Building an information management system for preparing bidding documents and evaluating bids at thanh dung new technolo

Building an information management system for preparing bidding documents and evaluating bids at thanh dung new technolo Xây dựng hệ thống quản lý thông tin phục vụ lập hồ sơ mời thầu và đánh giá hồ sơ dự thầu tại Nhà máy công nghệ mới thanh dung

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

GRADUATION THESIS

BUILDING AN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR PREPARING BIDDING DOCUMENTS AND EVALUATING BIDS AT THANH DUNG NEW TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING AND

CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD

TA THI DIEM MY

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

GRADUATION THESIS

BUILDING AN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR PREPARING BIDDING DOCUMENTS AND EVALUATING BIDS AT THANH DUNG NEW TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING AND

CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD

SUPERVISOR: MS HOÀNG TRỌNG TIẾN

STUDENT: TA THI DIEM MY STUDENT ID: 20070757 COHORT: INFORMATION SYSTEMS SUBJECT CODE: INS401101 MAJOR: MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT For the completion of this graduation thesis, I first want to send my special thanks to my supervisor, Mr Hoang Trong Tien Throughout the process of doing my thesis, Mr Tien has been fully supported with great professionalism He has scheduled his time instructing

me on the problems that I have and guiding me to face the problem He also devotes his time to finding useful insight to support me in improving my performance From the very first process of finding a suitable idea, he has been very supportive and professional Under his weekly supervision, I have been able to balance my time between my thesis and other subjects Especially, he has been providing valuable and useful knowledge suitable

to my research During my project, I have been facing many difficulties but he has been supportive and calm

I want to express my deepest gratitude to Mrs Dang Thi Than and the staff from Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting And Construction Co., Ltd for giving me the opportunity to have practical experiences and knowledge about the company's business during my internship

I would also sincerely appreciate the guide of every lecture from International School – Vietnam National University, Hanoi for giving me the useful knowledge that allows me

to complete my thesis

Sincerely,

Ta Thi Diem My

PROMISE

I hereby declare that this is my graduation thesis which is the outcome of my own, under the guidance of Mr Hoang Trong Tien as my graduation thesis supervisor The data and research results are honest and consulted from Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting And Construction Co., Ltd

To ensure confidentiality and comply with the company information privacy policy, I have altered and concealed the sensitive information

I would like to take full responsibility before the department, faculty, and school for this commitment

Hanoi, 2024

Ta Thi Diem My

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 1 Company logo 12

Figure 1 2 Company annual financial status from 2019 to 2021 12

Figure 1 3 Organizational Structure 13

Figure 1 4 Business model canvas 14

Figure 1 5 Bidding document preparation process 15

Figure 2 1 System flowchart 17

Figure 2 2 Sequence diagram 19

Figure 2 3 Data table 23

Figure 4 1 Project Status Dashboard 31

Figure 4 2 Project customer dashboard 31

Figure 4 3 Adding data page 32

Figure 4 4 Adding data form 32

Figure 4 5 Region display selector 33

Figure 4 6 File display 34

Figure 4 7 Share component- Data load definition 34

Figure 4 8 Preview CSV before upload 35

Figure 4 9 Interactive Search 35

Figure 4 10 Search options 36

Figure 4 11 Master search to display all of the related information to the project 37

Figure 4 12 Sub-table in master search 38

Figure 4 13 Calendar on project start and end date 38

Figure 4 14 Evaluation category 39

Figure 4 15 Evaluation result 40

Figure 4 16 Comments without a picture 41

Figure 4 17 Comments with a picture 41

Figure 4 18 Comments from the account being used 42

Figure 4 19 Preview button 43

Figure 4 20 Preview region 43

Figure 4 21 Application process to get the file link 44

Figure 4 22 Page process to receive the file link 44

Figure 4 23 Report adjustment 45

Figure 4 24 Report options 46

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1.COMPANY GENERAL INFORMATION 11

