Automated Publishing
Information Management Strategy
As people in your organization use information in support of its goals, the information gets purposed to a specific task. For example, a mutual fund company uses a porfolio manager's bio in proposals, fund factsheets, marketing literature, the company website, and shareholder reports. Then, what happens when the information changes? Does someone go to each place that the information was used to (manually) update it? Does anyone in the organization even keep track of each instance that a piece of information is used? Not likely. And this is why an organized system needs to be in place to automatically propagate updates.
Best Practices
The US Department of Defense has determined best practices for information management as indicated in CALS (Continuous Acquisition and Life-cycle Support) and other initiatives. Their preferred information management is characterized by:
1. centralized storage, possibly distributed between several locations
2. data created/maintained once, used many times
3. permit optimum access to all authorized people
4. enable efficient collaboration
5. info available to users with different hardware & software configurations
The idea of “centralized storage” and “data created/maintained once, used many times” goes against a common practice in marketing departments which is to keep a lot of marketing information stored in documents that can only be accessed through specialized desktop-publishing applications. Information stored in desktop-publishing files:
- does not “permit optimum access to all authorized people”
- is not available to company-desired searches
- is not available for multiple business purposes
- must be proofed after every manual change
- slows down turnaround for delivering accurate up-to-date communication
- is primarily suitable for print and does not aid publishing to multiple media
In contrast, information that is stored in one or more databases, can be proofed once by personnel in charge of data quality control; it can be searched, is available for multiple business processes, and can be used for automated production of communication vehicles including print, html, and interactive CD.
PatternStream supports an ideal information management system
PatternStream automation is a key technology that enables the implementation of best practices.
PatternStream automation supports information management built around centralized storage of information in key databases and directories because it provides an easy way to propagate the current state of information out to different types of publications.
ODBC, which is designed in conjunction with the international ISO Call-Level Interface standard, provides the means to access data from practically any database. Security can be maintained via permissions assigned to the network folders that house the output. Or security can be assigned to pdf files as they are created (via Distiller settings).
The file formats that PatternStream delivers—pdf, html, and xml—are available to users with different hardware and software configurations. Pdf files, in particular enable collaboration via low-cost Adobe Acrobat. Acrobat functions include: mark-up, annotations, comment/edit management, text search, security (128 bit RC4), bookmarks for document navigation, forms, and digital signatures. Pdf files also provide the ability to assign password security and the ability to lock down the document so that it cannot be edited.
Content Management
Managing information requires two efforts: 1) getting information into a database where it is organized and processed, and 2) getting information out of the database so that it is useful.
The first type of effort requires one or more databases. Business and publishing needs drive the design of the database. [Aspects of good database design go beyond the scope of this website]. Some database considerations are addressed in our presentation of Custom Database Work. Forms are also needed to enter and edit information. The most common means of implementing forms are: html (or browser-based forms), Microsoft Access, and FileMaker (in decreasing order of popularity).
Browser-based forms provide universal access to authorized users and they can interface with many different database applications. They usually take more time (and hence money) to build versus Access or FileMaker, especially when error-checking and validation rules must be implemented.
In order to get information out of a database so that it is useful [type 2 effort], the information must be presented in an organized arrangement. The hierarchy and subordination of each piece of information should be clear. This involves formatting; however, formatting choices for database reports are very limited. Therefore, conditional formatting and data-driven composition require additional tools such as PatternStream automation. Microsoft Excel is another tool that provides the means to query a database and provide a formatted report.
The second type of effort also involves decisions about the file type of the document that is the vehicle for communication. In the past, a document could be printed and circulated as hardcopy. More and more, documents are shared digitally, especially as email attachments. The most universal document format which can be: a) formatted with as much sophistication as desired, and 2) attached to an email, is a PDF file. Furthermore, PDF files can be posted to a website for easy distribution. For additional benefits of the PDF file format, click here.
Useful data is also published from a database to portals. There are many competing products providing this utility.
Below is an example of a content management system that employs automated publishing via PatternStream.
More Business Solutions delivered by PatternStream-Automated Publishing
 Problem: |
Getting information out of a system of databases and files so that it is useful |
| Problem: |
Implementing change; how does a company get the next level of benefits from its information system when its staff does not have time for the rollout of new technology |
| Problem: |
Keeping track of digital assets |
| Problem: |
Optimizing manual and automated methods of production |
Problem: Getting information out of a system of databases and files so that it is useful.
“CTOs [Chief Tchnology Officers] can dig into a deep chest of software and tools to manage every element of the corporate enterprise. But corralling the enterprise’s dispersed systems and knowledge assets into a single, easily accessible source is a challenge that continues to elude most enterprises. …’Information is all over the place in companies, and it is difficult to find all the different pieces of information you need to drive decisions,’ says Rob Perry, senior analyst at The Yankee Group in Boston.”
— Cathleen Moore, InfoWorld
“Portal Power” 06.11.01
Solution: Decide on key sources of information and fix the channel that delivers this information through PatternStream automated publishing.
