S1000D XML Implementation
The perfect solution within the publication environment
Description
As technology evolves, content integration becomes more critical. This could be integration of
content from different phases of a product life-cycle to reduce effort and/or errors, integration of
content from multiple products to improve reuse and reduce costs, or integration of content across
organizations to improve interoperability. Wherever content integration comes into play, computer
systems must “speak the same language” to understand all of the content being passed around.
This is where S1000D and XML become important. S1000D is an international specification that
utilizes the XML standard to structure and define all aspects of the technical content life-cycle.
An S1000D XML implementation will significantly decrease the costs of technical documentation
maintenance, increase quality control of revisions, and extend the lifecycle of the technical
content. An S1000D XML implementation will result in technical content that is easy to reuse and
redistribute into a variety of formats, including Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs)
which are specifically tailored to the Department of National Defence’s (DND) business and
functionality requirements.
Contact Person:
Cyril Maillet, PMP
Manager, Technical Documentation
Promaxis Systems Inc.
Tel: (613) 737- 0737 ext. 254
Fax: (613) 737 - 0229
[email protected]
Promaxis Systems Inc.
2385 St. Laurent Blvd,
Ottawa, Ontario
K1G 6C3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Solution Overview
Current Problem
S1000D XML Solution
Major Benefits of S1000D XML Implementation
Promaxis Advantage
IETM Functionality
Solution Overview
Promaxis’ IETM solution is specifically tailored to the Department of National Defence’s (DND)
business and functionality requirements. Additionally, the published IETM will not require any
additional approvals or permissions in order to be used on DND’s network.
Current Problem
Traditional publications have major costs involved with creating, publishing, editing, and
redistributing documentation. Not only is it a costly and time consuming process, but they are
often stored using a proprietary word-processing or desktop publishing format (MSWord, Interleaf,
Framemaker, etc.) where each document is a single publication.
On the surface, this appears to be a cost effective method of document management, however,
it imposes a number of significant limitations because the publication is already in its final form,
and therefore, reusing content requires duplication and reformatting. Each duplication increases
cost, effort, and essentially introduces risk of content inconsistencies due to human error.
Additionally, the publication lifecycle is tied to a specific software environment (MSWord, Interleaf,
Framemaker, etc.) due to proprietary formats (*.doc, *.ildoc, *.fm, etc.)
S1000D XML Solution
By converting existing technical documents to XML using the S1000D standard, existing
documents and technical content (both text and graphics) are broken down into single-source
pieces of information (modules) that can easily be reused and redistributed. You only need to
change information in a single location, and you can then publish it into various different outputs
such as hardcopies, PDFs, CD/DVDs, websites, and IETMs.
Each single-source piece of information (module) is tagged and imbedded metadata used to
identify important information such as security classification, change level, intended use, intended
audience, etc. This adds context to each module, and allows the information to be filtered and
used only in the appropriate documentation. This adds a sense of “intelligence” to the technical
documentation, and also lets data be reused in different publications without the costs, risks, and
errors associated with duplication.
A dataset consists of multiple “modules” that together produce a publication, based on their
metadata. An S1000D dataset stores information in XML text and graphic files, and enable you
to publish the technical content into various different outputs such as hardcopies, PDFs,
CD/DVDs, websites, and IETMs.
Major Benefits of S1000D XML Implementation

Dramatically extend the lifecycle of technical content by using a “vendor neutral”
technology. As an open standard, there are a number of tools and environments that
can be used to maintain and publish XML. Technical documentation is no longer tied to
proprietary word-processing or desktop publishing format (MSWord, Interleaf,
Framemaker, etc.).

Create multiple output formats from one location. By converting existing technical
documents to XML using the S1000D standard, existing documents and technical content
(both text and graphics) are broken down into single-source pieces of information
(modules) that can easily be reused and redistributed into a variety of output formats.

Faster deployment of changes and new materials. Increasing efficiency and providing
faster deployment by eliminating duplication of content throughout multiple publications
(such as Description and Maintenance Instructions and Operation and Maintenance
Instructions with Illustrated Parts Breakdown publications). Once the information is
updated in the module, it is automatically populated in related documents.

Maintain the consistency of technical content throughout various published
formats. You can make modifications in only one module, and easily publish to multiple
output formats such as PDF (with different formatting specs), CD/DVDs, websites, or and
IETM. It can also be used to feed other applications such as digital logistics or parts
catalogs.