TABLE 2.ERD TABLES 20

CHAPTER 1 GENERAL INFORMATION OF THANH DUNG NEW

TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING AND CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD 11

2.3.3.DOWNLOAD,DELETE AND UPDATE INFORMATION 25

3.1.READ THE FILE AND SAVE DATA TO THE CLOB COLUMN 28

3.4.BREAKING DOWN ON OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION 29

3.4.1.BASIC INFORMATION 29 3.4.2.OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION ALTERNATIVE 29 3.4.3.IMPLEMENT OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION IN APEX 30

ABSTRACT With the development of information technology, almost every business and organization has been storing documents on a computer and managing the document by using basic methods such as saving the file to different folders However, for many organizations that must adjust the document frequently such as Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting And Construction Co., Ltd in their business of preparing bidding documents and evaluating bids with the different employees working on the same project, there might be many inconvenient in updating, sharing and storing the document

Making use of the knowledge received from the university and my experience during the internship, this graduation thesis aims to provide insight into a managing system that supports the document managing process in the business of preparing bidding documents and evaluating bids

Based on the use of one of the most popular enterprise low-code application platforms, Oracle APEX in building the managing system, the report includes 5 main chapters The first chapter is the introduction to Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting And Construction Co., Ltd background The second chapter is the basic requirement of the system The third chapter performs the specification of the system, the fourth chapter is the details process of building the system and the last chapter is the summarized evaluation

of the system with some of my recommendations on the possibility of further improving the system

INTRODUCTION The rapid growth of technology in recent years is displayed with the application of IT in almost every business and field As a result, organizations are capable of storing enormous amounts of data and files However, this benefit also comes with an inconvenience since the stored data could be duplicated or hard to find Especially for those businesses that have to frequently work with files, update, and share them among the staff

Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting And Construction Co., Ltd is one of the companies in that group For a smaller amount of data, it is very easy to control the file locations and the member adjustment to each file On a larger scale, when the company works with multiple projects, one employee plays different roles in different projects There are many cases when a file has already been updated and saved has been relocated One can only be found after contacting many staff, which reduces the efficiency

Noticing this problem, this study was created to solve the problem by creating a system to manage the file within the process of preparing bidding documents and evaluating bids so that company members can locate the file quickly the system even works as a backup to save the file in case it being removed by mistake

1 Motivation

In the construction field, the bidding process is one of the most significant stages Construction companies aim to increase their business volume by winning bids on different projects which means they must submit reasonable bid proposals

A construction company's ability to grow its business volume depends on its ability to successfully win bids while making sure that the winning bid offers the highest profit This encourages the construction company to work with experts like Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting And Construction Co., Ltd to find the best joining option (5) Due to the complexity of E-bidding, Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting And Construction Co., Ltd has to work with multiple files, and managing them can be challenging It is essential to thoroughly review the contracting documents in order to make a bidding proposal Elaborate and comprehensive paperwork (up to hundreds of pages) promotes a seamless building process, thereby fulfilling project objectives and

Oracle APEX function allows users to create, develop, and implement database-driven applications with just a web browser which combines the benefits of low code, productivity, user-friendliness, and flexibility, with enterprise development features, like security, integrity, scalability, and availability (9, 38) This makes the application suitable for making a file-managing system

Deciding and regulating contractor selection is very important, especially in cases where

to appoint contractors and assign competent people for the bidding package that has specific and separate elements A significant amount of time and work must be put into the bidding process By increasing the bidding process's effectiveness, speed, and accuracy, e-technology might reduce these demands (5)

When calculating a bid price for a building project, construction companies consider the features, profitability, competitiveness, and risk aspects of the project The project owner's bidding document contains the most representative information that the bidders will find during the bidding process The owner's project planning objective and the general construction criteria are included in the bidding document Specifically, the information

in the bidding document—which is also closely tied to the contractual issue—determines the project's level of uncertainty (28)

