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Is it possible to develop a MS Word Import Map Template for S1000D?

rgrobler
1-Newbie

Is it possible to develop a MS Word Import Map Template for S1000D?

Hi,

Basically I just want to know whether anyone has created an Import Map Template to import MS Word files into Editor S1000D modules? Is it possible and how difficult is it when compared to creating a map template for Docbook?

Thanks!

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

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There is nothing OOTB nor publicly available. I know it is possible because an airline customer of ours was using Arbortext Import/Export to convert from unstructured Framemaker to S1000D data modules.

Interesting anecdote from that particular customer: in the end it was quicker/easier for them to send the conversion work offshore. I think that was due to limited internal staff resources combined with the sheer scale of the conversion activity.

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The problem with MS Word conversions is always the inconsistent nature of MS Word documents. Even within one document the author may be using a variety of styles, tables, lists, etc.

If you had perfectly consistent MS Word documents that very closely matched your S1000D Data Module requirements then yes, this would be a straightforward activity. However, reality is that it is not usually that easy.

Having said that there are specialist organisations, like ours, who specialise in such things. We are also able to engage offshore BPO vendors to do large-scale conversions in a cost-effective fashion.

Thanks for the answer Gareth!

I have previously done some importing into Docbook, so I understand that the quality of the Word template hugely influences the usability of the Map Template. Since I've never worked with the S1000D standard, I am just wondering how easy it would be to get it properly mapped (and develop a Word Template to go with). Are you perhaps aware of any OOTB Arbortext map templates for use with S1000D modules?

There is nothing OOTB nor publicly available. I know it is possible because an airline customer of ours was using Arbortext Import/Export to convert from unstructured Framemaker to S1000D data modules.

Interesting anecdote from that particular customer: in the end it was quicker/easier for them to send the conversion work offshore. I think that was due to limited internal staff resources combined with the sheer scale of the conversion activity.

In an earlier post you mentioned that your organisation is involved in map template creation. Do you perhaps have an e-mail address I can contact you on? I'd like to know more about the services your company provides.

You would have to create your map templates from the point of view of S1000D Information Codes and Schemas, the most used would be description and procedure. However, MSWord is terrible due to the inconsistent styles used, and you are trying to map format to meaningful markup. It may pay to sanitize documents first into something stylistically consistent which you can control.

In a typical document's subject matter, say a manual, you will find it could easily be broken down into many different Data Modules by Information Code. Be aware there will also be backfill required. Information will be missing which is required in the S1000D Data Modules. This missing and required information you will have to supply.

Overall, unless you understand S1000D really well you may find it a daunting but not impossible task. It sounds like you may be jumping into the deep end without defining business rules or obtaining a BREX. These are a very important part of S1000D, particularly for data exchange.

Be aware that there may be government trade restrictions which impact off-shore content conversions. Some information simply cannot be exported.

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