Understanding Documents#
In order to begin learning about document understanding techniques, we first must understand documents and their role in the digital transformation of businesses.
“Every company is a software company. You have to start thinking and operating like a digital company. It’s no longer just about procuring one solution and deploying one. It’s not about one simple software solution. It’s really you yourself thinking of your own future as a digital company” - Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
Documents#
Documents are written, printed, or electronic records that contain information, data, or instructions. They serve as a means of communication, information storage, and record-keeping in various fields and contexts.
Documents typically have identifiable elements such as titles, headings, paragraphs, bullet points, tables, and images. These elements are used to structure and present information in a coherent and organized manner.
Documents are used extensively in business, education, government, legal, and personal settings. They play a crucial role in conveying ideas, sharing knowledge, making decisions, and maintaining a record of events or transactions.
In the digital age, electronic documents have become increasingly prevalent. They offer advantages such as ease of storage, searchability, and quick distribution.
Too Many Documents#
Given the importance of documents and how they are used in various industries, it is crucial to understand the content of documents and extract information from them.
As a business or enterprise scales, the number of documents it handles increases exponentially, thus necessitating the creation of resource efficient and time-reducing capture and processing methods. Software solutions can aid in this reducation by providing a means to automate capture and processing of documents that would otherwise need to be done manually by a human.
This is where document understanding comes in.
Document understanding is the process of extracting information from documents. It involves the use of software to capture, classify, and extract data from documents. This data can then be used for various purposes such as data entry, data analysis, and data storage.