Many factors can impact the bidding strategy, practice, and result such as the experience

of the contractor, company practices, and the amount of the bid price (balance on the potential profit and the winning chance) However, the bid proposed must be realistic and accurate, following the general standard (21)

Document information extraction with Optical Character Recognition is being used more and more to improve and automate business processes Organizations use Optical Character Recognition to handle text that is handwritten or printed It helps identify different sorts of documents and analyze data based on intricate criteria It is possible to

adapt the Optical Character Recognition model, procedure, and method to any handwritten style However, numerous Optical Character Recognition tools have been trained on a variety of handwriting styles and can be used in the file management system (25)

The bidding process involves many uncertainties that need to be predicted and reflected

In this stage, service providers like Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting and Construction Co., Ltd must thoroughly understand the construction risk factors that make the requirement category to correctly evaluate the contractor quality and prepare suitable bidding documents The winning chance can be decreased if the information in the bidding document is imprecise and confusing (28)

CHAPTER 1 GENERAL INFORMATION OF THANH DUNG NEW

TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING AND CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD

1.1 Company outline

Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting And Construction Co., Ltd is a limited liability company that operates under the Enterprise Law passed by the 11th National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on August 8, 2005

Table 1 Company general information

Office address Le Van Luong, Nhan Chinh, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi

Main job Consulting service related to construction

Telephone 02432222136

Email dichvuthanhdung@gmail.com

Figure 1 1 Company logo Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting And Construction Co., Ltd's business focuses

on 7 main services including consultancy in planning, surveying, designing, inspecting, supervising, consulting on preparing bidding documents, and construction field

Figure 1 2 Company annual financial status from 2019 to 2021

1.2 Company Vision, Mision, and Core Value

Vision

To become a professional contractor, maintain stability within the organization, and excel

in both production technology and the quality of products

Mission

Create and protect effective investment values for owners and partners by upholding

2,000,000,000

liabilities

Revenue Profit

before taxProfit aftertax

Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting And Construction Co., Ltd's Financial figures

2019 2020 2021

Balancing the concerns of the Owner, Employees, Partners, and the Community based on the principle of honest and fair management;

Build a team of good ethical professionals with expertise, and a modern working style in

a conducive and professional working environment

Core value

Self-organizing the construction and production of the works by utilizing advanced technology Outsourcing ancillary stages;

Organize and gather into a consortium of enterprises with "brand" operating in the fields

of Investment, Construction, and Service

1.3 Organization Structure

The company organization is designed in a hierarchical structure The Director is the company owner There are 4 departments responsible for different projects and tasks The department headers are responsible for managing and reporting to the director about the business situation Each department's business processes are different based on the purpose of the project whether to prepare and analyze, design, consult, etc

Figure 1 3 Organizational Structure Since the company's business is construction-related services, the assets of the company are mostly the machinery, equipment, and experts in the field

The company's staff are well-trained, dynamic, and have a lot of experience In particular, the members of different departments, teams and the company's managers have specialized knowledge and practice certificates in the field of construction and management

1.4 Business model canvas

Figure 1 4 Business model canvas The targeted customer segmentation of Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting And Construction Co., Ltd is the Project management boards since this segment is the most profitable and has the highest demand for construction services

Throughout the company business, the most demanded service is Construction planning and surveying service The company resources also meet the business requirement on experts’ skills, measuring equipment, and constructing machinery

1.5 Business Process

Figure 1 5 Bidding document preparation process The company’s business process involves many data updating steps and task assigning to different departments However, the company is currently managing its files by keeping them in the office PC and remembering the location based on the file category The tasks are assigned by making a decision paper and sending it to the assigned member

This is not an efficient management process since the sending process is manually completed and there might be risks of missing messages or wrong receivers

CHAPTER 2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 2.1 Process

The main focus of this system is preparing bidding documents and evaluating the bid process The system should be executed suitable with the business process in order to ensure the system efficiently improves the overall performance of the file managing process

