Frequently Asked Questions

• Why would we want to use templates?
• What advantages does an ActiveDocs Opus solution have over ordinary templates?
• What is a “component-based approach” for Templates? Is software development required?
• We have a lot of common content - how do we share it with ActiveDocs Opus?
• Do Designers of ActiveDocs Opus Templates need to manually construct the end-user interview?
• What software do my end users need with ActiveDocs Opus?
• Can we integrate ActiveDocs Opus with other applications?
• Can ActiveDocs support us from New Zealand?
• Is ActiveDocs big enough?
• Does ActiveDocs have credibility in large organizations?
• Does ActiveDocs handle large templates and high volumes of documents?
• What about the cost?
• Can ActiveDocs supply references?
• Couldn’t we build something like it ourselves?
• How are ActiveDocs products used?
• Do we need to install Microsoft® Word on our server?
• Do ActiveDocs products work with Open Office XML (OOXML)?
• Can ActiveDocs Opus create documents in the Open Document Format?

Why would we want to use templates?

Templates allow you to start standardizing your documentation by providing a convenient starting point for document creation using corporate standards. On their own, however, templates still have drawbacks:

• Users still have to go looking for templates with attendant risks and time costs
• Template repositories need to be kept up-to-date with changes like branding, regulations, and market drivers
• Large numbers of templates can produce significant maintenance issues
• Unless templates are easily found and easy to use, users will fall back on practices like copy-and-paste
• Standard templates don't easily support repeated instances of the same data, filtered access to external data sources, and other features to help reduce errors

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What advantages does an ActiveDocs Opus solution have over ordinary templates?

• ActiveDocs Opus provides an integrated environment for Template Designers using a component-based approach: ActiveDocs Opus Designer
• ActiveDocs Opus allows Template Designers to build intelligence, rules, and user help, into Templates
• Users can find, and use, all of their ActiveDocs Opus Templates via the ActiveDocs Opus Express Wizard's web browser interface, allowing your end users to use the right template, right now
• The web-based ActiveDocs Opus Document Wizard takes users through a well-controlled, rule-driven, help-assisted, logical process to complete their documents
• ActiveDocs Opus provides Designers with the tools to access external data sources via reusable components
• ActiveDocs Opus supports rapid change and deployment through reusable components, a robust and comprehensive Design environment, and server-based web-enabled access to Templates
• ActiveDocs Opus Templates are Word-based with added ActiveDocs intelligence, supporting multiple instances of data, external data sources, Image capture, Free Text, and other features covered elsewhere on this site
• Interactive (User-Driven) and programmatic (Automated Mode) usage of the same ActiveDocs Opus Template is fully supported

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What is a “component-based approach” for Templates? Is software development required?

• ActiveDocs Opus uses a component-based approach for Template Design - and there's no programming involved
• Designers develop catalogs of reusable ActiveDocs Opus Design Components which include:
  • Templates
  • Snippets for common content
  • Data Views for accessing data in other systems
• Templates use Snippets and Data Views, and can be used to build Template Sets
• Snippets can be purely passive content or can also contain their own ActiveDocs Opus Intelligence as Active Snippets
• Snippets - passive or Active - can be reused in other Office applications

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We have a lot of common content - how do we share it with ActiveDocs Opus?

• ActiveDocs Opus Snippets are ideal for sharing common content
• Snippets can be purely passive content or can also contain their own ActiveDocs Opus Intelligence as Active Snippets
• Snippets typically contain standard paragraphs, terms and conditions, legal clauses, and other recurring content
• ActiveDocs Opus can access content stored as Snippets in other systems, like SharePoint
• Templates are built using their own content and with links to Snippets when common content is needed
• The ActiveDocs Opus Client enables Snippets to be used in other Office applications via the Research Pane
• In summary: Snippets can use common content you already have, and new common content, for use in ActiveDocs Opus Templates and throughout your other Office applications

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Do Designers of ActiveDocs Opus Templates need to manually construct the end-user interview?

• No. Designers create Templates using ActiveDocs intelligence with grouping and ordering for consistency and flow
• Designers also use rules to control the flow of groups and the content of the output document
• The ActiveDocs Opus Document Wizard works automatically with any ActiveDocs Opus Template
• The Document Wizard follows the Designer's ordering, grouping, and rules

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What software do my end users need with ActiveDocs Opus?

