Frequently Asked Questions

System and Workflow

Can the digital documents be locked so they do not accept additional writing?

Digital documents can be “sealed” on the server. Sealing prevents additional handwriting by the pen users from being automatically added to the form. Should this occur, an administrator with the correct privileges can view the handwriting and, if appropriate, unseal the document, allowing additional writing to be accepted. Audit logs are available that can show all of these changes and which user made them.

What are the transmission options from the pen to the server?

There are two routing options for the EDW® platform.

USB to PC: With this option, a digital pen is docked in a cradle attached to a USB port of a PC. There is an ExpeData application on the PC that extracts the strokes from the pen and encrypts them and routes them to the server.

Bluetooth to mobile phone or communication device and PC: ExpeData provides an application on the device that receives the strokes from the pen, encrypts them and routes them to the server.

With the Bluetooth options, files that are extracted from the pen are sent via mobile internet to the server. This will require a data plan on the device. Although ExpeData supports a broad set of mobile communication devices, the iPhones are not supported at this time.

How do you start the transmission of the handwriting from the pen to a mobile device?

Bluetooth transmissions are initiated by tapping or marking the document’s ”transmit check box.” The transmit check box (shown at right) is a symbol on the document that contains special pattern that triggers the pen to send strokes via Bluetooth.

Is the data transmitted to and from the EDW® platform encrypted?

Yes, all data transmitted to and from the EDW® platform can be encrypted with 128 bit SSL.

If a document is completed using a Bluetooth®-enabled digital pen, but the transmit box is not ticked, is there a way to force the pen to transmit the current contents?

The transmit box that is used on our documents automatically sends everything contained on the pen. For example, if a user completes a document, but forgets to tick the box, when the user fills out another document and taps the transmit box, information from both documents will automatically be transmitted. Also, if the cradle that is used for charging is connected to a PC that has our PC client installed, the PC will route the handwriting to the server when docked for charging.

What reporting capabilities does the EDW® platform offer?

In order to be able to monitor EDW® platform usage and performance, a suite of reports are available for system administrators. These reports provide a simple and efficient medium to communicate the usage and performance statistics.

Once a day reporting effectively monitors usage and performance.
The reporting is run overnight and includes statistics through the prior day’s activity.
A link to the reports is e-mailed to the system administrator(s) daily.
Reporting is controlled by a Configuration File that allows changes to the following:
- Email Addresses
- Email Body
- Server and Database Connection String
- Path and File Names

Reports are archived on the server on which the application is running. Excel 2003 or 2007 must be loaded on the server on which the application is running.

Can I use my own user interfaces instead of the EDW® platform user interfaces?

Yes, ExpeData has developed an extensive library of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that allow the functionality of the EDW® platform to be accessed programmatically, enabling a partner or customer to use their own interfaces rather than the ones provided by ExpeData. Interface requests can take one of the following forms:

XML documents that are sent via a web service call and processed in a batch mode subsequent to the receipt of the XML documents.
Web service calls to specialized web methods that perform the required tasks.
Calls to specialized DLL class methods that perform the required tasks.

Utilizing these APIs, a partner or customer can build an application that takes advantage of the full functionality of the EDW® platform with completely custom interfaces or, partners can simply call the EDW® platform and utilize the interfaces that ExpeData provides. The possibilities are limitless. ExpeData provides enough flexibility so the choice can be yours on how it is deployed.