Convert images to PDF on ingestion to Chorus BPM

[John.Aitken]

The Idea

Reduce document / source (Mb) size, simplify document structure, and remove embedded risks to improve ease of retrieval, rendering performance, and overall system stability within Chorus.

Summary

Customers are experiencing an ever-increasing volume, size, and complexity of documents and source types arriving via email for ingestion into Chorus. These documents, depending on type and origin, introduce a range of performance, usability, and security challenges when processed and viewed within the platform. Examples include:

• PDFs containing live hyperlinks, external references, and digital signatures that trigger outbound calls when opened
• Word documents generated by third-party applications containing embedded macros or active content
• JPEG images, often high-resolution files (e.g. from mobile devices or SLR cameras), resulting in large file sizes
• RTF and other formatted documents, which can create rendering inconsistencies

This increasing variation in document types and behaviour:

• Impacts performance, with slower load and rendering times
• Introduces security risk through embedded links, macros, or external calls
• Adds complexity to the content viewer, which must support a broad and evolving range of formats
• Degrades user experience and productivity, particularly when accessing large or complex documents

To address this, Chorus Capture could be enhanced to support automatic conversion of inbound documents into a simplified, standardised PDF format at the point of ingestion.

This would include:

• Conversion of all supported file types (including complex PDFs) into a consistent PDF format
• Sanitisation during conversion, removing embedded hyperlinks, macros, and dynamic content
• Option to generate a lower resolution and optimised PDF image, reducing file size
• Providing flexibility to balance image quality vs performance, depending on user need

By standardising documents at ingestion, this solution would:

• Reduce document complexity at retrieval and viewing stage
• Improve performance and load times through smaller, simplified files
• Reduce reliance on content viewers needing to support an expanding range of document behaviours
• Minimise security exposure from embedded external content
• Improve overall stability, consistency, and user experience within Chorus

N.B This post is customer sponsored. The (Chorus) product manager concerned would be happy to engage directly with SS&C, to discuss the present challenges and the feasibility of having such a product enhancement.