7.2

Capture Sample Data for a Document You Install on a Printer
This procedure describes the general steps involved in capturing sample data for a document you intend to install on a printer.
If you are using database emulation, you capture sample input data at the time you set up the emulation.
An understanding of the general procedure for capturing a reliable sample data file can help you understand and navigate the
platform-specific instructions.
To capture data for a document you install on a printer:
1. Determine the input data you need.
Determine all the variations of input data you need to include in the sample data file, and the query that retrieves that
input data. This is specific to your database and computing environment.
2. Determine the type of connection that exists between the host on which the input data resides and the printer on which
the document will execute.
In general there are three types of connections:
l Direct connection. The printer is either directly connected to the host on which the input data resides, or the host
can directly address it on a network.
l Serial connection. The printer and the host are connected by a serial cable.
l Print server. The printer is connected to a print server. The host sends print jobs to the print server.
3. Capture the representative sample of input data.
In general you set up a process to intercept a print job on its way to the printer. You then send the representative sam-
ple of data to the printer. The process you set up intercepts the job and saves the spool file as the sample data file. For
example, if your host can address the printer directly, you could use the following method:
l Pause printing on the printer on which you intend to install the document. This tells the printer driver not to send
any files that it finds in the spool folder for this printer, to the printer. If you print to a printer after you pause it, a
spool file appears in that printer’s spool folder and remains there until you re-enable printing on that printer.
l Send the representative sample of input data to the printer on which you intend the document to execute. This
creates a spool file.
l Retrieve the spool file.
l Restart printing on the printer you paused.
Capture Sample Data for a Document You Install in your PlanetPress
Suite Workflow Tool
This procedure describes the general steps involved in capturing sample data for a document you intend to install in your Plan-
etPress Suite Workflow Tool. An understanding of the general procedure for capturing a reliable sample data file helps you
understand and navigate the platform-specific instructions.
It assumes you have a general understanding of what a PlanetPress Suite process is, and how it works. See the PlanetPress
Workflow Tools User’s Guide for further information.
Note that if you are using database emulation, you capture sample input data at the time you set up the emulation.
To capture data for a document you install in your PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tool:
1. Determine the input data you need.
Determine all of the variations of input data you need to include in the sample data file, and the query that retrieves that
input data. This is specific to your database and computing environment.
Capturing Data
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