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  • 1.  Pass Attachments Through API

    Posted 08-24-2026 17:46

    Does anyone have experience passing Evolve form attachments through an API for OCR like technology and returning values to the form?  If so, can you provide some of the high-level details on how this is achieved?  We are looking to pass documents to SAP API for reading in BTP and providing the values back to our form.

    Thank you,

    Andrew



    ------------------------------
    Andrew Landry
    Leprino Foods Company
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Pass Attachments Through API

    Employee
    Posted 08-25-2026 05:54

    Hi Andrew

    Thank you for reaching out to Precisely. Regarding your query, Evolve does not have any out-of-the-box functionality to perform OCR or AI-based document reading directly within the platform. However, this scenario is achievable through a custom integration that leverages Evolve's REST API and external AI/OCR services. 

    A Precisely partner has used AI to accomplish something like this, where it scans an image/PDF and populates the form with the data. They took it a step further and recommended AI-based areas to review for an approver. 

    One of the possibilities is as follows

    The overall flow involves three major steps:

    Step 1: Extract Document Data via AI/OCR API

    A REST API leveraging AI is created to grab data from an image or document (e.g., PDF). The API reads the document, extracts the relevant field values, and structures them in a format (e.g., JSON) that can be consumed by Evolve.

    For your specific use case with SAP BTP:

    • SAP BTP Cloud Foundry Runtime supports AI-enhanced workflows, including the ability to integrate AI services to automate tasks like material master data validation.
    • SAP Integration Suite is an AI-assisted Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) offering available on SAP BTP. It enables seamless integration across SAP and non-SAP systems, supporting cloud, on-premise, and hybrid landscapes. 

    You could build or leverage an SAP BTP service (such as SAP Document Information Extraction) that accepts a document payload, performs OCR, and returns structured data.

    Step 2: Pass Data Back into Evolve Form Fields

    Automate Evolve already supports communicating with REST endpoints via Form Solutions. The input to REST APIs can be provided through Form Fields, and the output can also be set back in Form Fields. These REST endpoints can be called from Evolve Forms interactively in the browser and in the background through the **"Data Connection Adapter" plugin**.

    This means:

    • The response from the SAP BTP OCR API can be mapped directly back to Evolve form fields.
    • This can be triggered on form load, on button click, or automatically in the background.

    Step 3: Route for Review & Submit to SAP

    After the form is populated with the OCR-extracted data, it gets routed to an approver. Another REST API leveraging AI can recommend what to check. The data is then posted to SAP via a standard script.The SAP Data API is exposed for uploading and downloading data from SAP. The API is available for both Evolve and Studio Manager. This solution is governed by the Script workflow and its settings. The API exposes a JSON payload and other details (like SAP, Run Settings, etc.) for posting data to SAP.

    Implementation Approach (High-Level Steps)

    1. Attach Document via Evolve Form

      • The form user uploads the PDF/image document as an attachment in the Evolve form.

    2. Configure REST API Data Connection in Evolve

      • Open Composer for a Form Solution, right-click on Data Connection in the Solution tree view, and click "Add Data Connection." In the newly launched popup, give a name to the Connection, choose the appropriate type, and configure the REST API endpoint (your SAP BTP OCR API URL). Provide the API Input Schema and API Output Schema.

    3. Trigger the OCR API Call

      • On a button click or form load, invoke the REST API by passing the document (or document reference URL).
      • The SAP BTP service processes the document and returns extracted field values in JSON format.

    4. Map Response Values to Form Fields

      • Using Evolve's data connection mapping, map the API response fields to the corresponding Evolve form fields (e.g., Vendor Name, Invoice Amount).

    5. Approver Review

      • The form is routed to an approver who can review the pre-populated data, correct any errors, and fill in missing fields.

    6. Submit to SAP

      • The validated form data is then submitted to SAP via the SAP Data API or a standard Automate Studio script.
    With Evolve 25.2, you can now create REST API Data Connections using OAuth authentication, allowing secure integration with external systems. This supports any REST API that uses OAuth 2.0, making it highly versatile for enterprise systems.
    • The OCR/AI REST API (in this case, the SAP BTP service) must be pre-built or configured separately - Evolve acts as the orchestrator connecting the form to the external service and back.
    • Effort is required to build and configure the SAP BTP-side service that handles document reading.

    Second option is if it is a utility, we leverage copy attachment plugin with the PowerShell plugin

    If you need assistance with this set-up, please reach out to the Professional Services team via your account manager.

    Thanks

    Archana



    ------------------------------
    Archana Chandar
    *Precisely Software Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Pass Attachments Through API

    Posted 08-26-2026 09:45

    Thank you, Archana for your response.  In "Step 1" you mention the REST API grabs data from an image or document.  Is this a REST API that is grabbing the attachment from the Evolve form itself?  Or is it starting outside of Evolve and then kicking off an Evolve form after processing?



    ------------------------------
    Andrew Landry
    Leprino Foods Company
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Pass Attachments Through API

    Employee
    Posted 08-26-2026 10:00

    Hi Andrew

    The REST API operates outside of Evolve first, then it kicks off (or populates) an Evolve form.
    It is not grabbing an attachment already on the Evolve form. The processing happens externally, and the extracted data is then pushed into an Evolve form.
    Thank you
    Archana


    ------------------------------
    Archana Chandar
    *Precisely Software Inc.
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Pass Attachments Through API

    Posted 08-26-2026 11:23

    Thank you, Archana.  Do you know if it's possible to push a file in an Evolve form through an API?



    ------------------------------
    Andrew Landry
    Leprino Foods Company
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Pass Attachments Through API

    Employee
    Posted 08-27-2026 04:26

    Morning Andrew,

    As I understand it, it is not currently possible to push a file directly into an Evolve form via the Start Form Process API or the Digital Access APIs. 

    I would suggest creating a ticket with the support team at support.precisely.com, and one of us will investigate it if needed.

    Thanks

    Archana



    ------------------------------
    Archana Chandar
    *Precisely Software Inc.
    ------------------------------

    Original Message