There is no magic remedy for bringing order to chaos. Managers need to:| a) | determine the key pieces of information the organization needs |
| b) | determine the official source for this information |
| c) | protect the accuracy of information provided at these sources |
The information published to a corporate-wide library should be:
| 1) | published in modular units that can be easily mixed and matched for various purposes |
| 2) | refreshed from original sources on a regular basis without human intervention |
| 3) | searchable |
| 4) | available for use in collaborative work efforts |
| 5) | secure against corruption |
| 6) | protected against unwanted access |
| 7) | read and reviewed without expensive proprietary software |
PatternSteam delivers the ability to automatically refresh modular pdf files from original sources many times per day. Pdf files provide the functionality of (3) through (7) above.
Pdf files have robust search capability and great security control. Everyone with appropriate rights can read and review pdf files from any workstation since Acrobat Reader is a free application and it’s utility is provided through common web browsers. In addition, the full Acrobat application is inexpensive while providing rich features for collaboration.
Also, consider that best business practices include the establishment of a consistent look/feel to corporate materials. PatternStream automation can apply corporate standards to the formatting of the published information which enforces a consistent look/feel.
Problem: Implementing change; how does a company get the next level of benefits from its information system when its staff does not have time for the rollout of new technology.
Many professionals can barely get regular work done, much less set aside the time and computer resources needed for implementing a new technology.
Barb Gomolski in her InfoWorld column asserted that “[in order} to remain relevant to e-business initiatives, IT leaders must prevent IT burnout.” A reader pointed out that overwork is hard to combat “because of the following factors:
• The fast pace of technological change
• Information overload …
• Meetings …
• Poor coordination and communication
— Barb Gomolski, InfoWorld ”A checklist
won’t cover it” 07.02.01
Solution: Choose a technology that can be implemented with minimal impact to existing systems while delivering manhour savings.
With PatternStream technology, there is no downtime from existing business and computer systems. And then when each publishing machine is up and running, the need for human labor is reduced.
A Windows workstation is used to build the publishing machines. It sits on the network without any significant impact to system resources. Business can be conducted as usual while PatternStream automation is developed.
Furthermore, automated publishing can be rolled out one publishing machine at a time. This means that the transition to PatternStream technology can be phased-in through manageable, well-defined publishing projects.
How does the move to automated publishing affect an organization? Reasonable expectations include the following.
Management must standardize the sources of information used for automated publishing. Typically, this means that people must get used to working with raw text either in the database or in text files. This involves a change from the conventional practice of marking up hardcopy so that desktop-publishing staff make the changes to specialized desktop-publishing files.
Text needs to be transferred from isolated desktop-publishing files into the appropriate buckets (i.e. sources) in the information management system. Text that is considered to be constant across iterative publications can be supplied by the publishing machine. However, change is inevitable and keeping text in the database provides the greatest flexibility over the long haul.
Improvements may be needed for the database front-end so that many non technical users can manage the information that they are responsible for. For example, it is possible to set up a web site on the company’s intranet to provide forms for managing data entry and editing.
Decisions must be made for standardizing the layout of the information—for print and web.
Given the learning curve for PatternStream, a company may want to hire an experienced PatternStream developer such as Active Lightning to help with getting started.
Problem: Keeping track of digital assets; is there any way to help a company keep track of graphic, text, audio, and video files?
Solution: Use PatternStream to create a pdf catalog or index of what network directories contain.
PatternStream can insert a graphic and then tell what the path is to the folder where the graphic is stored. Similarly, it can insert text from Word or text files and label them with their file name and path. Links to movies and audio files can also be inserted, as well as metadata. It can do this for each file in one or more designated directories. The resulting pdf is searchable and organized. It can be searched like a digital card catalog in a library, AND like the paper card method of going to an area and looking at neighbors to the original search target. Storing this pdf catalog of digital assets in a standard central location makes it available to all appropriate people.
This would be a convenient way to let people in an organization know what images and text are available for marketing purposes, even though they are not permitted access to the files themselves.
Problem: Optimizing manual and automated methods of production
Solution: Use one of the following 2 techniques to combine manual and automated production efforts, thereby reducing manual labor and getting the most out of creative talent.
In considering a strategy for information management and document production, it is appropriate to consider what can be automated and what will still be produced manually. For example, MFS Investment Management produced a document each quarter called MFS® Update; Quarterly Portfolio Information. It included custom pages in the front and back with automated pages in the middle that documented each fund’s performance. Pages like these shown here were inserted between manually-produced pages using method 2 below.
 |
 |
 |
There are two approaches for combining automated desktop-publishing with manually-produced pages.
- image-style linking
- combine pages in Acrobat
1. Image Linking: Desktop-publishing applications such as QuarkXPress, InDesign, and PageMaker provide the means to insert a graphic by linking it to the source graphic file, rather than embedding the image. Automation can produce pdf files of any finished size, and these pdf files can be linked in as graphics.
The pdf file that is produced with automation could show a formatted table of alpha-numeric information. Or, it could show a graph. Just because this method is usually used for picture images, does not mean that it cannot be employed for pieces of formatted text as well. When the automation is run, it replaces the underlying pdf file with one that contains the most current information. This means that desktop-publishing files will automatically contain the most current, linked-in-pdf “image.”
2: Combine pages in Acrobat: Make pdf files of the manually-produced files and then use Acrobat to insert the automatically-produced pages before, after, or in-between. Pdf files can be made from any application, including desktop-publishing applications such as QuarkXPress, InDesign, and PageMaker. Acrobat (the full version, NOT Acrobat Reader) provides the ability to insert, extract, replace, and delete pages.