XMPie User Group (XUG) Conference October 2014 Las Vegas

1. Strategies and Lessons
Learned from Enterprise
Integration of uProduce and
uStore
Jeffrey Stewart

2. Today’s Todo’s
❑First Principles First
❑What are my Top 10 tips?
❑Takeways
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3. Integrating Marketing Automation
• Crowded Complexity
• Pillars of Success
• Order the Chaos
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4. Crowded Field Complexity

5. Pillars of Success
Pillars of Success
SIMPLE STANDARDS
SCALABLE
MODULAR
DISTRIBUTED EXTENSIBLE
SIMPLE STANDARDS

6. Order the Chaos

7. About Simple
“ Make things as
simple as
possible,
but no simpler. ”
– Einstein
▪ Complex is different than Complicated
▪ Make simple Components that are
connectible to make up a complex
system
▪ Standard interconnects promotes
flexibility, interchangeability and
extensions
▪ Individual pieces can form into self-contained
independent operational
entities
▪ Multiple independent units can be
scaled easier than monolithic systems
▪ One size does not fit all so support for
custom is essential
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8. Top 10 List of Tips
1) Think Capability not Technology
2) Layer it On – Three's Company
3) Parts is Parts
4) It’s Just Logical
5) MDM Enables MCM
6) Give SOAP a REST
7) DB Or Not DB - That Is The Question
8) Tight May Be Just Right
9) Are You Sure? Proof It
10) Have a Strategy with Style

9. Tip #1
Think Capability not Technology
Organizational capabilities should drive Enterprise
Architecture (EA) and integration strategy of
technology enablers to reach an enterprise
strategy goal
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10. 3 Questions for Enterprise Capability
Enablers
• Does it support enterprise
strategic goals and drive
vision?
• Does it reduce or
subordinate a resource
constraint or technical
debt?
• Does it support the 6 pillars
of successful systems?
*
Marketing Analytics
Data Mining &
Modeling
Reporting &
Access
Profiling &
Segmenting
Capability
Process
Process
Technology

11. Tip #2
Layer it on – Three’s Company
Marketing Automation (MA) touches all multiple
layers of an organization’s Marketing Function...
some more than others
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12. Enterprise Marketing Functions
• Strategy & Planning
• organize function strategic
initiatives and planning
documentation
• Marketing Operations
Management
– provide tactical execution
guidance campaign panning
• Multi-Channel Campaign
Management
– executes marketing
communication campaign and
measurements

13. Tip #3
It’s Just Logical
A framework approach to EA defines capabilities
as logical constructs instead of systems - one
logical environment for each capability enabling
feature
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14. Logical - Functional - Physical Models
• Logical
– Defining capability enablers as logical blocks
• Functional
– Defining data center into server functional
components
• Physical
– Organization of data center components as
physical systems

15. Tip #4
Parts is Parts:
Stackable, Layerable, Connectible
Think of XMPie as a series of interconnected and
integrable parts rather than a monolithic solution
*

16. So many ways to connect them…

17. Tip #5
MDM enables MCM
Leverage Master Data Management (MDM) to
integrate with and enable Multi-Channel
Management (MCM)
*

18. EDM – Enterprise Data Model
• Design superset structure
definitions to enable reuse and
to future proof
• Adopt and extend standards
to promote reuse and to future
proof development
• Data Governance & Metadata
Management
• Merger & Acquisition
assimilation
• Information as a Service in an
SOA Environment

19. Tip #6
Give SOAP a REST
While Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)
remains relevant, modern Service Oriented
Architecture (SOA) is centered around
Representational State Transfer (REST)
architecture
*

20. RESTful Simplicity vs SOAP Complexity
● Develop common RESTful
API for all channel mode
interfaces
● Architect multichannel
communication modes to be
plug-in replaceable
● Design REST interface for
XMPie to abstract only
needed information
● Prototype API First for testing
and development with UI
prototypes

21. Tip #7
DB Or Not DB - That Is The Question
Integrating with uProduce and uStore via database
dataset workflow has its advantages – simplicity
and familiarity to begin with
*

22. Transfer Datasets Via Tables
• Analyze source data
providers and destination
data elements
• Map source data to
uProduce and uStore
dataset tables
• Test data source to
destination table workflow
• Automate data transfers
and uProduce jobs

23. Tip #8
Tight may be Just Right
Custom XMPie extensions and widgets provide
tight integration that delivers tools to adapt to other
systems in addition to other systems adapting in
the right scenario
*

24. Integrate to and from XMPie
• Integration via uStore
custom widgets and uPlan
extensions
• Widget customization allow
data exchange in ways out
of the box does not
• uPlan extension allow
custom data transformation
and business logic

25. Tip #9
You Are Not Sure? Proof it
Use the complete, out of the box platform for proof
of concept without customization expense -
compare options, prove it and optimize later
*

26. Prototype and Decision Matrix
• Dozens of options exist for
each channel, each format
and each function
• Compare and contrast
options, features, prices and
TCO
• Prototype each channel in
XMPie tools first to gain
knowledge of unknown issues

27. Tip #10
You Need a Strategy with Style
Multiple channels require multiple style
specifications that need a strategy to ensure
consistency and efficiency
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28. Says it with (css) Style(s)
• Style needs to be considered at the
beginning of design of variable
templates.
• It’s variability needs to be based on
tags within managed content.
• Flexibility exists at template design
time and is where styles are managed.
• HTML based content is limited to the
sophistication of the editing tool.
• Script transform Tagged Text to CSS
• DIV tags allow extreme flexibility but
based inline tagging are more
common.

29. Takeaways
uProduce engine can be automated and managed via external applications
Tracker DB can be used for all touchpoint activates via proxies and DB inserts
uStore products require manual configuration, production integration via API
By abstracting touchpoint, content, and templates, vendor neutrality achievable
XNIP may or may not provide all layout functionality need to achieve future vision
Leveraging standards, such as XHTML, allow multiple tool utilization
Style needs to be considered at the beginning of design of variable templates
HTML based content is limited to the sophistication of the editing tool. DIV tags
allow extreme flexibility but based inline tagging are more common
Create strategies that are vendor / tool independent – overall success is improved

30. Jeffrey Stewart
IT and Management Consultant
Asterius Media LLC
Email: jstewart@asteriusmedia.com
stewjeffrey@gmail.com
Twitter: JeffreyAStewart
LinkedIn: jeffreyastewart
SlideShare: stewtrekk
Facebook: JAStewart
Tumblr: jastewart.tumblr.com
Thank you!

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