OpenText to Unify Data with an Integration Center
June 24, 2011
I am easily confused. I thought OpenText’s original SGML data management system performed integration. Guess not.
In “Content Integration Software unifies data across enterprise,” ThomasNet News serves up welcome news from OpenText about its latest product, Integration Center. Ah, unification; such a lovely concept. We learned:
Most integration technologies focus on either structured data in databases or content in document repositories, but not both. Now with OpenText Integration Center, which inherently understands both structured data and unstructured content, customers can give business decision makers easy access to corporate information assets through ECM Suite 2010.
Being able to go to one source for all its data would certainly be a boon for most companies, saving both time and money. It could unlock the value of data that has been sitting dormant because wrangling it was not deemed worth the effort.
OpenText also boasts about several other advantages of its software. For example, simplified content migration and data archiving and, consequently, the ability to decommission legacy systems.
Yay, efficiency! It also integrates diverse systems, from data warehouses to content management.
The company has been helping clients manage their data for a couple of decades now, and does so around the globe.
Cynthia Murrell June 23, 2011
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, the resource for enterprise search information and current news about data fusion
Protected: Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) and SharePoint
June 13, 2011
Will Schema.org Would Limit Web Developer Choices?
June 10, 2011
We just don’t know. We noted on Slashdot the article “Schema.org—Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! Agree on Markup Vocabulary.” At first glance, this is another technical hoe down. The goal of standardization promised by Schema.org looks like a good move. The stated goal is improved search results. What could be wrong with that?
In reality, it’s a case of the big boys collaborating to make decisions for the rest of us, like in the good old days with Boss Tweed and Commodore Vanderbilt.
The Slashdot blurb points to Manu Sporny’s piece “The False Choice of Schema.org.” Sporny details the choices that will be lost by adopting this model. RDFa and Microformats would become unsupported, unnecessarily narrowing developer choice to Microdata only. The stated advantages of reducing complexity do not outweigh the losses:
Those [RDFa] features aren’t just there to be purely complex – they were specifically requested by the Web community when building RDFa. Microdata is lacking many of those community-requested features, which does make it simpler, but it also makes it so that it doesn’t solve the problems that the ‘complex’ features were designed for. RDFa is designed to solve a wider range of problems than just those of the search companies. Yes, complexity is bad – but so is cutting features that the Web community has specifically requested and needs to make structured data on the Web everything that it can be.
Because business success today depends so much on search ranking, few businesses are likely to resist the changes once in place. It’s possible, though, that enough protest now will cause the bosses to rethink their edict. As Sporny declares, “this is not how we do things on the Web.”
We also recall that Google has some serious standards horsepower working in the Googleplex. Is it possible that Google wants to move more quickly than the standard practice may be? Worth watching.
Stephen E Arnold, June 10, 2011
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, the resource for enterprise search information and current news about data fusion
Dieselpoint: Described in a Fuzzy Manner
April 29, 2011
A quote from the MartinButler Research “fact with opinion piece” “Dieselpoint” states
“Dieselpoint is something of a Porsche in the Enterprise Search space. It is very fast, well-engineered, doesn’t carry much excess weight, and its text based searching technology can be made to satisfy almost any search requirement.”
Though the Porsche reference is a somewhat unconventional comparison, to most it sounds like this company deserves a closer look. At first glance the Dieselpoint Web Site seems routine but upon taking a closer look one can’t help but notice that it does not list any current information or events within the last several years but they claim to be a leader in their field. This article says some great things about Dieselpoint but it ultimately leaves more questions than answers. Questions such as “What type of system does Dieselpoint offer??” and “What type of moderate prices and options do they offer?” come up. With more questions than answers it may be that this “Porsche” may be parked on the shoulder of the information superhighway.
Check out our Overflight profile of Dieselpoint. Quiet seems it.
Stephen E Arnold, April 29, 2011
Freebie
Content Not One Dimensional
April 11, 2011
In the digital age that we live in it is no longer possible to simply advertise your content through a traditional media outlet such as newspaper or radio. In order for your content to be used and your message to be heard you have to utilize many different types of channels. In order to expand digital awareness and offerings many content providers are looking to recycle already existing content in order to create new products. The result of such recycling is a “mash-up” of many different content retrieval systems. This “mash-up” of systems when done correctly can create consistency between the
outlets that utilize the information. This is where XML comes in.
XML stands for extensible markup language and functions somewhat like html but while html can display data, xml is designed to carry data and must have defined user tags that are self-descriptive. While XML doesn’t actually DO anything it is definitely a useful tool for storing and transporting information for widespread use and as a compliment to HTML.
Now you may be wondering why you should care about something as small as XML, well, here’s the answer; XML combined with HTML is what makes the mash up of existing content possible. Without well-structured XML protocols it is impossible to transfer information from one platform, such as an eReader to another platform like a cell phone application.
XML makes it possible to transfer PDF’s to your design software such as InDesign and Quark and it is what allows you to utilize your Kindle or Nook to download books in an instant and it’s what makes the information you seek on a Google search engine return the correct queries. XML is a cross directional language that makes it easier for users to access the product and let’s face it…the easier and more accessible a product is, the more money it is going to generate and let’s face it, that’s what you really want to know…isn’t it?
Stephen E Arnold, April 11 2011
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Handy Dandy XML Gizmo
February 19, 2011
Coding takes hours and is a thankless task. XML is one of the worse coding languages, especially when you have to convert to CVS. You know it will take as long when you have to create other transformations. My Content Builder offers a with Speed and Accuracy.”
“Advanced XML Converter is an converter utility that solves a typical problem many users have when they want to export XML to CSV. Quickly and automatically, XML converter export XML to HTML, XML to CSV, XML to DBF, XML to XLS and XML to SQL – all with much accuracy and in seconds.”
