SDL Contenta for S1000D

SDL Contenta S1000D is a Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) Common Source Data Base (CSDB) that supports content authored to the S1000D specification.

Conceived in the 1980s, S1000D has long been used for defense programs in Europe, and is recently being adopted by civil aviation and defense organizations in North America. If you work in aerospace or defense, it is very likely that S1000D will soon become part of your everyday vernacular.

SDL Structured Content Technologies has the experience, technology and track record to partner with you as you adopt and promote S1000D within your organization. We learned S1000D by dealing with it in real environments where our clients were facing real challenges. We'll help you get started, plan effectively based on your unique needs and constraints, and stay with you through the entire project to ensure your success.

How SDL Structured Content Technologies supports S1000D

SDL Contenta S1000D is a Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) Common Source Data Base (CSDB) that supports content authored to the S1000D specification. Based on the Contenta S1000D content management system, it provides the automation and efficiency needed to deliver S1000D content reliably, repeatedly and effectively to your customers, partners and suppliers. It is used by authors, editors and program and publication managers for the creation, management and delivery of technical information.

With built-in S1000D tools, SDL Contenta S1000D provides automated Data Module Code (DMC) creation, "drag and drop" uploading, powerful multi-channel publishing capabilities and simple, Web-based interfaces that provide control over the complexities of S1000D.

SDL Contenta S1000D contains an automated workflow that can clearly distinguish between work-in-process and approved or published content, and provide status throughout the editorial and publishing process. It controls access to Data Modules based on user roles and project status, and it provides locking mechanisms to prevent inadvertent parallel editing. And because it is based on the SDL Contenta S1000D CMS, it also provides the ability to manage SGML and XML content written to other standards, such as Mil-spec and ATA.

Want to learn more? Download the Contenta S1000D product brief here.

SDL Contenta S1000D 5.0

The enhancements and new features in this release were developed through interaction with focus groups made up of writers, project managers and publication managers who work with and support S1000D projects.  The result of this collaboration is an automated and streamlined user experience that delivers increased productivity and accuracy throughout the content creation, publication and delivery process.

SDL Contenta S1000D 5.0 provides quality assurance capabilities for the writers and editors who work with the content at the earliest stages of the content lifecycle. BREX Checker, Applicability Assistant, Data Module Preview as well as project and publication management enhancements accelerate delivery and enable unprecedented accuracy and compliance of mission critical content.

All user interfaces have been refreshed with a consistent look and feel, improved navigation and enhanced sorting and filtering capabilities that allow users to quickly get to and perform their work.  Contenta Web client functionality is consistent with the Contenta Explorer client, further decreasing user training requirements, and both now boast a labor saving one-click edit.

The industry’s first tool for validating multi-layered Business Rules, BREX Checker is now available from within the SDL Contenta S1000D 5.0 editor application and it can be run in conjunction with Validate References ensuring complete and compliant content is available. 

Creating and managing product configurations within S1000D has traditionally been quite difficult due to the complex nature of creating assert statements.  SDL’s new Applicability Assistant empowers technical writers and configuration managers to easily create, preview, and deploy both Data Module level and content level configurations.

SDL Contenta S1000D provides the robust infrastructure, application integration and comprehensive user interfaces and tools required to effectively work with the S1000D standard across the information lifecycle, including:

• Role-based User Interfaces - Simplified role-based user interfaces are provided for Editorial staff, Publication Managers and Program and Project Managers. These easy-to-use interfaces increase productivity by keeping users focused on their specific activities.
  
• Common Source Database (CSDB) - A pre-configured CSDB that includes S1000D-specific object types and tools.
  
• Hierarchical Views - A pre-configured hierarchical view based on Data Module Codes and Publication Module Codes.
  
• XML Editor Environment - A pre-configured XML editor environment that provides mark-up guidance for S1000D authoring, or both Data Modules and Publication Modules.
  
• Preview Tool - Ideal for editorial staffs to preview their content in the IETM (Interactive Electronic Technical Manual).
  
• Graphical Workflow - Designed for editorial, review, approval and publishing processes that are automated, controlled and tracked.
  
• Upload Tool - Allows for simple drag and drop of content into the CSDB.
  
• Publish Tool - Allows simultaneous creation and delivery of IETM, IETP, HTML and PDF for true multi-channel delivery.
  
• Export Tool - Provides an audit trail of Data Dispatch Note (DDN) exports from the system. Also allows exports of DMRL to a .csv file.
  

SDL Contenta S1000D also provides a simplified way to establish, create and work with Data Module Codes and Data Module Requirements Lists by using these interfaces and tools. This allows Program Managers and Project Managers to easily and automatically create the following:

• Data Module Codes (DMC) and/or Illustration Control Numbers (ICN) in the Common Source Data Base (CSDB) via an upload of a .csv file.
• Data Module Requirements List (DMRL) and/or Illustration Requirements List (IRL).
• Data Module (DM) and/or ICN hierarchy in the CSDB based on a DMRL/IRL.
• DM placeholder objects in the CSDB that are pre-populated based on the DM type, S1000D specification version and any program specific information.
• ICN placeholder objects in the CSDB.