Significantly save time on authoring and modifying documents, and reduce the
risks associated with human error when locating and updating this type of information.
This means that the content has one source, so when you modify a piece of information,
it will automatically update in related/linked documents, and even within the same
document such as Table of Contents, List of Effective Pages, cross-references, etc.
Focus is on content, and not formatting.

Easily reuse information across different publications. By organizing information as
modules, common data can be reused in different publications without the risk and cost
associated with duplication. This means content in training publications can be more
effectively kept in sync with the active technical publications.

Add context to information by applying a variety of tags. This allows content to be
easily identified as procedural, narrative, parts, troubleshooting, etc. You can use
metadata to add tags such as intended use, security classification, change level, etc. It
allows information be filtered and used only in the appropriate documentation. This adds
a sense of “intelligence” to the technical documentation.

Easily publish to various outputs, including an IETM, which allow technicians and
other end users to accomplish tasks faster with less errors. IETMs let technicians quickly
navigate through the material, and pull up only the information and graphics that the
technician needs to fix a specific problem. This eliminates the need to flip through multiple
documents just to locate the answer to a ‘simple’ question.
Promaxis Advantage
The technical documentation requirements of the Department of National Defence (DND) are
unique, and Promaxis understands that. That’s why our solution is specifically tailored to the
business and functionality requirements of DND.

Proven Method of Implementation. We have a proven method for simplifying and
streamlining the S1000D XML implementation. We tailor the solution specifically to your
organization’s requirements.
Through tailored business rules and standardized content, we are able to efficiently
convert existing technical documents to XML, using valid S1000D. This results in
information and data that is easier to find, manage, validate, track, and reuse across all
common publications.

Proven System for Knowledge Transfer. When new employees come in to learn
technical documentation, it takes a long time to train them. This is because they need to
learn the format specifications for documentation, based on the standards established by
DND. This requires a large time investment in learning and memorizing specific
formatting.
Promaxis’ S1000D approach typically cuts this knowledge transfer period from months
down to weeks. Since all of the business rules are already in place and properly
integrated into the process, the content author no longer needs to memorize the
formatting specifications.
Now, the content author only needs to learn approximately 30 tags, and the software will
automatically compare it to the business rules, and flag it if it is incorrect. It also tells the
author why it’s wrong and how to fix it. This means that authors can now focus on writing
content, with very minimal focus on formatting.
Our IETM is unlike our competitors’. Promaxis’ IETM solution not only has more functionality than
our competitors’ IETMs, but our IETM solution is tailored to the functional requirements of DND.

No third-party software required, and no approval process. You will not be required
to get any additional approvals or permissions in order to use IETMs on the DWAN. DND
has very strict requirements for the installation of executable files on their network, and it
can be a long process to get approval for new software.
This is why Promaxis’ solution is NOT a software application. It is simply data that can
be freely used on the network. Our IETM is a browser-based solution that runs in your
existing Microsoft environment and Internet Explorer web browser. It does not require a
third-party application to be run (graphic formats not natively supported by Internet
Explorer will require installation of a browser plugin).

No restriction as to how you use or distribute it. The Promaxis IETM is designed to
give you flexibility, so that you are not tied to any proprietary software. Our open-source
approach means that there is no commercial license, so you are not restricted as to how
you use it, or how you distribute it.
This enables our solution to be distributed via any number of methods including
CD/DVD/USB, on-equipment, network distribution, and even tablet devices. Since the
Promaxis IETM is not a software package, you will not be required to get any additional
approvals or permissions in order to use the IETMs on the DWAN.

Does not overload the network. Unlike our competitors’ products, you are never
uploading the full publication at one time. All IETMs are created from individual data
modules. So when you are using the IETM, you are only pulling up a few small files at a
time. You are only loading the information and graphics that you need. Therefore, is does
not require a large amount of bandwidth and will not overload the network.

Easily toggle between French/English. We support a fully bilingual solution. You can
toggle back and forth between French and English… without losing your spot. With the
click of just one button, you are given the exact content in the other language, exactly
where you left off.
But it’s not just the content that changes. If you’re reading in English, and switch to
French… Your Table of Contents is now in French. The labels on the images you were
viewing are now French. Your content is French. The whole interface, including the
search functionalities… are now French. And with one click, you go back to English.