According to the story, the conversion is as easy as it sounds. You take a file, press the convert button, and its exported/saved to your computer. There are also custom export parameters and batch conversion. If this is an everyday tribulation for you, Advanced XML Converter is worth a closer look.
Whitney Grace, February 19, 2011
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XML Carnage
January 31, 2011
We noted “Learning from our Mistakes: The Failure of OpenID, AtomPub, and XML on the Web.” What caught our attention was this steemtn:
So next time you’re evaluating a technology that is being much hyped by the web development blogosphere, take a look to see whether the fundamental assumptions that led to the creation of the technology actually generalize to your use case. An example that comes to mind that developers should consider doing with this sort of evaluation given the blogosphere hype is NoSQL.
The article points out that the enthusiasm for OpenID, AtomPub, and XML for “the Web” has cooled. What looks like the next big think, I concluded, may not be.
What are the implications for search and content processing vendors?
For those who don’t know what the three technologies are or do, the answer is, “Not much.” Many vendors handle security, intakes, and formats via connectors. I wrote a for fee column about the importance of connectors, filters, and code widgets that make one outfit’s proprietary or tricky file formats easily tappable / importable by anothre vendor’s system. I know that you have been following the i2 Ltd. and Palantir legal hassle closely. If you haven’t, you can get some color in the stories in www.inteltrax.com and my for fee columns.
But, if you are a vendor who has a big investment in one or more of these technologies, the loss of “enthusiasm”—if the source article is accurate—could mean higher costs. Here’s why:
- The marketing positioning and collateral will have to be adapted. Probably not a big deal in the pre-crash days, but now this is a cost and it can be a time sink. Not good when pressure for sales goes up each day. One vendor told me, “We’re really heads down.” No kidding. I don’t think it is work; I think it is survival. A marketing distraction is not a positive.
- Credibility with some customers may be eroded. If you beat a drum for one or more of these three technologies, the client assumes that everyone likes the rhythm. Articles that suggest three “next big things” are really three day old brook trout may beg for air freshener.
- Partners who often just buy the software vendors’ pitches have invested. Now those investments may not have the type of value one associates with certifiation from Microsoft or the sheer staying power of a wild and crazy push by IBM or Oracle. If partners bail out, recovery can be difficult in some markets.
Worth reading the article and thinking about its implications for search and content processing vendors. Might not ruffle your features; could tear off a wing.
Stephen E Arnold, January 31, 2011
Freebie
MarkLogic and Change
January 10, 2011
Short honk: I read “You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello.” The write up by Dave Kellogg reported that he will be leaving MarkLogic. MarkLogic Corp. has gained considerable traction in publishing and a couple of other business sectors with the MarkLogic Server product. You can get more information about that product at this link. MarkLogic server is a database built for unstructured information. Depending on the licensee’s use of the MarkLogic server, the resulting implementation can “look like” search, business intelligence, a custom-publishing system, or other information application.
In his blog post, Mr. Kellogg said:
I am proud of what we accomplished during my six years at the MarkLogic: acquiring over 200 enterprise customers, growing annual revenues at a 75% CAGR, raising $27.5M in venture capital, and growing the company from 40 to over 230 employees. I am particularly happy to say that I will be leaving the company in a position of strength, having exceeded the 2010 revenue plan targets and with nearly $20M cash in the bank.
What’s next for MarkLogic? We have been impressed with the MarkLogic technology for years. We will keep you posted.
Stephen E Arnold, January 10, 2011
Word, Flawed as It Is, Embraces XML
December 2, 2010
I have fiddled with a number of editors that look like Microsoft Word or slap code on, over, and in Word to make it work like an XML editor. Sigh. Now, Word with its wacky automatic features has another function tossed in its 1990 retrorod truck bed.
“IXIASOFT Integrates Quark XML Author with its DITA CMS Solution” announces that Quark has partnered with IXIASOFT to integrate Quark XML Author for Microsoft Word into their content management solution. This will make it easy for anyone using Microsoft Word to edit or create content in XML. In short, “The combined solution improves cross-departmental collaboration on the production of technical documentation by making it possible for non-technical subject matter experts to create structured content without using complicated DITA or XML editors.” This solution will make life easier for the teems of people already using MS Word. Microsoft may score a bit hit with this one. There you go. Love that autonumbering too.
Alice Wasielewski, December 2, 2010
Access Innovations Aligns with MarkLogic
November 22, 2010
Looks like MarkLogic users are in luck. “Access Innovations Announces a New Series of Enhancements for Data Harmony Suite For MarkLogic Server Users” explains to us exactly that, and just in time for the MarkLogic Government Summit on November 17, 2010, in Washington, DC.
Like other semantic platforms, the Data Harmony tools create and integrate metadata based on controlled vocabulary, but it’s Access Innovation’s trademarked Machine Aided Indexer (M.A.I) adding a human element to the search process, that sets the company apart. After 31 years of experience, it isn’t surprising they’ve found a way to give customers a productivity boost in the realm of 700 percent.
A few of the latest enhancements discussed in the article include:
- Improving website navigation by enabling users to brows the full “tree” of broader, narrower, and related terms in the taxonomy;
- Unlocking the value of “long-tail” content by increasing discovery within deep archives;
- Enabling visualization and interactive functionality, including enriched “Tag Clouds” – a map of concepts extracted from a set of documents – a gateway to further discovery; and
- Providing users with easy-to-use current awareness tools that alert them to new content in their specific areas of interest.
Access Innovations is not kidding around. Next week at the summit, varied representatives of Government agencies will be privy to these improvements too. There’s little doubt this will be the first step in implementation across the board for existing customers.
Sarah Rogers, November 24, 2010
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