RE: customized documentation

[Dick Gaskill <dgaskill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Elizabeth,

It sounds like what you really need is a database publishing system.  You
put each module of your manual into a database, and through an automated
process, copy just the needed modules for a specific product to a single
file and then print it.  

This method is often used for single sourcing, but is not as automated as
you have asked for.  With single sourcing, you use the same stored "chunks"
of information over and over to build manuals, tutorials, online help, etc.

Here is how I envision that your automated system might work:
Each module of your manual is stored in a database and has one or more code
numbers attached to it.  Each code number is associated with a particular
product configuration. The manual cover, for example, might have every
product code attached to it, and would be used every time a manual is built.
There might be 10 different versions of the installation chapter, each with
it's own product code.  Or, the installation chapter itself could be build
from various modules, each with the same product code attached to it.   When
the customer orders a specifc product configuration, someone (most likely in
your Operations Department) will enter the data online and specifies a
product code.  That code is used to pull every module that has the code
prefix.  The code suffix would keep the modules in the proper order in the
custom manual.  The only problem would be that you might have to pre-make a
table of contents for each possible configuration of the product.

If you want more information on single sourcing or database publishing, here
are the names and contact information for two experts (consultants) on the
subject.  

Dr. JoAnn Hackos
ComTech Services
303-232-0659 

Jerilynne Sander, FrameMaker A.C.E.
Simply Written, Inc.
317.562.9298
www.simplywritten.com

Hope this helps.

Dick Gaskill
Tech Pubs Manager
BPSI
Sunnyvale, CA



-----Original Message-----
From: Elizabeth Klisiewicz [mailto:Elizabeth.Klisiewicz@ctc-control.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2001 10:44 AM
To: framers@omsys.com
Subject: RE: customized documentation


Thanks for the info on Framescript. It sounds interesting but my supervisor
wants to take this one step further. He wants to set up an automated system
where the customer orders what they want through some web storefront and
then some database automatically assembles the right document components. It
removes this author from the loop so I am not manually entering information.
They're expecting a lot of orders on this new product and it could get
downright tedious to assemble special books against each order, even with a
script.

Right now we are leaning towards CD distribution and are looking at
automation further down the road. 

Thanks again,

Elizabeth Klisiewicz

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