Using Open Source Tools

for DAM and Production Workflow Management

Adam WitwerO’Reilly Media

adam@oreilly.com

Keith FahlgrenThreepress

keith@threepress.org

Cause for Serious Concern

In a survey taken in late 2009, 30 out of 59 academic publishers called

DAM a “cause for serious concern.”

Digital Asset Management

Digital Publishing in the AAUP Community, Survey Report: Winter 2009-2010, www.aaupnet.org

DAM Defined

Takeaways

Lessons learned from 230,000 commitsSubversion as compared with other file management techniquesHow a pilot should be startedReal world examples of SVN enabling effective workflow management

A Picture of SVN

LessonsLearned

@6 - 17

“„

http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.5/svn.intro.whatis.html

Of course, there's a cost to using Subversion as well: administrative

overhead....When working with the data on a daily basis, you won't be

able to copy, move, rename, or delete files the way you usually do.

@7

Bigger Lessons

• Focus on many small successes• Favor low(er) risk, reasonable reward• Don’t mess with important authors• Think carrots, not sticks

HumanBehavior

@8 - 5

by stupiddingo on Flickr

A meaningful log

by amagill on Flickr

Locking?

by lenore-m on Flickr

Hooks

• Use other communication methods (duh)• Encourage everyone to update

often

Interaction

Education

• Exemplify good behavior• Provide real examples• Centralize help around a single

email address• Review manuscripts early, often

Access Control

• Define access based on roles, not names • Start promiscuous, become private

as necessary

Structure

@18 - 5

by Scott Berkun

Don’t Organize

by kyz on Flickr

Organize

Borrow from Programmers

• trunk/• tags/• branches/

Don’t Manage

Emephera

Transitions

@13 - 5

http://digital.nls.uk/74549008

Develop a Real Map

FormalizeHandoffs

• Define who gets what, when• Decide what can be criticized and

what cannot• Establish clear guidelines on image

submissions• Broadcast changes

Manuscript Submission

• Confirm “validity” of files• “Tag” the submission event• Consolidate files & standardize names

Manuscript Publication

• Confirm “validity” of files• “Tag” the publication event• Heavily consolidate• Collect all of the highest quality media

HandlingWord

• Be diligent about Track Changes• Get everyone on the same version• Work closely with copyeditors

HandlingXML

• Lack of differencing tools stinks• Enforce validity • Pick and editor that supports SVN

(oXygen, XXE)• Don’t bother organizing individual

files

oXygen’s SVN client got spun out into the standalone Syncro SVN

Subversion vs. Everything

Else

Digital file management for production workflows

The epitome of bad file management practice

Email

10 Million Reasons Why• Files easily confused, mismanaged• No versioning• File size limitations• No logging of changes• No central repository• Poor security• Relies on opaque file-naming techniques

ch01c_01022010_aw2_update.doc

by Ingorrr on Flickr

Subversion + Email = Win

FTPWelcometo1976

• Allows files to be stored in a central place• Allows for a directory structure

What’s right with FTP

What’s wrong with FTP• No versioning• Logging is not automatic and “built in”• Potentially insecure

Use FTP for One-way file transfers and...

nothing else

Project management perfection ... for a price

Basecamp, etc.

• Good email integration and notification systems

• Fee-based file storage, with limits• Built-in scheduling and reporting• Some versioning

Web-based project management

Usually includes....

by hansol on Flickr

Subversion is not a project management solution

• Monthly fees• At project’s end, files must be exported• Projects with large file sizes could become

a problem

Fee-based storage on the web, with limits

Scheduling and reporting on an external system creates confusion

Built-in scheduling and reporting

• Not sophisticated (vs. SVN, which is a mature, time-tested versioning solution)

• At project’s end, the versioning and logging history is lost

Some versioning

Adobe’s document management solution

InCopy

InCopy CS4+ = SVN

• Uses a check out system• Maintains a version history• Allows multiple users to work on the same

file• Merges changes

InCopy CS4+ ≠ SVN

• InDesign/InCopy vs. any text-based files• Adobe-centric vs. platform-neutral

workflow• $249/seat vs. $0/seat

GettingStarted

@40 - 15

http://digital.nls.uk/74549010

Starting a Pilot

http://digital.nls.uk/74549010

Starting a PilotGung-ho

Eagersupporters

Pilot Team

•Physically co-located•Cross-functional•Smaller than ten

Sell It

•Authors•Editors•Staff

The Right Book

• Experienced author or motivated newcomer?• Shorter is better• Not too critical (or monitored)

The Right Books

• Some workflows simply won’t benefit from version control during manuscript development

• Pick two or three titles

OS X

• Versions ($): versionsapp.com• Syncro SVN ($): syncrosvnclient.com• svnX: lachoseinteractive.net/en/community/subversion/svnx/

Windows

• TortoiseSVN: tortoisesvn.tigris.org

5 ThingsTo Do

Tomorrow@55 - 5

1Decide if SVN Makes

Sense

@56

2Convince an Editor

@57

Identify Three Titles3

@58

4Find an Owner

@59

Read(Some of) the Book

http://svnbook.red-bean.com

5@60 Try free beanstalkapp.com?

Possibilities

Two Real-World Examples at

O’Reilly

Learning Rails &Take Control of iPhone OS 3

Published in November 2008

One year later, the authors wanted to publish a “living

book” version

Title?Price?

Rights?Marketing?

Royalties?

File management?

Tough Questions

• First edition files were named and archived reliably

• Errata corrected, logged, and versioned in the same files

• Files were on a centralized file server• Authors, editors, and production staff knew

where to find the newest and best version

File management was easy because...

Files “branched” for new productFiles copied to a new Subversion repository, retaining all previous

versions and log messages

Both of the authors, the editor, and the production staff worked in the new Subversion repository to create...

The Live Edition

Published as an ebook

Converted to an iPhone app

by Upsilon Andromedae on Flickr

Resubmitted and eventually accepted

Why was it rejected? And what changed so that it was accepted?

Time for some Subversion

detective work

by somegeekintn on Flickr

The Subversion repository revealed

• A branched version of the text in a folder named redacted_for_itunes_store

• A log message that read, “removed section on jailbreaking”

• A previous version of the text with a section on jailbreaking

?@75