single source publishing: utilizing xml and dita

Single Source PublishingUtilizing XML and DITA

Agenda

Single Source Publishing

XML – eXtensible Markup Language

XML Tools for DITA

Questions & Answers

DITA – Darwin Information Typing Architecture

The Challenge

• Information available to

the customer is:

Inaccurate

Stale

Inconsistent

Unavailable

Difficult to Use

Too Much

Not Enough

• Leading to Challenges:

Customer Satisfaction

Customer Retention

Revenue and Profits

Companies need to provide better information faster …

The Business Problem

• Information

• Personalized

• Interactive

• Multiple Formats

• Multiple Devices

• Security

• Separate Information

Silos:

Labor-intensive

Time-consuming

Expensive

Slow

Inflexible

Deliver More:

… while cutting costs.

Traditional Publishing Process

Review

Update

Convert,

Clean up,

Update,

Format

Review

Update

Convert,

Clean up,

Update,

Format

Review

Update

Convert,

Clean up,

Update,

Format

Convert,

Clean up,

Update,

Format

Review

Update

Print/PDF

Convert,

Clean up,

Update,

Format

Review

Update

HTML/Web

Convert,

Clean up,

Update,

Format

Review

Update

Handhelds

=

Costly

Unhappy

Customers

Prone to

Errors

Slow

Out-of-date

Information

How can you improve your publishing process?

Print Design

Web Design

Wireless

Authors

Content Management – Partial

Solution

Review

Update

Convert,

Clean up,

Update,

Format

Review

Update

Convert,

Clean up,

Update,

Format

Review

Update

Convert,

Clean up,

Update,

Format

Authors

Convert,

Clean up,

Update,

Format

Review

Update

Print/PDF

Convert,

Clean up,

Update,

Format

Review

Update

HTML/Web

Convert,

Clean up,

Update,

Format

Review

Update

Handhelds

Print Design

Web Design

Wireless

Content

Repository

If content management isn’t enough, what else can you do?

Single Source Publishing Process

Authors = Subject

Matter Experts

Designers

Accurate and timely information available when your customer needs it and in

the format they want it results in happy customers and repeat business.

Multiple

Document Types

User

Manuals

Training

Materials

Product

Labels

Promotional

Materials

Engineering

Specs

Regulatory

Submissions

Repository of

Reusable Content

Components

Automated

Assembly and

Publishing

Server

Print/PDF

Web/HTML

Handhelds

Wireless

Devices

CD-ROM

Multiple Outputs

=

Lower

Cost

Automatic,

On Demand

Greater

Accuracy

Up-to-date

Information

Happy

Customers

Enterprise Publishing Maturity ModelIn

cre

as

ing

Im

pac

t

Cost

Savings

Productivity

Increases

Improved

Accuracy

Improved

Consistency

Multi-Channel Publishing


Authors are more

productive

Faster Time to Market

Single Source of Data to

Create and Maintain

More accurate,

consistent, complete,

timely and relevant

information

Print

Enterprise

Publishing

Server

Web

DTP

Word

HTML

CD-

ROM


cre

as

ing

Im

pac

t

Cost

Savings

Productivity

Increases

Improved

Accuracy

Improved

Consistency


Information Reuse

Information Reuse

Reduces Content

Creation Costs

Reduces Content

Maintenance Costs

Reduces Content

Translation Costs

Increases Content

Accuracy


cre

as

ing

Im

pac

t

Cost

Savings

Productivity

Increases

Improved

Accuracy

Improved

Consistency


Information Reuse

Dynamic Content

Dynamic Content

Automated Assembly &

Publishing Server

Database

Profiling

Data

Merge

Link

Resolution

Customer-specific Info


Content

Repository

• Create Subsets of Master Documents

• Integrate Business Data into Documents

• Handle Static and Variable Links

Dynamic Content

Automated Assembly &

Publishing Server

Database

Profiling

Data

Merge

Link

Resolution



Content

Repository

More relevant information to Customers

Easier Creation of New Products

Fresher, Real-Time Information

Information on Demand


cre

as

ing

Im

pac

t

Cost

Savings

Productivity

Increases

Improved

Accuracy

Improved

Consistency


Information Reuse

Dynamic Content

Content Supply Chain

Content Supply Chain

Simplify Distribution

Simplify Sharing of

Updates

Easy Way to Share

Improvements

Reduce or Eliminate

Content Creation

Improved Customer

Service

Your Suppliers

You

Your Customers

So…How do I get started?

