system.
2. Update the Compute Region to eu.
3. Open the DU Google Cloud Storage connected system.
4. Update the Compute Region to one of the Europe regions. These region options start with europe-.

Step 9: Finalize the application set up

There are a few more steps you need to take to get your application up and running.

Adding a user start page

You may need to add a user start page for any groups that will use IDP as their primary site.

We recommend setting the user start page for the DU Reconciliation Desk Parent Group so that when they click on a task from their email, they will be taken to the IDP site instead of Tempo.

To add a user start page:

1. In your Appian environment, log in as a system administrator.
2. Go to > Admin Console.
3. Under SYSTEM, select User Start Page.
4. Click New Start Page.
5. For Start Page URL, enter your IDP site: https://your-appian-instance.com/suite/sites/intelligent-document-processing. Replace your-appian-instance.com with your site URL.
6. For Groups, use the picker to select the DU Reconciliation Desk Parent Group and any other groups that will use IDP as their primary site.

Adding admins to the administrators group

To make sure admin users receive important email notifications about the application, you will have to add them to the DU Administrators group.

To add admins to the administrators group:

1. In your Appian environment, log in as a system administrator.
2. Go to > Appian Designer
3. Open the DU Administrators group and add the appropriate admin users.

Setting up the application for use

To get started with the application right away without modifying it, check out the Configuring IDP for instructions on how to complete the initial configuration of the application.

If you need to modify your application, check out the resources mentioned in the Customizing IDP section of the Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) Overview page.