Archive Workflow - Scan PDF, Read Barcode, Create Folder and Store PDF

[jvinch]

Relatively new with Teams (+Sharepoint) and we're trying to see if we can automate an existing paper-based document archiving workflow. Here's what we're trying to accomplish:

• Scan paper files on scanner (TBD, office MFP or otherwise - we'd ideally define a workflow that is scanner independent)
• First page of the scanned stack of papers has a barcode which represents an unique order number.
• Interpret the barcode (order number) and create a folder with that number in a Teams/Sharepoint Document Library
• Move the scanned PDF in its entirety to this folder.

Does anyone have any idea if this is possible - and if so, perhaps shine some light on how to accomplish this?

Thanks!

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Hi,
Technically this should be feasible, but you will need to make first a POC to be sure you can read the barcode from the PDFs using a PDF library (Open / third party) for that. Once you have solved the Bar Code reading, the rest of the requirements are feasibly by designing for instance a processing architecture that gets every PDF uploaded to a "Hot folder" in SPO. For every PDF file:
(1) The Bar Code is read by the business logic designed and implemented in the processsing layer.
(2) The Bar Code read is interpreted so the business logic can either decide a folder on a destination document library or doing something extra
(3) The file is moved to the destination folder

As an example of third party library that can process barcodes in PDF files: https://products.aspose.com/barcode/net/

Hope it helps!