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Built from the ground up to support S1000D authoring projects
A common source database, or CSDB is used to store the items that go to make up the project’s documentation data. So this may include data modules, illustrations or multimedia, common information and management information. S1000D does not define a CSDB in detail; instead, it defines the objectives for a CSDB:
~ support the technical publication process
~ support the controlled authoring
~ support the QA process
~ support the data exchange with partners, suppliers and customers
~ support the delivery of technical publications on various media independent from the source storage format
There are several reasons you may need a CSDB, but you also need to look at the type of CSDB. Start by thinking about your project:
A product might be an aircraft, a ship, or any type of product that needs lots of complex documentation. We use S1000D to document our software products as it helps save us time when updating components. The bigger the project the more items that will need documenting. The more complex the documentation the more you will need a CSDB to manage the modules and version.
If it is just a few data modules and illustrations, you may get away with a folder in a file system. However, think about author control, version management, links between different modules and media content. All these add complexity to managing your data modules. A CSDB should help you both manage the content and the processes – for example authors checking in documents, a formal review system and history tracking. The CSDB will also help show the relationships between items – for example, an illustration used in multiple data modules; this tracking can save huge amounts of time and prevent costly mistakes, ensuring all related content is updated when a change is required in one of the linked items.
If you are producing S1000D data for someone else, for example when your component is installed in their product, they may require you to use a CSDB. There are added benefits to this – your project rules, numbering, and delivery can all be synchronised with the Prime, helping you deliver to specification first time round. Saving re-work saves money.
One of the hardest things without a management tool, is monitoring workflow. Who is working on each data module? Who has spare capacity? Who has done the review and Quality Assurance work? Are your data modules (and all their linked content) ready to issue / deliver?
Sadly sometimes things go wrong and one of the costliest items in the production of modern equipment can be re-working mistakes and correcting badly specified material. The CSDB provides you with multiple tools to help prevent errors and mitigate problems: detailed history shows who changed what content, who approved it, and who issued it, ensuring duly qualified and authorised team members complete the work. Additionally, the management of attachments with work instructions, engineering certificates and such like, shows that any necessary governance steps have been completed. Finally, at the point of issue, you can ensure only correctly verified and issued data goes into your technical publications.
Completely separate silos with their own user accounts for isolating test or training files from production files or for content that requires separation on the grounds of security, e.g. ITAR.
All projects within a silo can be accessed by all users that have access to that silo, allowing for flexibility when assigning users to projects and teams.
Share common assets between projects to prevent keeping multiple copies of the same data. Really useful for items such as:
Content can be loaded using a DML to specify the DMs to be added. Existing files and related media will be imported. Assets with no associated files will be created as metadata records for later populating in the CSDB (i.e. for creating new DMs required by the project DML).
Import and export is available from and to the file system and can include related items to simplify management. Select a publication module for export, and every data module and media item can automatically be exported together.
A Standard Numbering Scheme (SNS) is displayed so that the system breakdown can be used as a reference and a filter for DM listings and for creating new data module codes or illustration control numbers.
Several SNS tools are provided: import SNS from a BREX Data Module that contains SNS rules or from a local XML file, automatically create SNS structure from the content’s data module codes, or manually edit, add and delete SNS entries.
Customisable roles and groups provide many options for the control of workflow, allocation of sensitive tasks, and monitoring of progress. A manager can assign assets (data modules and illustrations) for editing to specific individuals or to groups. Users’ primary dashboards show only work they need to complete. When assigning work to a group, anyone in that pool can pick up the item to work on as soon as they are free. Much of the workflow assignment, eg review allocation and re-work return, is automatic.
The S1000D authoring tools include a built-in visual Publication Module builder. This is incredibly useful when you can simply drag and drop DMs from the asset grid onto the publication structure. The latest S1000D options including the pmEntryType attribute are supported. The PM can then be used to support the export and build of your publication, whether in a traditional book-build or PDF style manual, or into an electronic style IETP / IETM.
Similar to the Publication Module builder, the Data Dispatch Note builder also provide drag and drop of DMs from the asset grid onto the DDN structure. The export options for the DDN allow you to export a draft version, or ‘issue’ the DDN for a final delivery. The issued version can be exported again, but will always contain the same contents as at the point of issue.