Newsletter Archives: June 2002 Columns
Single-Sourcing SIG-What Are We Using, Anyway? | When to Use Single-Sourcing | Single-Sourcing with AuthorIT®

Sean Brierley is the SS SIG newsletter editor and a long-time single source-er using Adobe FrameMaker and Quadralay WebWorks Publisher. Currently Sean lives in Connecticut with his family and roots for England in the World Cup, despite their poor performance against Sweden.

By Sean Brierley

Single-Sourcing SIG—What Are We Using, Anyway?

Hang around the SS SIG for any length of time and you’ll sense a split in workflows. Low-cost solutions, like Adobe® FrameMaker® and Quadralay® WebWorks® Publisher Professional and AuthorIT® are sometimes referred to as low-end, and other, more costly database solutions are referred to as high-end.

Moreover, some consider tools irrelevant; single sourcing is single sourcing, regardless of the tools used, and any discussion of tools is unnecessary, if not irrelevant.

Well, I was curious, just what are we using, what are our backgrounds, where are the SS SIG-ers coming from? As a result of this curiosity, I posted an unscientific poll to the SS SIG list at the end of March, 2002.

Original Poll Questions

What kind of single sourcing do you use?

1) We have created and finished at least one single-source project with:
a) FM+WWP-based single sourcing.
b) Other non-database single sourcing. (Please specify tool types.)
c) AuthorIT-based database single sourcing.
d) Other database-based single sourcing. (Please specify tool types.)
e) XML-based workflow. (Please elaborate with regards to workflow and tools.)

2) We are currently in the process of creating our first single-source project using:
a) FM+WWP.
b) Other non-database tools. (Please specify which tools.)
c) AuthorIT.
d) Other database tools. (Please specify which tools.)
e) XML-based methodology. (Please clarify what process/tools.)

3) We have definite plans to use single sourcing in the future. (Please specify if these plans are firm with regards to tools or process.)

4) We are investigating single sourcing but have no plans for using it.

5) Single sourcing is a complete myth, rarer than either the Yeti or Sasquach. I am a member of this list purely for entertainment and to see out-of-office auto responses.

9) Other. (Humor me, please elaborate. ;?)

Poll Results

I received 20 responses (some listed two workflows), and here’s how they break down:

• Completed Projects: Number of respondents who have actually completed real project using the tools listed.
• Evaluating or Initial Project in Process: Number of respondents who are planning to use a particular tool or who are using a tool but do not yet have a completed project.
• Not using . . .: Number of respondents who are not currently using any particular tools and who are not yet doing single-sourcing.

My Conclusions

From discussions I’ve had on- and off-list, I suspect those who are using database-based single-sourcing are underrepresented in my poll. Database-based single sourcing would include Miramo, Patternstream, SQL databases, Oracle, Documentum, etc. Database front-ends would include Arbortext Epic, FrameMaker, Word, XML, etc. Note, I deliberately broke-out AuthorIT, which is a database solution.

Moreover, many people were added to the SS SIG list after the poll was conducted. Thus, the 20 respondents to this poll are probably not representative of the hundreds of SS SIG members. For example, I’ve heard a lot of buzz on AuthorIT lately, so suspect those numbers are on the rise.

What I found curious was the lack of XML-based solutions—given the hype that has surrounded XML for about 5 years, now. A couple of people noted they are successfully using a single-sourcing workflow now and are keeping an eye on XML-based solutions, but nobody actually confirmed they had completed an XML-based single-sourcing project, or even that one was underway. Perhaps the new version of FrameMaker will change that?

However, I conclude that this poll suggests that FrameMaker-based single-sourcing, with WebWorks Publisher Pro, is by far the most prevalent kind amongst respondents. Your assessment might differ.

I plan on conducting another such poll in the autumn. I look forward to your responses then!

Original source for this article is ss_Tools_article.doc

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