Once created, the pre-populated Data Modules can be exported to distributed authoring groups simultaneously. This not only saves time and increases efficiency, but it also eliminates errors in what is typically an error prone process.

Upload Tool

The SDL Contenta S1000D Upload Tool allows an authorized user to quickly upload a variety of content types into the CSDB. Through an intuitive drag-and-drop capability, DMs, PMs, DMRLs, DDNs and .CSVs are uploaded for processing and storage. It also provides for optional validation and processing upon upload, including:

• Determining if the code already exists.
• Evaluating if the content is well-formed.
• Submitting the files into the CSDB.

The Upload Tool automates and streamlines the process of populating your CSDB.

SDL Contenta S1000D provides the CSDB prescribed by the S1000D standard, along with the automation and efficiency needed to deliver S1000D content reliably, repeatedly, and effectively to your customers, partners and suppliers.

• Easy to use interface increases productivity by keeping the end user focused on the task rather than the process
• Tool Set helps ensure conformance to S1000D standard
• Interoperability with a variety of publishing platforms that can reduce paper and printing costs
• Quick Start solution with pre-configured database
• One place to store and manage all content, including S1000D, SGML/XML and legacy data
• Instant access to current information via search and navigation
  

BREX Compliance, check early and often!

BREX Checker refers to the capabilities embedded within SDL Contenta S1000D that assist you with developing and validating your content throughout the content creation and delivery process.

Business Rules are a critical aspect of implementing S1000D. A lot of work goes into defining S1000D Business Rules at a variety of levels (layers) and producing the business rule documents and the Business Rule EXchange (BREX) Data Modules that describe those business rules. The Business Rules EXchange (BREX) Data Module provides the structure for expressing particular business rules. Data Modules reference specific BREX Data Modules they are supposed to conform to.

Once the BREX Data Modules are defined and identified for your project, what mechanisms do you have in place for ensuring the Data Modules associated with your project comply with them?

The ability to perform quality checks as early as possible in the content creation and delivery process is critical for anyone who is implementing S1000D. What we’ve learned is that a lot of S1000D implementers rely on a manual process of verification at different points in their technical data workflows, sometimes as late in the process as publication delivery.

SDL Contenta S1000D provides an automated, readily available Validation tool that allows users to perform quality checks on references, BREX Data Modules (including layered BREX!) or both from the same interface. The result is a comprehensive yet easy-to-read BREX compliance report.

This capability is available as early as initial content creation via a plug-in to the editor application. The intuitive interface can also be accessed by other users accessing the CSDB where users outside of the editor may select one or more Data Modules for reference and BREX checking.

Contact us to learn more about how you can find and correct non-compliant technical data early and in an automated way!

Applicability Enhancements

Creation and verification of applicability markup within S1000D has traditionally been a manual and complex process demanding extra authoring time and programming skills from your staff. With the release of SDL Contenta S1000D version 5.0, SDL introduces Applicability Assistant, a set tools that enable your authors the ability to quickly create, validate, and publish multiple configurations within a publication.

Key features include:

• Create Applicability
  • Quickly and easily select valid products and conditions to be associated with a product configuration and a content configuration
  • Reads ACT, CCT and PCT tables, populates all valid choices into an easy to use interface
  • Provides methods to build new, build new from existing, reuse existing applicability configurations
    
    
• Assign applicability
  • Quickly and easily insert both types of applicability
    • Data Module level - the means to filter Data Modules in/out at a Publication level
    • Content level – the means to filter xml content in/out at a Data Module level
      
      
• Preview Applicability
  • Preview different configurations at will within Contenta CSDB
  • Verify Content Level applicability immediately within the editor prior to Check-in (this feature saves authors a considerable amount of time because authors no longer have to perform a full publish run to verify their configuration changes)
  • View all possible configurations of Content Level applicability within the editor

At SDL we're seeing a convergence of business, technical and market drivers that are generating increased interest in S1000D. Whether S1000D is mandated in your contract, you need to deliver S1000D compliant content, or you're looking to reduce sustainment costs, you'll need access to tools and resources to help you navigate the myriad of detail contained in the S1000D specification. SDL has tools readily available to help you achieve the benefits of S1000D. SDL is your source for S1000D information!
S1000D Resource Center	[click to visit]
The SDL S1000D Resource Center is designed to provide you with tools, guidance and resources as you navigate through the S1000D standard. The Resource Center includes: Complimentary BREX Builder tool, designed to guide you through the development of your S1000D business rules Education, training and events including workshops to assist your organization in preparing for an S1000D implementation S1000D educational videos, white papers, technical papers and more