This process involves interaction between the employees, the company would assign different staff to evaluate the project’s scope based on its purpose, area, location, and future country’s development plan This information is gathered manually and since they are insights that change rapidly, a report must be made and saved to the system Employees can access the report to gain insight into the basic requirements However, the following process requires gathering details data from measuring, equipment and data from the public department This process can be completed outside the system, the only interaction

of the employee in this process is at the end when they send the detailed report

After gathering all the necessary information, the responsible members must based on the customer requirement in the contract identify the suitable category

For example, if the project's purpose is to build a factory, the categories to set specific requirements would be water system, air vent, and electricity For the project whose purpose is to be a tourist location, many factors such as road, view, and directions must also be considered

The evaluation process does not stop there, the next process is to identify the details of each category In the same case of a factory building project, if the factory’s product is made from flammable material, the fire alarm system must be designed so that it can quickly reach the fire source For the project of building a textile dyeing factory, the waste filtering must be carefully designed to prevent chemical leakage

Based on the business process of the company, the system needs to use the data related to the customer, project, employee, document, and evaluation making Moreover, the system should also implement comment availability for the employees’ information-sharing process

Figure 2 1 System flowchart The process starts with a decision point: the user either has an account or they don't

If the user has an account, they can log in Once logged in, if they have the administrative privileges, they can View, update, delete project details or add a new project, new customer (if the customer isn't already in the system), and project details, or lock the project (which restricts editing or access)

If the user doesn't have an account, they can contact the admin to make an account Without administrative privileges, the locked project can only be commented on

Users can also save the related file of the project and assign the requirements and scoring based on the project scope

If the purpose is only for preparing a bidding document, the user can extract the report and lock the project if the process is complete

For evaluating bids, the requirement source must be considered If the requirement report

is from Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting and Construction Co., Ltd, the evaluation can be added to the project details If the requirement report is from a third party, the employees have to import the data from the report into the system

Users can evaluate the targets or contractors based on the documents provided by them directly or from the government website (2) using the project owner account

If the information is not sufficient, the employee can make a request to the contractor to submit the missing document

After inputting the scoring for each target based on the category, the system would automatically calculates the result By comparing the final score, the target with the highest score would be assigned "qualified" and the others are "unqualified"

A report would be made listing the evaluating result This report will be sent to the project owner

In the process of evaluating bids, the imperfection of the evaluation criteria can result in more resource loss, and unqualified contractors being assigned to the project To ensure the suitability of the contractor for the project, Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting and Construction Co., Ltd has to clearly assess the contractors' reliability (both organizational and technological) However, sometimes, an organization joining the bid might not submit the most suitable documentary This is why the system flowchart includes the step of requesting the missing document (30)

Figure 2 2 Sequence diagram Employee requests preparing bidding documents: This initiates the type of business being required

Create a new project: This involves establishing a new project within the system, likely assigning a unique identifier, name, and tax ID

Update information to the database: This indicates that data extracted from the employee's request or other sources is added to the system's central database

Request report: The report is generated based on the information related to the project This could be a preliminary project overview or a list of required documents

Extract related data: Based on the generated report or user input, specific data related to the project is extracted from the database

Report: This final box in the first half suggests that a report is generated based on the extracted data This could be a more detailed project document or a data summary for further analysis

Request document and requirement for evaluating process: The requirements report can be prepared by Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting and Construction Co., Ltd, the project owner, or by a third party In case the report is made by the project owner or

by a third party, Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting and Construction Co., Ltd must import those requirements for evaluation

Update database: The extracted data from the requirements report is used to update the project information in the database

Scoring criteria: Evaluation criteria for bids are defined, including technical aspects, cost, and other relevant factors Each criterion is assigned a maximum score based on its importance in the overall evaluation

Upload data to the database: Bidders submit their proposals, and the data is uploaded to the system's database The uploaded bid data is processed and stored in the database for the report-making process

Update score: Each bid is scored automatically based on the predefined scoring of each category and extracted data from the proposal

