DMS integration and scanned document OCR

1. Overview & Business Value#

This comprehensive operational guide details the architecture, business workflows, configuration parameters, and execution steps for DMS integration and scanned document OCR within SmartERP.

SmartERP Letter & Correspondence Management does not maintain a disconnected silo of letter files. Instead, it relies on SmartERP Documents Enterprise (smarterp_documents) as its authoritative digital document repository, ensuring unified search, enterprise security, and long-term archival integrity.

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2. Prerequisites & Security Access Groups#

• Required Modules: smarterp_letter, smarterp_correspondence
• Security Groups:
  • Letter Registry Clerk (Technical ID: smarterp_letter.group_letter_clerk)
  • Executive Reviewer (Technical ID: smarterp_letter.group_letter_reviewer)
  • Director General (Technical ID: smarterp_letter.group_letter_executive)
• Master Data Dependencies: Dual calendar templates (Ethiopian & Gregorian), official stamp repository, letter reference numbering formats, and departmental dispatch routes.

3. Step-by-Step Configuration & Execution#

Step 1: Navigating to the Module Interface#

1. Log into your SmartERP instance at https://smarterp.et/odoo.
2. Open the main App Switcher (grid icon in the top-left corner).
3. Select the Correspondence app icon.
4. From the top navigation bar, open Correspondence → Letters → Inbound / Outbound / Internal Memoranda.

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Step 2: Creating and Parameterizing Records#

1. Click the New button in the top-left control panel.
2. Complete the mandatory fields in the record form:
   • Letter Subject (Mandatory): Clear administrative or commercial subject heading
   • Sender / Recipient Entity (Mandatory): External institution or internal department
   • Dispatch Channel (Mandatory): Physical courier, hand delivery, or digital dispatch
   • Dual Date (EC & GC) (Mandatory): Official Ethiopian calendar and Gregorian dates
3. Configure optional operational parameters and localized tags as required:
   • Digital Signature / Seal (Optional): Authorized executive cryptographic stamp
   • Security Classification (Optional): Routine, Confidential, Secret, or Top Secret
   • Related Prior Reference (Optional): Cross-referenced correspondence tracking ID
4. Click the Save icon in the control bar to commit the record.

{screenshot:dms-and-ocr-integration-record-creation-form}

Step 3: Validating and Processing Transactions#

• State Transitions: Execute operational state progression (Draft Memo → Editorial Review → Legal Clearance → Executive Signature & Stamp → Dispatched / Archived).
• Ledger & System Impact: Maintains immutable institutional correspondence registry with cryptographic QR validation for external party verification.
• Audit Verification: Automated recording of author ID, timestamp, and immutable revision history.

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Authoritative DMS architecture#

Every correspondence record in SmartERP Letters links directly to a core DMS record:

• Workspace Anchoring (workspace_id): Each correspondence type or department automatically deposits files into designated workspaces (e.g., Documents / Correspondence / Outgoing 2026).
• Primary Document Record (document_id): Points to the authoritative documents.document record storing the primary letter binary.
• Final Sealed Document (final_document_id): Stores the approved, officially numbered, stamped, and electronically signed PDF.
• SHA-256 Checksum: Every generated PDF and uploaded attachment receives a calculated SHA-256 cryptographic fingerprint stored in the database.
• Check-Out Locking: While an officer is modifying or reviewing a letter, the underlying DMS document can be locked to prevent concurrent edits.

Physical incoming correspondence scanning workflow#

For physical letters received via mail, courier, or walk-in dispatch:

sequenceDiagram
    autonumber
    actor Officer as Registry Officer
    participant Scanner as Network Scanner / Upload
    participant Letters as SmartERP Letters
    participant OCR as OCR & Language Engine
    participant DMS as Documents Enterprise
    
    Officer->>Letters: Open "New Incoming Letter"
    Officer->>Letters: Record sender, external reference, and delivery date
    Scanner->>Letters: Upload scanned multi-page PDF coversheet
    Letters->>DMS: Create documents.document in "Incoming Mail" workspace
    Letters->>OCR: Trigger asynchronous OCR extraction
    OCR->>OCR: Recognize English & Amharic (Fidel) script
    OCR->>Letters: Populate extracted text & detect reference tokens
    Letters->>Officer: Display searchable text & highlight response deadline

Amharic and English OCR capabilities#

SmartERP integrates specialized Optical Character Recognition optimized for Ethiopian document scanning:

1. Ethiopic Script Support: Correctly recognizes Fidel characters (ግዕዝ፣ ካዕብ፣ ሳልስ...) from scanned official letters, government decrees, and court notices.
2. Dual-Calendar Date Detection: Automatically parses dates written in Ethiopian format (ጥቅምት 12 ቀን 2018 ዓ.ም) and computes the corresponding Gregorian date (October 22, 2025).
3. Reference Number Parsing: Extracts external reference numbers printed at top corners and populates the external_reference field.
4. Full-Text Inverted Indexing: Both the extracted OCR text and typed letter body are indexed in PostgreSQL full-text search, enabling instant search across thousands of historical letters by keyword, sender, or subject.

4. Advanced Configuration Points#

• Automated Actions & Scheduled Tasks (Crons):
  • Letters: Check dispatch delivery receipt status (smarterp_letter.ir_cron_dispatch_check): Runs daily to verify courier delivery confirmation slips
  • Letters: Follow-up on pending memorandum actions (smarterp_letter.ir_cron_followup): Runs weekly to alert assigned officers of pending correspondence replies
• Custom Print Templates & Reports:
  • Official Letterhead Dispatch Copy with QR Verification
  • Institutional Letter Inward/Outward Registry Ledger
• Multi-Company Rules: Record-level security isolation under Company 1 (Ashewa Technology Solutions S.C.), preventing cross-company ledger leakage across parent and subsidiary legal entities.

5. Comprehensive Troubleshooting Matrix#