How switching from their proprietary XML standard to DITA with automatic link validation and metadata synchronization allowed SAP Education to simplify and speed up documentation preparation by 10–15 times.
Despite the significant efficiencies gained with XML, in 2009, SAP still needed new tools powerful and elegant enough to manage the transformation of roughly 200 traditional education courses into almost 20 000 different, smaller “chunks” of dynamic learning content to be delivered in multiple formats, nine different languages and customizable to any client brand.
Time-saving features include automatic link validation, metadata synchronization and automatic categorization. As SAP manager in charge of the project noted that they expect to significantly reduce the time writers spend on preparing documents for production and focus far more time on content development. Componize/*instinctools own benchmarks demonstrate publishing at 10 to 15 times faster than traditional pipeline implementations.
The Sap team expects to be producing more and different kinds of content in more channels to more target groups. The system can handle 20 000 chunks of content, used and reused in potentially dozens of contexts. In nine different languages and customizable to thousands of customers’ specifications.
Fast Facts
300 000 learners
40 countries
10 to 15 times faster than traditional pipeline implementations
DITA instead of proprietary XML standard
Componize/*instinctools Solutions
Pure DITA
Efficient Features
Easy to integrate
DITA instead of proprietary XML standard
