Parallel Publishing with Quark

1
Parallel Publishing with Quark
Ian Bartlett and Jeremy Speller UCL
2
Presentation Content

• Who we are
• What we wish to achieve
• Pilot Project and Developments
• Requirements
• Problems and Issues
• What we publish and how
• Current Processes
• How Does LinkUP Work
• Demonstrations

3
Who we are

• Jeremy Speller Web Services, EISD
• Ian Bartlett Student Recruitment Publications
  and Web, UCL Registry
• Joint project involving staff from EISD,
  Registry, Management Systems. Will also be
  incorporating input from staff in the Portico
  Project Team

4
What we wish to achieve with Parallel Publishing

• Single data source for print and web
• Consistency of data across print and web
• Consistency of data across information providers
• Minimise, or reduce, updating work for central
  and departmental staff as web expands in
  importance
• Use CMS to provide update interface reducing
  paperwork

5
Pilot Project and Development

• Began pilot of Study Abroad Guide, hoping to
  publish in July 2006.
• Staffing issues, data structure issues
  published web version only, but did use database.
  
• Surprise benefit of delay SITS/IPP purchased for
  enquiries/online prospectus.
• Can use SITS data tables for parallel publishing
  (uses Oracle)
• Now looking at revised SAG in full, with update
  interface for July 2007.
• UG Prospectus to follow Feb 2008 in line with SITS

6
Requirements for Parallel Publishing with LinkUP!

• Works with QuarkXpress Quark extension
• Server mounted database with ODBC access. Have
  used MySQL and Oracle
• Well-structured data need to analyse and
  standardise content
• Simpler the content, better it works. Reduce the
  use of special characters where possible
• Ideally tie development into redesign/revision of
  a publication

7
Problems and Issues

• Data Structure SAG inconsistent, needs attention
  
• Writing for print and web overcome with careful
  data structure (revision of publication)
• Need to manage shift from paper to electronic
  publishing needs careful handling and thought
  about process
• Versioning do not want to write to live
  database and need audit/proof/final versions
• LinkUP not supported by UCL, so reliant on MC
  Research
• Tied into QuarkXpress
• Issue with ODBC on Macs not yet resolved
• Special Characters problematic can strip them
  out

8
Student Recruitment Publications and Web what
we publish and how
9
Current Processes

• Currently six staff (redesigning prospectuses)
• Printed publications take lead still very
  important but website rapidly increasing in
  importance, especially for international markets
• Copy sourced from departmental staff across UCL
• Audited, proofed and typeset by SRPW staff
• Content manually converted to web. Ensures
  consistency, accuracy but is slow
• Involves lots of hand-editing and copy/paste

10
Study Abroad Guide what is it?

• Aimed at students coming to UCL for one term to a
  full year, gaining credits for the degree they
  take at home institution
• Mixture of introductory pages and departmental
  entries showing dept. information and modules
  available for study
• Departmental pages now in database
• Print version published in Quark

11
How does Parallel Publishing work?

• Have to establish links between data tables and
  Quark file
• Will show examples with prepared Quark document -
  set up takes too long to run through here
• Requires strict hierarchy of data
• Three levels of data in SAG Department (L1),
  Year of Study - Level (L2) and Module (L3)
• Need to tell LinkUP relationship between tables
• Key fields in relational database used to link
  tables
• All tied together in LinkUP by a Record Number
  generated automatically as text mark-up takes
  place

12
(No Transcript)
13
LinkUP Demonstration 1 Quark Export

• Ready-marked, shortened QuarkXpress document
• Using direct link to live data for pilot, so will
  be making only a small change to a couple of
  fields
• Ensure record is configured for export not
  automatically set up as such
• Click export and confirm
• Data writes into database
• View update in database and online

14
LinkUP Demonstration 2 Database Export

• Will amend database and write back to Quark file
• Enter Oracle tables (via Access linked table)
• Amend and save
• Import into Quark by clicking import and
  confirm
• View changes in Quark document and on web
• Can make changes through CMS interface (have done
  with test version)
• May actually do it through SITS as this is being
  rolled out anyway.

15
Summary

• Works pretty well does what it says
• Data structure is absolute key
• Process evaluation extremely important
• Not certain of preferred way of working yet
• Print-databaseweb
• Database-printweb
• Web-databaseprint
• Any Questions