Simon Rawson, VSG

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XMLs Role in Business Content Management
Simon Rawson, VSG Very Sharp Guy
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Did you know

• The data inside a corporation doubles every six
  to eight months.
• Source META Group, as reported by
  Computerworld. November 27, 2000.
• Gartner estimates the content management
  software market to be 6 billion by 2003.
• Source Gartner. 2000.
• By 2003, 80 percent of B2B Web traffic will be
  XML-based.
• Source Gartner, as reported by eCompany.
  November 2000.
• By 2002, XML components and standards will be
  the nucleus of Web information management.
• Source META Group, as reported by CNET
  Enterprise. 2000.

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XML - What is it?
ltXMLgt ltTitlegtCourt Decisionslt/Titlegt ltJudgegtThurgo
od Marshalllt/Judgegt ltPlaintiffgtAl
Gorelt/Plaintiffgt ltDefendantgtGeorge W.
Bushlt/Defendantgt ltSummarygtlt/Summarygt ltDecisiongtlt/D
ecisiongt lt/XMLgt

• ltHTMLgt
• ltH1gtCourt Decisionslt/H1gt
• ltPgtJudge Thurgood Marshalllt/Pgt
• ltPgtPlaintiff Al Gorelt/Pgt
• ltPgtDefendant George W. Bushlt/Pgt
• ltPgtSummarylt/Pgt
• ltPgtDecisionlt/Pgt
• lt/HTMLgt

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Common XML terms

• XML
• XSL
• WML
• cHTML
• Metadata
• WebDAV

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XML reuse for various devices
Mobile phones,pagers
WML
iMode Devices
cHTML
Style sheets
Database
XML
XML Instance
Browser
HTML
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Serving WML to phones
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Serving cHTML to iMode devices

• cHTML
• an application of XML
• NTT DoCoMo iMode devices use this markup language

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XML supply chain
Builder.com provides product information to its
partners via an extranet. By providing product
data in XML, partners can customize the content
and presentation of the information, as well as
setup a supply chain purchase process.
2. Repurposed Product Information (Reseller
database)
3. Customer Views Product Information
1. Product Information
Builder.com
XML
XMLContent
XML
Partner.com
XML
XML
XML
4. Customer Places Order
6. Builder Receives Order
5. Reseller Places Order
XMLTransaction
Ship to Customer Bill to Customer
Ship to Customer Bill to Reseller
XML
XML
Ship to Customer Bill to Reseller
XML
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Product information document
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Document-based content

• According to the Delphi Group, 80 of the
  information generated by businesses is
  document-based
• Documents are created daily throughout the
  organization
• Document types can include internal content
  (policies and procedures), external content
  (product data sheets, price sheets press
  releases), and partner content (RFPs, Proposals
  and Quotes)
• Various formats - Word, Excel, PowerPoint,
  FrameMaker, video, audio

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Manage knowledge with reusable content
Content maintenance and development drives Web
site costs
Source LAN Times
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Reusable content Two approaches

• There are two approaches for how to make your
  content reusable
• Train everyone in your organization to create
  content using XML editing tools
• Find a way to leverage desktop application
  content into XML

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Content management processes

• Version management
• Workflow
• Metadata
• Archiving and replication
• Full text indexing
• Security
• Publishing content for access
• Personalization

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Content publishing processes

• Typical contribution process
• Forms-based contribution templates
• XML/XSL database systems
• Publishing template-based systems

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Typical contribution process
Typical contribution process
Webmaster
Web Pages
The Net
ContentAuthor
Web Server
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Typical contribution process
Webmaster
Web Pages
The Net
ContentAuthors
Web Server
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Typical contribution process
Webmaster
Web Pages
The Net
ContentAuthors
Web Server
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Forms-based contribution templates

• Some systems manage the process of building the
  Web site through forms-based entry
• These systems can be reconfigured to have the
  content of each field wrapped in different tags

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XML/XSL database

• Content is stored in XML
• When combined with XSL, the content can be
  transformed to other tagged formats such as
  HTML, WML, and other XML flavors.