Scoring report: A report is generated with the scores for each bidding target and an overall ranking based on their total score The target with the highest score would be assigned as the qualified contractors

2.2 Entity relationship diagram

The managing system should work with 14 tables including 12 main tables and 2 temporary tables to save the data from the function running process

Table 2 ERD tables

user_table This table saves the employees’ information

customer_table This table saves the customers’ information

target_table This table saves the target of the evaluation in each

project document_type_table Using type categorization would help manage the file

more efficiently

project_table The file should also be linked to their project and it

would be best if the users could find the files by each project

project_role_table Each employee would play a different role in each

project, and keeping track of the responsible actor allows for more efficient information transfer and progress management

comment_table (4, 8, 11) Instead of sending comments via other communication

platforms which can cause missing information and consistency in the working process, commenting directly to a specific target would help improve interaction efficiency

project_document_table

(14, 18)

This is the table that saves the files’ information and the files

evaluation_category_table The purpose of this system is for the bidding evaluating

business, which means it must allow users to create evaluations Categorize the evaluation helps guide the user to their desired section

evaluation_detail_table The bidding documents are complex with the

requirement, achievement, and scoring process This is why, the system should work with this information separate from the categorical table

evaluation_result_table After evaluating progress, the company has to make a

report to the customer on the result In this table, the information related to the optimal target will be extracted

filtered_docs Working with a PDF file can cause trouble in extracting

data, this table is created as a temporary place for the data received from the pdf and image being saved before sending back to the document table

The 2 temporary tables filtered_docs and document_template_table are not linked to another main table to prevent unnecessary constraints in the process of creating new data The dashed lines represent the case scenario since the comment should be made to a specific file, employee, or project However, the foreign key cannot be a null value, this means the system should allow the user to select their comment target In this case, the system uses 2 columns which are target_type and target_table_id The target_table_id column is a select list created based on the selection of the target_type column If the target_type value is “file” then the target_table_id would connect to the file_id column in the project_document_table

The detailed explanation of Figure 2.3 is shown in Table 2

This Figure is created based on the system flowchart and business process The need to have a relation DB for the system designing process is due to the Structured data, flexibility, and scalability of the use of Oracle APEX as the database managing system The entities joining the system are well-defined including project, customer, document, and requirement However, the project also includes extra entities such as user, target, and template table for easier showing the relationship between the existing entities

Since the system data is updated multiple times, I choose relation DB for the flexibility in data manipulation such as adding, modifying, and deleting files

Based on the flowchart, I built the ERD by analyzing the distinct entities and the relevant attributes Since customers and targets are referred to by users in many stages, I decided that the primary key for these tables should be varchar The entities have specific relationships so that users can quickly access the related information The cardinalities are set based on the use of the referred foreign keys

an evaluation table (12)

The tables are created using SQL commands and the adjustments are from both SQL

2.3.3 Download, Delete and update information

Download: The system facilitates seamless file downloads for employees to access templates and relevant documents On the other hand, to maintain security and integrity, downloading restricted files requires administrative privileges

Delete: Users can remove unnecessary or outdated files to maintain an organized workspace Access to deletion functionality is restricted based on user roles and file permissions

Update: The system enables users to modify file information and content as needed, enhancing accuracy and consistency within the system (12, 14)

2.3.4 Reading data and search data

Filtered Docs Table: The system uses a special filtered_docs table to effectively store search results, improving efficiency and user experience

CTXSYS Index: A powerful index driven by CTXSYS commands is used within the system for rapid data retrieval and text search capabilities (7)

Text Search: This function allows users to effortlessly locate specific information within files This work is similar to the optical character recognition systems

2.3.5 Preview the file

Efficient Preview: Users can quickly preview file content without the need for a full download, optimizing time and resources This feature proves particularly valuable for frequent file access and content validation (13, 24)

Enhanced Workflow: The preview function streamlines workflows by enabling users to quickly assess file relevance and suitability before taking further actions This reduces unnecessary downloads and potential delays (13)