Adaptable to any device – even tablets. Our IETM can be adapted to many
environments and devices. This includes SharePoint sites, on-equipment solutions, and
even tablets.
As part of a current project, we are addressing the functional differences of a tablet in
order for our IETM to work flawlessly on tablet devices. We will support touch-screen
capabilities which include pinch-and-zoom, swipe, and other standard tablet functions.
By using standard touch-screen functions, we will be able to provide a native tablet
experience that users are already familiar with.

Advanced Search Capabilities. We understand that it’s important for users to be able
to navigate quickly to the information that they need. So we have developed the Promaxis
IETM with advanced search capabilities that allow the user to zero-in on what they are
looking for, faster.
You can easily search the publication using the search bar at the top of the page. The
search bar supports Boolean logic to help get more accurate results. It then allows you
to apply filters in order to get more specific results. You can filter results by parts lists,
graphics, tables, procedural information, or descriptive information.
Additionally, the search result are shown as a preview. By clicking through, it will take
you to the exact sentence and highlight the words that were found, without losing your
other search results.

Smart Cross-Referencing Capabilities
Flip back and forth between information and images, without losing your original spot. If
you click on a link to go to the cross-referenced information, you can click the return
button and it’ll take you back to the exact paragraph (which will be highlighted).
You are also able to pin figures and tables to the sidebar for easy cross-referencing, or
go to your history to navigate back to previous information.

