-1 / -ver.1.0- / Copyrights 2004 / Citec Information Oy Ab

/ -1 / -ver.1.0- / Copyrights 2004 / Citec Information Oy Ab


Technical Issues in Choosing a Technical Issues in Choosing a CMSCMS

Technical Issues in Choosing a Technical Issues in Choosing a CMSCMS

4.12.2004.12.20044


Background

Citec have been building SGML/XML environments for customers over 10 years

During 3Q/02 – 1Q/03 Citec performed an evaluation of CMS systems to find a Content Management component for their end-to-end solution for XML Technical Information

The following presentation highlights some of the points Citec has found important in evaluating a system’s technical capabilities – in Technical Information environment


The Dream…

”A Content Management System solves all our management problems...”

”I invested in a top-of-the-line PDM system, I’ll just use that for Content Management as well...”

”I invested in a top-of-the-line DMS system, I’ll just use that for Content Management as well...”

”I’ll integrate my CMS to my ERP systems and the whole process will be automatic..!”

”I will just buy the market leader product and I can’t go wrong”


The Reality...

There’s no such thing as a Perfect System

PDM is not a Content Management System and it takes a lot of money and effort to turn it into one

DMS is not a Content Management System and it takes a lot of money and effort to turn it into one

Be careful with integrations – the tighter the integration, the more the integrated systems dictate

The most widespread and expensive tool does not necessarily do the things YOU want – and the vendor is less likely to add needed features by your request


System Requirements

System capacity• Based on your own processing high-point needs

• Find out what kind of scalability does the system provide – can you get more processing power by adding more efficient hardware or are there limitations to that?

Do not believe in vendor white papers alone – require actual reference cases and try to make a reference visit to an existing customer that matches your needs!

Don’t trust promiseware!

System maturity• The system must be stable; the result of many years

of development and with an already proven track record


System Requirements

Which platforms are supported

• Some systems are purely UNIX/Linux based on server end

• Some systems are ’married’ with Microsoft, both in server and client end

• Which server base can be used? Oracle is one of the main server components, SQL another big one.

• How do these fit with your overall IT infrastructure?


Locality

Make sure the vendor has local development and support in areas important to you – either in-house or via a trusted collaborator

Determine how much you want to build your own competence around the system and how much do you want via the vendor/collaborator


Global Multisite Use

Big, international systems often need a global system to work against

This is a difficult requirement as most system providers have not paid much attention to global replication and how it should be done

Working against one centralized database globally may be too slow – depends on your locations

Most rely on Oracle-based replication

Clusters of databases may be accessed from one entrypoint

Web-based access is important, especially if you have third parties that need access to the system


Multi-language support

A big issue especially in Europe

Support for the translation process needed if you have to translate in many languages

The system must support managing configurations in multiple languages

Do you need Unicode support? (CJK, Russian..)


Reuse

Support for information reuse and single-sourcing is exceedingly important in manufacturing companies nowadays

Support for using same module in many configurations, without copying the module over and over again in the system

Replication/copying is one form of reuse, but replicating the reusable modules will increase the size of your database and may make it slower

History and change information relating to information modules and document set configurations must be supported in a reuse environment Traceability of changes


Integrations

It must be possible to integrate your editor into the system Usability issue for your content creators

A sufficient API must exist, so that you can integrate needed standard SW or to add own coding to achieve necessary functionality

Export to Publishing – how can you compile a publishable set out of your CMS for publishing?

Image library or media archive – within the system or an outside integration?

Open industry standards or de facto standards are preferable This ensures that your own work is not necessarily wasted if for some reason you must change systems


Workflow

Integrated workflow for at least review and approval cycles must exist

Especially important in large corporations

It must be easy to modify your own workflow patterns – but it must be a centralised function steered by your existing processes

Has to support multiple workflows in the same system

It must be easy to attach people to the workflow roles

Is it possible to have an email integration to the workflow system?

Is it possible to attach triggers to the workflow?

How can you handle situations where someone in workflow falls ill and the workflow needs to be rerouted?


Support for multiple formats

Depends a lot on your needs, you may want to only store XML information in the system, but:

• The system should preferably be able to store and manage any objects, regardless of formats

• Make sure that different graphics and multimedia formats can be managed in the system as well (even if they are stored in a separate database)

• It should be possible to integrate needed graphics viewers to the system, if no viewer capability exists out-of-the-box


Configuration management

It must be possible to use existing configurations as a basis for a new one or create configuration templates or have a DTD to steer configurations Configurations should not be made from scratch each time

Compiling the modules belonging to a configuration must be an automatic process

It must be possible to run conversions per a whole configuration from the system interface

Fixed or automatic links from module versions to configuration? Determine which you need – or do you need both?


Versioning

A ’proper’ versioning system – this is not on-the-fly publishing

Must support branching

Must support language versions (metadata)

Must support versioning configurations – you need to be able to store a particular fixed configuration and be able to publish that particular set again anytime it is needed


Searching

A good and efficient search engine (Verity used a lot)

Storing standard search strings should be possible

Boolean searches – would your user group use them?


Linking

The system must ’protect’ your links – no module that is a link-end can be deleted

If you move a module to another location in the system the link must stay intact


User rights handling

Do you wish to control the user rights on

a) Group level

b) Project level

c) Document/module level

d) Configuration level

It must be possible to restrict certain actions (e.g. deletion) to a centralised administrator role only


It must be possible to create and modify different reports, such as

a) Status based reports

b) Completeness level reports

c) On configuration level

d) On project level

e) On module level use (in which configurations does this module appear)

Reporting


Metadata

It must be possible to create your own metadata attributes in the system

It must be possible to automate some metadata insertion (creator, creation time, modifier..)


Work allocation

Does (and how) the system support work allocation?

Can a e.g. Group Manager allocate some modules in a writer’s workspace for him/her to write?

This would save a lot of time and effort


Thank you !

Documents

-1 / -ver.1.0- / Copyrights 2004 / Citec Information Oy Ab