2.3.6 Report

Integral Role: The system supports the generation of comprehensive reports, essential for documenting the preparation of bidding documents and evaluating bids Customizable report templates and export options can cater to diverse reporting requirements The customization is based on the value of the column which prevents missing values

Data Analysis: The ability to generate reports allows for an in-depth study of bidding processes, revealing patterns, identifying potential, areas for improvement, and supporting the decision-making process

2.4 Data

Multilingual Support: The system seamlessly handles data in both English and Vietnamese, fostering adaptability and inclusivity for a broader user base CTXSYS capabilities ensure compatibility with both languages, empowering users to work in their preferred language

Real-World Experience: The system's design and functionality are based on practical experience within Thanh Dung New Technology Consulting and Construction Co., Ltd., ensuring alignment with real-world needs and challenges

 PROJECT_ROLE_TABLE has a many-to-one relationship with USER_TABLE (a user can have multiple roles in different projects)

 PROJECT_DOCUMENT_TABLE has a many-to-one relationship with PROJECT_TABLE (a project can have multiple documents)

 PROJECT_DOCUMENT_TABLE has a many-to-one relationship with DOCUMENT_TYPE_TABLE (a document belongs to a specific document type)

 COMMENT_TABLE has many-to-one relationships with PROJECT_DOCUMENT_TABLE, PROJECT_TABLE, and USER_TABLE (a comment can target a document, project, or user)

 EVALUATION_CATEGORY_TABLE, EVALUATION_DETAIL_TABLE, and EVALUATION_RESULT_TABLE all have many-to-one relationships with PROJECT_TABLE and TARGET_TABLE (evaluations are associated with specific projects and targets)

The system empowers users to generate informative reports and visualizations, promoting data-driven analysis and insights

CHAPTER 3 SYSTEM SPECIFICATION 3.1 Read the file and save data to the clob column

After creating the “searchMyDocs” index (see Appendix B), the following code would be executed to save the data to the FILTERED_DOCS table with the FILE_ID saved to the QUERY_ID column and the data saved to the DOCUMENT column (see Appendix B) This process happened in the loop according to the number of files being added to the PROJECT_DOCUMENT_TABLE

When the loop ends, a merge function is executed to add the DOCUMENT from the FILTERED_DOCS to the FILE_CLOB in the PROJECT_DOCUMENT_TABLE where the FILE_ID and the QUERY_ID matched (see Appendix B) The filtered_docs table is being truncated to prevent duplicated values (see Appendix B)

3.3 Implement the function on the new file

The function is not executed automatically and after executing the code a second time, the data is duplicated in the FILTERED_DOCS This means there should be an automated method to execute the function and fool it with a truncate function

There are 2 methods to complete this, by making a trigger or creating a procedure that executes in a period A procedure called TRUNCATE_FILTERED_DOCS (see Appendix B) can be added within the process of the form page

However, instead of doing so, the system uses and DBMS_SCHEDULER function to automate the truncate process (see Appendix B) The DBMS_SCHEDULER package contains a set of scheduling functions and procedures that can be invoked from any PL/SQL program such as APEX

This method generates a single task (either normal or lightweight) When the enabled parameter is set to TRUE, the Scheduler performs the job automatically according to its timetable The job_type => 'PLSQL_BLOCK' indicates that the task is a PL/SQL anonymous block When the job or program type is PLSQL_BLOCK, job or program arguments are not supported The number of arguments must be zero in this scenario The above code only allows the FILTERED_DOCS to be truncated every minute, the system executes the data transfer process in the form page load event Every time the form

3.4 Breaking down on Optical Character Recognition

3.4.1 Basic information

Optical Character Recognition is a technology that utilizes programming to "read" text contained in images and PDF files, converting it into machine-readable text which can then be processed by the system Optical Character Recognition is usually used in document scanning, text extracting, improving image accessibility, automating the data entry process, etc Using Optical Character Recognition makes it easier to store, search, and edit the documents within the system (32, 37)