Fully Interactive
Our IETM supports fully interactive capabilities. This means that you can click on
diagrams, schematics, parts lists, and legends to get more information.
Promaxis has a proven track record of converting existing technical documents to XML using the
S1000D standard, which has resulted in decreasing the costs of technical documentation
maintenance, increasing quality control of revisions, and extending the lifecycle of the technical
content. Promaxis clients include:
DAEPM(FT 6)
Contact: Capt. K. Pearce
Babcock Canada
Contact: P. Verreault
IETM Functionality
The following lists some of the features and capabilities of the IETM application (based on the
S1000D IETM Functionality Matrix):
Functional Requirement
Promaxis Comments
Physical Media
The Promaxis IETM can be distributed via
DVD/CDROM/USB/ZIP as it does not depend on third-party
software installation and operates using Internet Explorer.
Network Distribution
The Promaxis IETM can be distributed via network through
shared folders, web servers and SharePoint distribution. Each
method provides end-user environments different methods of
update and access control.
Diagnostics – User
determined entry to data
Given the structure of the authored content, users are able to
directly select the maintenance procedure, fault/symptom and/or
wiring diagram from which to execute their required maintenance
task.
Wire/Fluid system
tracing
Users are able to select designators in the publication text and
have the associated components or region of a
schematic/diagram highlight.
Pan, zoom, expand,
magnify
Pan – when images are larger than the viewable area in the
browser, panning is implemented through scrolling.
Zoom/magnify – when the mouse is hovered over an illustration,
plus/minus magnifying glass icons are displayed in the top left
corner of the image to enable zoom/magnify of the image.
Expand - the Illustration pane used to display all images can be
expanded to occupy the full content area.
External References
The Promaxis IETM provides the ability to link to external data
modules whether they are part of the same publication module or
not. URN resolution, as defined in S1000D, Chapter 7, is
implemented to support all link resolution.
When links are followed to other data modules, a “Return” button
is provided to return the users to not only the previous data
module, but to the link that was traversed. The paragraph
containing the link is temporarily highlighted to give the user a
visual indication of where they were.
Internal References
Links to other items in a data module are displayed in blue text
and will scroll the content window to the appropriate location.
Links to figures and tables will open the figure/table in the
illustration pane (as opposed to scrolling) to ensure the user is
always able to follow the given procedure/description without
having to lose their place. Illustrations are always visible adjacent
to the relevant reference text.
Hot References
Users are able to select links in the text to display and highlight a
region of a particular graphic.
TOC, List of Figures,
tables and photos
The Navigation Pane provides a table of contents, list of
figures/tables and generated Index (based on SNS/information
code structure) as different methods of navigating the IETM
content.
Hot Spotting
Users are able to select objects in a graphic to navigate to other
graphics or text in a publication.
Next and Previous
Navigation
The main menu bar provides Next and Previous navigation
buttons used to traverse sequentially forward and backward
through the authored structure of the data modules.
Return (Chronological)
Traversal of links from one data module to the next (even if the
data modules are from separate publications) maintains a
chronological history. A “return” button enables backwards
traversal to previous link locations. The paragraphs containing
the traversed links are temporarily highlighted to provide the
reader with clear indication of where they were before viewing
linked information.
History of traversed links
The Navigation pane maintains a history of traversed data
modules for the current session and displays them beneath the
table of contents. This history groups according to different
publications as well.
System/Subsystem
Navigation
The Promaxis IETM will automatically generate a
SNS/Information code index based on a defined SNS structure in
the BREX data module.
Restore Initial Navigation
View
The IETM interface consists of a Navigation pane (left), Content
pane (center) and illustration pane (right). Each pane is
expandable/collapsible in order to enable the user to maximize
the viewable area of the content they are focussed on. The
expand/collapse functionality enables users to easily alter and
restore the layout of the interface.
Graphical Navigation
Graphical Navigation is addressed through hot spotting and
authored links. Authors can link portions of a CGM (or raster
image given the required business rules) to other data modules
or illustrations.
Search – Full text
The Promaxis IETM supports full text search capability across all
publications included in the IETM distribution structure. Search
results are grouped by publication and data module and users
can click on the result to link to the highlighted word in the data
module. The full text search also supports simple wild card
searches using an asterisk at the beginning or end of the word.
Search – User Defined
Boolean
The full text search capability utilizes the keywords NOT, AND
and OR to filter search results.
Simultaneous display of
multiple objects
Separate content and illustration panes enable readers to always
be able to view figure or table content adjacent to the procedures
and descriptions being used with no unnecessary scrolling.
Tear off window
Tables and Illustrations viewed in the Illustration pane remain
persistent as the reader navigates to other data modules and can
be recalled via an icon along the right side of the illustration pane
(or removed by the user). This method of tear off provides a
more organized and user-friendly approach to illustration
persistence as it does not produce extra windows that can
become hidden on the desktop.
Data Module Specific
Printing
Data modules and the images referenced by that module can be
printed. A Print Dialog is provided that enables the user to
preview the print context and decide whether or not to include
figure/tables and linked data.
Content is printed with a timestamp and destruction notice at the
beginning and end.
Print Linked Data
In the Print Preview dialog, users can choose to pull in the
content of any data modules (and associated images and tables)
that are referenced from the current data module.
Warning and Cautions
Warnings and Cautions in the IETM are presented with red/white
or yellow/black hatch mark borders (per S1000D specification).
Photos
Photographs in the IETM are handled the same way as line-art
illustrations.
Passive Change
Indications and Markings
The Promaxis IETM will automatically produce a RECORD OF
CHANGES data module that lists all data modules by title
(TECHNAME/INFONAME), issue number and issue date. Each
entry is linked to the data module content.
Active Change
Indications and Markings
Change markings are indicated by a black border along the right
margin of the content pane. When the user hovers over the
content indicated by the black border, the changed
words/content will be highlighted. Change markings are
supported for add/modify changes.
Full Change
All change distributions, whether a full change, block cycle or
near real time, are handled through the distribution of the XML
data modules, graphics and updated indexes used by the IETM
package to resolve searches and URN resolution.
Block cycle and urgent
updates
Near real time updates
Web browser viewable
The Promaxis IETM is viewed using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer
web browser (v9+).
Stand-alone mode
The IETM files (data, images and stylesheets) can be deployed
through a DVD/CDROM/USB distribution. Launching the IETM is
a matter of double-clicking the index.htm file.
Network Connectivity
The same IETM files can be deployed using a web server (ie,
IIS, Apache, miniHTTP) or a more managed solution such as
Sharepoint.
Additional Functionality
To meet Canadian Government requirements for technical
publications, the Promaxis S1000D solution also meets the
following requirements:
Bilingual toggle
Given a bilingual (English/French) dataset, the IETM is able to
toggle between English and French data modules and
Navigation Panes (TOC, LOF, Index) at the click of a button
without having to exit and re-enter the IETM. Full-text search
capability is also language specific.
AG-006 presentation
support
Due to Canadian Government presentation requirements, the
presentation layer of the IETM also supports numbering and
formatting consistent with C-01-100-100/AG-006.
Grouped display of
modules
When navigating through the publication module structure in the
table of contents, the information presented in the Content pane
will group according to the context selected in the navigation
pane. This is similar in context to what you have listed as “Print
to selected node” in your requirements matrix (under print linked
data) only it also gives the user the ability to view that context on
screen, not just print.