Content Management Systems Reviews - Documentum - Content Transformation Services

In my last post on Documentum, I described Digital Asset Manager and mentioned that Content Transformation Services product of Documentum is very useful in conjunction with Digital Asset Manager. Content Transformation Services product of Documentum is useful also for other content management goals. In this post, I am going to describe Documentum Content Transformation Services (CTS).

Content is typically authored in one formal (such as Microsoft Word) then converted or transformed into a different format (such as HTML or PDF) that is more appropriate for the content reuse. This is a slow process and requires specialized knowledge not possessed by every user. Documentum CTS automates the creation of re-use ready content through pre-defined format transformations that can occur on demand or systematically.

The CTS suite enhances these processes and improves efficiencies by providing additional content intelligence, such as thumbnail and storyboard support, while shielding business users from the technical complexities of converting files from one format to another.

The full CTS suite includes:

• Document Transformation Services (DTS) 
• Advanced Document Transformation Services (ADTS) 
• Media Transformation Services (MTS) 
• Audio Video Transformation Services (AVTS) 
• XML Transformation Services (XTS) 

Document Transformation Services (DTS)  includes the following features:

• HTML support: automatically renders HTML from formats including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Corel WordPerfect, and Adobe PDF. 
• PDF support: generates PDF format for documents, providing access to engineering and architectural drawings, graphics, and publishing files. 
• Rendition management: links PDF or HTML versions to the original document so that changes automatically update the web-ready version. 
• Extensibility/configurability: adds server-side support for additional transformations and property extraction for any document format. 

Advanced Document Transformation Services (ADTS)

Advanced Document Transformation Services (ADTS) extends the capabilities of DTS by providing additional PDF rendering for multi-page TIFF, AutoCAD, Microsoft Visio, and Microsoft Project. ADTS also provides additional format and metadata extraction support, a necessity for content authors who use advanced features such as template styles, hyperlinks, and URLs in their source documents and wish to preserve these features in their PDF documents.

ADTS also provides support for the electronic common technical document (eCTD) specification submission process.

ADTS includes the following features:

• Document thumbnail and storyboard support: automatically generates thumbnails and storyboards for popular document formats. 
• Hyperlink and bookmark support: leverages the styles, bookmarks, and hyperlinks contained in files such as Microsoft Word to create bookmarks within the PDF output. It automatically converts ail URL text to clickable links, including internal cross-references within the document. 
• XMP round-tripping: allows the extraction of Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) attributes on import into the Documentum repository and indexes them for searching and categorization. When content is exported from the repository, the content and metadata stay together. 
• PDF assembly: merges multiple files into a single PDF with the ability to auto generate a table of contents. Watermarks and overlays: applies a watermark content overlay when transforming content to PDF. 
• Header and footer support: automatically adds header and footer information such as date, filename, or object metadata values when performing PDF transformations. 
• PDF manipulation: enables you to modify the security settings, add watermarks, or web optimize existing PDF content with predefined and configurable transformations. 
• E-mail to PDF support: transforms MSG and EML files to PDF and RTF formats. 
• Embedded PDF attachments: embeds PDF transformations as attachments (visible in the "attachments" tab of Acrobat Reader). 
• CAD support: supports DWG, DWF, and DXF CAD formats. 

Media Transformation Services (MTS) delivers transformation and analysis for rich media content such as photographs, presentations, and graphics and includes the following features:

• file transformation: transforms media automaticity when adding it to the repository, on demand, or through workflow. PowerPoint assembly: saves time by dynamically creating new Microsoft PowerPoint presentations using individual slides from existing files.
• rich media attribution: quickly locates content that has been checked into the Documentum repository by searching for media properties.
• thumbnail/storyboard support: automatically generates low resolution thumbnails and storyboards. XMP round-tripping: extracts extensible metadata platform (XMP) attributes on check-in and indexes them for searching and categorization.
• server-side support: adds server-side support for thumbnails, transformations, and property extraction for any document format.

Audio Video Transformation Services (AVTS) is an add-on tool to Media Transformation Services. It delivers enhanced support for audio, video, and Flash content and includes the following features:

• format transformations: easily converts popular audio and video formats through a web browser, without any additional applications, eliminating the need to download audio and video to the desktop.
• dlosed caption extraction: automaticity extracts closed caption text and associates it with the content in the Documentum repository.
• streaming server support: integrates with popular streaming servers providing support for all of the major audio and video file formats.
• thumbnail support: provides frame-by-frame viewing of low resolution video so that you don’t need to export your files.
• storyboard support: automatically extracts storyboard frames based on scene changes or at specified intervals.
• flash support: allows you to thumbnail and storyboard SWF files and convert them to other web-ready video formats using built-in Flash transformation capabilities.

XML Transformation Services (XTS)

XTS is built for customers who would like to leverage the power behind authoring and managing their content in XML. It transforms and renders XML documents into a variety of formats. It includes an eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) engine, a style sheet tool kit and the following features:

• extensive format transformations: easily converts XML content into popular web formats, mobile formats, PDF, help file formats, Rich Text Format (RTF), and Postscript.
• XSLT engine: leverages the eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT) engine with full extensible Stylesheet Language Formatting objects (XSL FO) support.
• stylesheet toolkit: supports Darwin information Typing Architecture (DITA) and DocBook standards.
• XML schema transformation support: Converts XML from one schema to another and involves these transformations via workflows, lifecycles, user-based actions, and other applications.

More Documentum products descriptions are coming up.