• To use ActiveDocs Opus Templates from the ActiveDocs Opus Express Wizard, all you need is a web browser
• Documents can be created in most Word formats, ODF, PDF, and XPS
• Other software needed will depend on the selected document format, and what your end-users need to do with the document after creating it
• The ActiveDocs Opus Client's Research, Refresh, Update functions allow users to save documents back to ActiveDocs Opus, use ActiveDocs Opus Snippets in other Office applications, and refresh their documents

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Can we integrate ActiveDocs Opus with other applications?

• Yes, in many ways
• ActiveDocs Opus Templates can use data from other systems
• The ActiveDocs Opus Document Wizard can be invoked from other applications for document creation in User-Driven Mode
• The Document Wizard can be invoked with preset Answers
• Other applications can use ActiveDocs Opus in Automated Mode to create documents programmatically using ActiveDocs Opus Templates
• Documents created with ActiveDocs Opus can easily be forwarded to other applications for onward processing

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Can ActiveDocs support us from New Zealand?

• We have offices in the US and in the UK
• 80% of our business is in the Northern Hemisphere
• Most installs take less than a day and can be done remotely
• On average we get only two support emails per day
• We can offer service level agreements

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Is ActiveDocs big enough?

• Our staff are dedicated to one product
• We have very low staff turnover
• Our development team have been involved in the product since its inception
• We’re a highly profitable, privately owned company
• We have over 700 shareholders

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Does ActiveDocs have credibility in large organizations?

• Yes: We have many Fortune 500 customers
• We are part of the core infrastructure of our clients
• Some of our clients have thousands of ActiveDocs users
• We integrate easily with incumbent systems

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Does ActiveDocs handle large templates and high volumes of documents?

• Some of our customers have templates in excess of 800 pages
• Our customers have between 100 and 7000 automated templates and document sets
• One of our customers produces over 7 MILLION documents per annum with our automated solution
• ActiveDocs Opus can output over 150,000 documents per hour

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What about the cost?

• ActiveDocs provides value through enterprise-wide efficiency
• Price versus features we believe we offer the best solution available
• Our customers could tell you about their ROI
• A large multinational has saved US$1.3m in the first year
• A major bank has reduced overtime to nil in one department and isn’t replacing staff who leave
• One major corporate client cut the time required to create a complex legal contract from 4 days to under 1 hour

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Can ActiveDocs supply references?

• Yes. We have complete confidence in our product and so do our customers
• References are available so please contact us directly

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Couldn’t we build something like it ourselves?

• You can try. We have spent 10 years developing the ActiveDocs product line
• You need to consider:
• Time
• Money
• Resources
• Long term user support
• Evolution
• Support for new technologies - especially operating systems, word processing, and document formats
• We issue on average 3 feature upgrades per annum

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How are ActiveDocs products used?

• Banking and Finance
• Loans and Statements
• Insurance
• Policy and Endorsement Documents
• Procurement and Fulfillment
• Sales Ready Marketing and Order Fulfilment
• Sales and HR
• Proposals, RFI responses and HR Contracts
• Regulatory and Government
• Legal Titles, Rates, Public Notices, Regulation Changes
• Our application solutions page has more

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Do we need to install Microsoft® Word on our server?

• ActiveDocs Opus creates documents in Microsoft® Word 2007 (OOXML) format by default, without using Microsoft® Word. ActiveDocs Opus can automatically create documents in a wide range of other formats for which a single user copy of Microsoft® Word is required on the server. We provide strict guidelines when implementing which means that the Microsoft® Word instance is well-managed and runs under very high security. Please refer to the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article for further information.

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Do ActiveDocs products work with Open Office XML (OOXML)?

• ActiveDocs Opus Designer's Design Tools is an add-in for Microsoft® Word 2007 which uses OOXML for creating Templates. ActiveDocs Opus also creates documents in Microsoft® Word 2007 (OOXML) format by default. ActiveDocs Opus can create documents in a wide range of alternative formats which are described here. ActiveDocs Opus will support the OOXML IEC/ISO specification when the specification is supported by Microsoft® Office.

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Can ActiveDocs Opus create documents in the Open Document Format?

• Yes. ActiveDocs Opus can create documents in a wide range of alternative formats, including ODF/ODT, which are described here.

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