The free workspace provided by Oracle APEX does not implement the Optical Character Recognition function (6) According to my research, the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s AI service does come with the infrastructure (15, 23) The method to access the Optical Character Recognition is via the REST Web Service to make a call to the Optical Character Recognition ‘s Application Programming Interface (10, 33)

I have found many courses from Oracle University that support the training with the cloud’s Optical Character Recognition (9, 15, 16) Oracle’s newest update has removed the LAB Cloud account This is because they allow a free tier version of the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure account that requires the payment method However, the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s free tier has been reported with many bugs recently based on the question being made across the Oracle Forum I have tried to set up an account in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure but the payment was declined multiple times

The reason for my decision to use Optical Character Recognition is due to the data extraction function is needed within the business process In the current process, the data are extracted manually, which means employees must read through every related file to find useful information Optical Character Recognition can enhance the process efficiency

by automating the data extraction, so employees can access the data more quickly and with better accuracy

3.4.2 Optical Character Recognition Alternative

Even though using Optical Character Recognition from the Cloud Infrastructure would be the most efficient method The option was not limited since there are many Optical Character Recognition services available such as some online Optical Character Recognition including Free Online OCR, OCR.space, Soda PDF Online OCR.; some

Optical Character Recognition software including Tesseract, FreeOCR, SimpleOCR, Kiwiz, Google Drive OCR or some mobile applications such as Google Lens, Microsoft Office Lens, CamScanner; etc (22, 26, 32)

I have tried using the online Optical Character Recognition services, it works perfectly, the Tesseract software also extracts the data from the files, the mobile applications such

as CamScanner also successfully extract the text from the images (36)

Tests are produced by Tesseract from YAML files which are very simple to read, manage, and arrange Using the Tesseract online is easier than the application version Following the documentation from the Tesseract webpage, the application usage requires executing commands from the computer Command prompt while the web version has a more user-friendly drag-and-drop function (3, 34)

3.4.3 Implement Optical Character Recognition in APEX

For this system, I have tried using the online service by using the one with an Application Programming Interface such as Azure Computer Vision (29) and connecting to the web via APEX_WEB_SERVICE.MAKE_REST_REQUEST (10) The Local application such

as Tesseract, however, does not work since it is more suitable to work with the local file rather than transferring data to and from the APEX workspace (3, 34)

For the mobile application, I find it not suitable for the system since it's mainly used on a laptop or PC Even though using the third-party API works, I find it not really the optimal solution for the system This is because I also want to make use of the CTXSYS package

to implement the search data function (27, 31)

CHAPTER 4 BUILDING THE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The figure in this part is only representative since the actual data from the company must

be kept secret according to the company’s policy

4.1 Dashboard

The dashboard page includes 4 diagrams: the first diagram shows the project status This helps the manager to quickly notice the overall performance by comparing the amount being completed to those that are still in wait (see Appendix C)

Figure 4 1 Project Status Dashboard The second diagram displays the bar chart of the count of projects related to different customers This allows the manager to quickly notice the customer with the most project which indicates a better potential for the company to have more contracts with (see Appendix C)

Figure 4 2 Project customer dashboard

The third diagram shows the count of projects each manager is responsible for, this allows the director to distribute the task to those that have more time (see Appendix C)

4.2 Adding new data by form

Figure 4 3 Adding data page This page allows users to manually add new data to the tables using the navigated buttons, each button would be navigated to a form page such as below The page uses the region display selector to hide and show regions based on the purpose Since the data might be duplicated if the user does not know exactly the data that has already been added, it is more convenient to add a hidden region that allows them to see the existing data

Figure 4 4 Adding data form

Figure 4 5 Region display selector Even though some columns in the data table should be set as not null, due to the purpose

of the system to automatically assign the value to these columns within the page processes, these columns are set to nullable so that the system would accept the null data at the beginning of the processing