DITA: Managing It All

Harv GreenbergOctober 19, 2007

DITA: Managing It All DOCTRAIN East 2007

© 2007 XyEnterprise Inc.

Purpose of Today’s Presentation

Discuss content management technology in the context of DITA• How do you know when you need it?• What do you look for?• How do you go about acquiring it?


The Wonderful Thing That is DITA

Content model that works• Does not require complexity, but is

infinitely extensible to meet your needs

An open toolkit• Lots of good stuff and continually

improving

A supportive community• DITA users group• Conferences like these


So Am I Done Now?

It depends


Life Without a CMS

It works, and it can scaleAt some level, if you can find what

you’re looking for and it’s the right version, you’re OK


Some Challenges

Data integrityHistory and version controlLink managementWorkflowCollaborationBranching and where-usedTranslation management


Data Integrity

Perhaps the biggest issue with life on the file system

Good backup strategy can mitigate issue, but only if IT knows where all the cubbyholes are

Easier and more visible when data lives in a real database and standard backup practices apply


History and Version Control

Who did what, when, why?What changes were made?Ooops! Can we restore

previous?Basic CMS function, but you

may be getting what you need out of source control


Typical CMS Audit Trail


Link Management

An old problem that grows in importance with DITA (and S1000D)

Among problems to be solved• Guaranteeing uniqueness of id’s across collection• Finding id’s to link to• Ensuring that links resolve• Fixing broken ones

Perhaps solvable without CMS, provided some sort of link database exists


CMS to Link Management

By definition, every object gets a unique ID

Links are discovered at content creation and abstracted onto metadata

All tools (e.g. publish, translation) act on metadata to produce correct result


Link Validation Scenario


Workflow

CMS workflow is a way to embed business process in software and addresses issues such as• Who initiates work?• When is it due?• How do different roles interact with content?• Who has permission to do what?• How do we know when we’re done

Clear CMS value add (assuming CMS has workflow)


Work Package (Project) in Authoring


Project in Review Step


Collaboration

Workflow has typically addressed interactions between CMS actors

Collaboration requirements have become much more dynamic• Involving participants beyond CMS• Involving reviewers who need to work with XML content

who do not have XML tools and skills• Supporting parallel reviews and merging results

Found solutions by partnering with industry leading authoring tool vendor JustSystems


Sending Topics to XMetaL Reviewer


Evolution of Topic in Reviewer


Branching and Where Used

Traditional tech doc paradigm• Surrounds notion of approved version

and a work in progress version • History never changes• Concurrent versions supported via

effectivity (e.g. ECPs, ship alts)

New paradigm• Much more modular writing supporting

concurrent releases


Implications

Multiple versions now in work concurrently; may also need to account for a future merge

Requires very clear visibility into what version of what is where

Copy and paste file system model fraught with peril


Branch Merge: Creating Branch


Branch Merge: Selecting Components

Populate the Variant


Branch Merge: Comparing Versions


Translation Management

While translation is nothing new, requirements are literally exploding• More stuff needs to be published in

more languages• About half of the RFPs we are seeing

contain translation requirements


What It’s All About

Given source language object and requirement for target language• Does target language object exist? If not, create it and

translate• If so, is it current? If not, update translation

But wait, there’s more• Are there dependencies, such as conrefs and graphics?• Are you using translation memory? If so, what is its

workflow?


Translation Export


Result in Translation Memory

Idiom and SDL translation interfaces


Checking Status


Result in CMS


What Do You Look For?

It dependsWide array of choices available

• Departmental versus Enterprise• Shrinkwrap versus Framework• Rent versus Buy• XML versus XML + Unstructured• Provides workflow or not• Provides API or not


Recommendations

Use opportunities like these to find out what is available and try to narrow your focus

Don’t be afraid to get professional help


How Do You Acquire One?

First of all, find out what your business requires• Who owns the money?• Who ultimately has the authority to buy?• Who also needs to sign off?• Is a formal business case required (see

professional help earlier)?• And, oh by the way, do you already have a

CMS in your organization that you can use or are required to use?


Acquire (Continued)

Keep your focus on business, not technical requirements• Don’t try to design a solution in your RFP• Remember, that what you are seeing in product

demos is implementation, not gospel

Avoid the more is better trap• Some of our best experiences (win or lose) have

been on RFPs of about a dozen pages for which selection took less than a month

Consider phased implementation


Questions and Follow-up

[email protected]

Technology

DITA: Managing It All