Problems in Word Processing:

Authors Waste Time…

Re-creating information that

already exists

Updating information that’s been

copied and pasted

over and over again

Decorating documents

Converting and re-formatting

documents for different

media types

Bottom line: Authors waste 1/3

to 1/2 of their time on low-

value work

Finding a Better Way

Create reusable information modules

• Reuse by pointing, not copying

and pasting

• Assemble for different purposes

and audiences

Relieve authors from designing

• Create media-independent

information

• Automatically publish

Solution: XML authoring

What is XML?

Language for creating and publishing information and facilitating data interchange

It stands for “eXtensible Markup Language”

Three Components to an XML application

XML is a means of adding “Structure and Intelligence” to typically unstructured information

Applying “Business Rules” to the authoring process

Data Model

Structure and Rules

Content

Narrative and Data

Style Sheets

Output presentations

XML Authoring

International information

standard

• “HTML with any tags you

want”

• Everyone is using it!

No styling: writers use tags to

indicate meaning

XML imposes rules

• Rules = consistency

• Downstream automation

requires consistency

A Short History of XML Authoring

Corporate executives

saw the benefit of

XML authoring and

wanted it

A Short History of XML Authoring

Then the users saw the

demo, and that

killed it

Benefit Now or Benefit Later?

Users were told that XML authoring would

be “a little” difficult…

…but the organization will benefit

on the back end.

There is a difference between “Good”

and “Good for you.”

Ice Cream is Good

Broccoli is Good for You

It Has To Be Good

DITA –

Darwin Information Typing Architecture

DITA: A New Approach

Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA)

• International XML standard for information

• Rapidly gaining attention in technical

publications departments worldwide

Allows organizations to:

• Create information in reusable modules

• Automatically combine information for

different audiences

• Automatically publish to print, web, others

• Relieve knowledge workers from low-value

manual work

• Improve information quality: more

accurate, consistent, up-to-date

DITA Defined

• Darwin: DITA utilizes principles of inheritance for

specialization

• Information Typing: DITA was originally designed

for technical information based on an information

architecture of Concept, Task and Reference

• Architecture: DITA is a model for extension both of

design and of processes

Core DITA Topic Types – IT in DITA

Topic

Concept Task Reference

Provides background

information that users need

to know.

Provides quick access to

facts.

Provides procedural details

such as step-by-step

instructions.

A unit of information

which is meaningful

when it stands alone.

Working with DITA Maps

• Organizes a set of topics into hierarchies, tables, and different kinds of groups (e.g. sequences, families, choices) Different organization for different deliverables – not just different formats

for the same content

Can reuse the same topic with different collections of topics

Can provide multiple views on the same topics: by product, by task, …

• Sets properties of the topic at a position within the map Properties include the title and metadata

Change the title relative to the parent topic

Metadata can identify a topic as advanced for one deliverable and basic for another

XML Tools

Native XML Editors

• PTC/Arbortext Epic

• Xmetal

• FrameMaker

• XMLSpy

• oXygen

• Others

The Road to XML

• Regardless of its appeal, most

DITA solutions cause too much

disruption

New authoring tools and

techniques

Complicated content management

tools

Extensive customization and

integration work

• As a result, organizations find it

difficult to:

Gain user acceptance

Train users quickly

Gain widespread participation

The Easy Path to XML

A cohesive suite of DITA tools based on

the Microsoft® Office System

• Ready to use out-of-the-box: save

months of integration effort

• Create DITA content in Microsoft Word

• Collaborate on DITA components in

Microsoft SharePoint

Easy to learn, support, and use

Eases the path to DITA publishing

Speeds up multi-platform product

delivery

DITA

Questions & Answers

Thank YouMike Stagnaro

(610) 665-4322

[email protected]

single source publishing: utilizing xml and dita

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