Separate content and infrastructure
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 04:57 PMAnyone who has created complex documents, whether in Microsoft Word of by developing ITP models, had to make design decisions in regards to the output infrastructure: Layout may differ if a document will be printed in duplex or simplex. Paper trays need to be set for different sections of the document. OMR codes are added to control the mail system. Separator pages are needed for the print operator or the archive. Page numbering can differ depending on the output channel. Some of this information might get lost depending on the output format, like paper tray information in a PDF document. Moreover the number of output channels, and with it the number and complexity of business rules, is growing.
Besides setting these properties in the document, macros and scripts need to be developed to set or change these settings ones more when many different hardware components are used within the organization. Some users feel right at home being in full control of the final output. Most however, have limited knowledge of the company infrastructure and advanced techniques in their word processor.
In all its products, Aia Software strives to separate concerns. Key is this is the adagio “Business owned, IT controlled”. This is also true for ITP/CCM. The product will allow all roles involved to concentrate on their field of expertise. The business user can focus on the content. The business manager can configure correspondence packs, defining a set of documents. The model developer creates document templates and the mail room or IT department configures the infrastructure.
Besides the adagio there is also a functional reason to separate these concerns. In ITP/CCM many decision will be made at run-time. Therefore it will not be possible to control them upfront from within the document. Some possible run-time event or decisions: Page numbering may depend on the final correspondence pack. Page numbering might continue over all or part of the set. Third party print streams can be included. Fonts and location might need alignment. OMR codes will only be needed for print, not email. The requirement may even change ones more when document are bundled before distribution.
ITP/CCM will introduce two main objects that allow the configuration of all these properties, The correspondence type and devices. The first defines the document sets and its properties, this includes page numbering properties and default devices. Devices define technical aspects like addresses, duplex settings and spool file size. But also the post processing steps to be done, including OMR settings can be defined on a device level. Only when the content differs per output channel this needs to concern the user defining the document. ITP/CCM will facilitate the optimal use of resources, whether staff, knowledge or devices.