SmartForms is a one-way electronic communication channel from the bank's client to the user of this application (here: the bank).
It allows the bank's client to fill in PDF documents forms (e.g. L/C applications) and send them to the bank.
It is one step to achieve the goal for electronic file handling and digitization and can be used in parallel to other electronic communication channels between the bank’s client and the bank, like SWIFT SCORE, Bolero, allNETT, etc.
The content of the incoming PDFs is extracted and mapped automatically into the relevant processing fields of the application and the PDF will be stored for future reference with the transaction.
Using SmartForms, the bank can provide an efficient service, offered especially to smaller corporates with lower trade finance business.
Information is provided on the following topics:
There are two options to receive and handle incoming files in SmartForm format
Drag and drop a SmartForm document
In the transaction
The received PDF file can be viewed at any time.
The SmartForm files can be imported through any interface at the bank and then been imported into the directory defined for the “SmartForm service” (SRVDOI) in Manager for Incoming Messages. A SmartForm compliant PDF guarantees 100% security in terms of validity of the transmitted digital information.
To use SmartForms any PDF tool that allows defining fields for a form can be used. This should include the possibility to define field formats like
The basis of SmartForms are either existing or newly defined editable PDF forms with field identifiers. It is necessary to define a mapping between the PDF fields and the relevant fields in DOKA-NG.
The most efficient way to create such a mapping is by naming the PDF field identifiers the same as the field tag in Maintaining Field Mappings for Incoming Messages for the other channels.
For example: In the PDF, a text box with the label 'Beneficiary' is defined. If the technical name (field identifier) of that field is '59', then the commonly known field tag '59' can be used to directly map the content of the PDF field into the field 'beneficiary' of the DOKA-NG transaction screen.
If, for whatever reason, it is not possible to use the DOKA-NG field tags in the PDF, it is necessary to create an intermediary mapping step to convert the field identifier in PDF to a field tag that the application can understand. The external codetable “DOIMAP”, which can be maintained in Maintain Codetables allows the definitions of these SmartForms mappings.
When creating Smartforms for guarantees, the PDF cannot handle the sequence B and sequence C tags automatically to distinguish between a direct and an indirect undertaking similar to the guarantee issuance via SWIFT. Hence, the mappings for sequence C fields in case of an indirect guarantee cannot be handled directly using Maintaining Field Mappings for Incoming Messages. The sequence C mapping to the destination field name is therefore handled in the code of the application.
For each type of PDF, a mapping must be set up to identify the target business sector, message type, target transaction and field mapping.
The target business sector, message type and target transaction should be defined in the PDF file as hidden fields to link the PDF to the relevant target transaction. If the PDF does not deliver the necessary information, customization is required.
The field mapping for SmartForms is done in transaction Maintaining Field Mappings for Incoming Messages per message type.
Once the mapping definitions are completed, the corporates are ready to use the PDF Files and send the filled in form to their bank, e.g via eMail.
Sample templates are stored in the \template\smartforms\ folder.
The Manager for Incoming Messages picks up automatically the PDF and extracts the entered data providing the field names and contents. The target business module, message type and target transaction are read and the content is mapped field-wise into the processing screen of the target transaction according to the definition in Maintaining Field Mappings for Incoming Messages.
In the Manager for Incoming Messages a Service Type “SmartForms” is available.
To see “SmartForm” files, the checkbox for “Incoming SmartForms” must be checked.
Details can be configured on the dedicated smartforms panel.