This presentation was provided by Bruce Rosenblum of Inera during the NISO event, XML for Standards Publishing, held on Monday, April 24, 2017, in Washington DC.
3. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
…Require New Product Features
• Responsive Design
• Automatic reflowable text
• Richly hyperlinked
• Dynamically updated
• Accessible for visually impaired
• Reading static PDF is no longer good enough
• New users expect a dynamic experience
10. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
The Foundation: XML
• XML is the foundation for:
• Freemium content distribution
• Responsive Design
• Automatic reflowable text
• Rich hyperlinks
• Dynamic updates
• Accessibility for the visually impaired
11. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
XML: Thoughtful Choices
• XML does not "happen"
• XML requires
• Re-engineered publication workflow
• New software tools
• Additional production training
• XML requires deliberate and thoughtful choices
12. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
Adding XML In The Workflow
• You can introduce XML at:
• Authoring/Drafting
• Before editing
• Before composition
• Post-publication
• Each point has pros and cons
13. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
The Original XML Dream
• Committees create XML documents
• Editors edit XML documents
• XML single-source publication
• Print
• HTML
• eBooks
• Metadata feeds
• Derivative products
14. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
Actual Author Tools
• Authors/Committees use
• Microsoft Word
• Word Perfect
• FrameMaker
• Google Docs
15. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
The Author Reality
• Most Authors
• Do not think structure
• Do not like production tasks
• Outside Authors
• Brilliant subject matter experts
• Hard to train and support
• Even harder to control
16. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
The Word Macro Problem
• Word macros are helpful, but…
• Hard to write
• Smart authors out-smart idiot-proof macros
• Macros grow ever-larger to plug holes
• Larger macros require more training
• Hard to support
• Multiple versions of Word
• Hard to install
• More challenging IT security requirements
17. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
Online XML Authoring
• The wave of the future?
• “HTML”-like experience
• XML under the hood
• Issues
• Authors can “break” it as easily as Word documents
• Requires online access
• Immature math editors
• It may be XML, but is the XML correct?
18. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
Post-Publication XML
• Committee submits Word draft standard
• Edited in Word
• Typeset
• “Typeset” in Word
• InDesign or FrameMaker*
• Proof and typeset corrections
• Publish print and PDF
• Create XML/ePub from PDF
• *Convert typeset file back to Word
• Final Word file returned to committee
19. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
Post-Publication XML Issues
• Advantages
• No workflow changes
• Disadvantages
• Quality of XML unchecked
• Extra production time and cost
• Errors discovered in XML creation
• It’s not an integrated workflow
• Almost essential to outsource
• Poor Word typesetting, or post-comp conversion to Word
20. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
Managing Outsource Vendors
• Vendors, like employees, need to be managed
• If you don’t :
• Tell them what you want
• Check their work
the result may differ from expectations
21. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
How to Manage Vendors
• Develop XML markup standards
• Test several vendors
• Compare results to tag same standard
• Select on quality, not cost
• Provide vendors with QA tools
• Recheck ongoing vendor work
22. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
XML First Workflow
• Committee submits Word draft standard
• Convert draft standard to XML
• Edit standard in XML
• Typeset XML
• Proof and typeset corrections in XML
• Create final PDF, ePub, etc.
• Convert final XML to Word for next revision
23. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
Advantages and Disadvantages
• Advantages
• File is continually validated to DTD
• Disadvantages
• Requires XML editing software for all editors
• Training can be expensive
• Freelance editors not practical
• Editors work amidst XML tags
• or XML editing customization is expensive
• Final XML reconverted to Word for next revision
24. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
XML “Middle” Workflow
• Committee submits Word draft standard
• Clean up draft and style paragraphs
• Edit in Microsoft Word
• Convert Word to XML
• Typeset from XML
• Proof PDF from XML
• Corrections in Word; regenerate XML
• Create final PDF, ePub, etc.
• Final Word file returned to committee
25. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
Advantages and Disadvantages
• Advantages
• Editors work in Microsoft Word
• Lower training costs
• Freelance editors are practical
• Structure enforced prior to final pages
• Final content is already in Word for next update
• Disadvantages
• Requires running application in-house for XML
26. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
XML Quality
• XML is not free
• Neither is XML quality
• PDF
• Create it, proof it, publish it
• XML
• Create it, proof it, publish from it
• XML-first and XML-middle facilitate XML quality
• PDF created from XML
27. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
XML Quality +
• What's between the tags is important
• What's not visible (metadata) is more important
• XML requires more quality checks
• Develop QC tools
• False color proofing
• Schematron(ISO/IEC 19757) scripts
• Run tools on every XML file
• Provide tools to any third party vendors
• "Trust but verify"
28. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
Where To Go Next
• Evaluate and set business goals
• Business requirements drive technical decisions
• Learn more about XML
• Mulberry Technologies (http://www.mulberrytech.com/)
• NISO STS Project (http://www.niso.org/workrooms/sts/)
• Talk to XML-savvy standards publishers
• Hire an XML expert or consultant
• Don't reinvent the wheel!
29. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
XML Project Startup
• Select an XML workflow
• Based on business goals
• Develop and Document XML markup standards
• Build XML QA tools
• Based on business rules
• Required for any XML workflow
• Start a pilot project
• Re-evaluate results and fine-tune
• Start XML workflow
• Continue to refine and improve
• Introduce new products
30. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights ReservedSlide 30 Copyright Ó2013 Inera Incorporated. All Rights
Standard XML For Standards
Publishers
• Brings new production efficiencies
• Brings new products to customers
• Brings new business opportunities
• Solutions are improving daily
• Now is the time for XML!
31. Copyright Ó2017 IneraIncorporated. All Rights Reserved
Questions? Contact Us
Inera Incorporated
19 Flett Rd.
Belmont, MA 02478 USA
+1 617 932 1932
info@inera.com
www.inera.com