Mobile phones,pagers
WML
PDA
HDML
Database
XML
Browser
HTML
XSL style sheets
XML components
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Publishing template-based systems
Mobile phones,pagers
WML
PDA
HDML
Templates
Database
XML
Source Document
Browser
HTML
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Reuse of content for print

• Typical contribution process
• content begins in native desktop formats
• if that is retained, it can be used for print,
  but it must remain in sync with the Web
• Forms-based contribution templates
• content must be recreated in a printable format,
  or printed from a browser
• XML/XSL database systems
• content must be recreated in a printable format,
  or XML repurposed into a printable format such as
  Postscript.
• Publishing template-based systems
• content begins in native desktop formats
• if that is retained, it can be used for print

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Reuse of content for wireless devices

• Typical contribution process
• content must be hand manipulated into other
  markup languages
• Forms-based contribution templates
• content must be reentered into a WML or other
  markup-aware form
• XML/XSL database systems
• applying stylesheets to convert XML stored data
  to other formats makes optimal reuse of content
• stylesheets must also be aware of content size
  restrictions of wireless formats
• Publishing template-based systems
• templates can be built to recreate a single
  source document in many markup formats

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Reuse of content for multiple languages

• Typical contribution process
• content must be translated to other languages and
  content modifications generally trigger a
  complete retranslation
• Forms-based contribution templates
• content must be entered in each language, and
  edits require retranslation and reentering
  content
• XML/XSL database systems
• content must be translated before when entering
  system, and extensive rules built to deliver
  content
• Publishing template-based systems
• content translated in native desktop formats
• incremental content changes can be applied

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Redesign of sites

• Typical contribution process
• requires hand recoding of cross references,
  graphics and other links by hand on each
  document
• Forms-based contribution templates
• changes to background rules can change links and
  images
• XML/XSL database systems
• changes to background rules can change links and
  images
• Publishing template-based systems
• content can be reordered and links automatically
  managed
• images can be substituted and site will be updated

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The benefits of each approach

• Typical contribution process
• no up front investment necessary, but ongoing
  maintenance is error prone and very costly
• Forms-based contribution templates
• does not manage knowledge in source formats
• therefore knowledge access is restricted to
  content that is entered, and content must be
  entered separately for each use type
• XML/XSL database systems
• provide great reuse of content
• expensive and difficult to implement and maintain
  -- getting content created in the organization
  into these systems can be difficult
• Publishing template-based systems
• content in source documents can be reused for
  multiple presentation media
• content is somewhat static on delivery site

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Combined approaches

• Use a publishing template system for getting
  native content into XML for high value content
• Use a publishing template system for publishing
  everyday native content to sites
• Allow HTML authors to use familiar tools to get
  specific layout features
• Use an XML database system for maintaining and
  dynamically generating content that may have a
  high number of variables -- repair manuals, for
  instance

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XML in personalization

• XML data can be manipulated on the server at
  delivery time to target the user role
• For large differences, XML files can be broken
  down and recombined on the fly (as in the Merrill
  Lynch example)
• XML map files can also be built to provide
  navigation
• Personalization can be provided in a number of
  ways
• personalize user interface
• deliver key content, withhold information based
  on security orattributes -- file and paragraph
  level
• deliver content based upon access device

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Web sites are application platforms
Non-transaction sites
Portals
Content Management
E-business Applications App Servers
Content creation
Content delivery
Catalog Mgmt. Commerce
Transaction sites
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Agilent Technologies international pages
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Merrill Lynch direct market site
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Montreals La Presse online site
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Industry forums

• WebDAV - Web based distributed Authoring and
  Versioning
• WFMC - Workflow Management Coalition
• W3C - World Wide Web standards
• OASIS - XML standards
• ICE - Information Content and Exchange -
  Syndication
• WAP - Wireless Application Protocol

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Thank you!
Questions? simon.rawson_at_intranetsolutions.com Tel
01 61395781742