Information Architecture with XML: A Management Strategy

Peter Brown9780471486794, 0471486795

One of the only books on this subject to focus on XML’s value as a business tool rather than the technology.This book deals with important management issues and focuses on demonstrating XML’s value as a business tool. It emphasizes processes and business logic, and will show you how to go about introducing this technology and what must be done to achieve a smooth implementation.* Offers a management driven approach to XML-based information systems architecture* Discusses important related standards such as RDF, topic maps, and XMLSchema* Describes the building blocks of an XML-based architecture* Provides a blueprint for an organizational model of the roles and responsibilities of those involved in setting up an XML-based architecture* Presents a management framework and methodology for developing XML-based information systems

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Table of contents :
Team DDU……Page 1
Contents……Page 8
Preface……Page 14
Acknowledgments……Page 22
1 Introduction……Page 24
What, why and ‘why me?’……Page 26
Information management……Page 27
Why is XML important?……Page 33
Responsibilities in a maturing Web……Page 37
XML by stealth……Page 42
Conclusions……Page 43
2 Information Management……Page 44
Handling digital rot……Page 48
Handling multiplicity of formats and media……Page 51
Handling transaction and version management……Page 54
IT responses to information management……Page 55
Enter XML……Page 56
Information content……Page 58
Link management and link rot……Page 64
Conclusions……Page 66
3 Why XML?……Page 68
Design principles……Page 69
The genetics of XML……Page 73
The anatomy of XML……Page 78
X-M-L……Page 82
The XML family……Page 83
Whither XML?……Page 92
Conclusions……Page 94
4 Developing a Management Strategy……Page 96
Making the business case……Page 98
A holistic approach……Page 102
Deciding on a strategy……Page 105
Decision-making……Page 107
Workplan and timetable……Page 113
Conclusions……Page 114
5 Foundations of an XML Framework……Page 116
Background research……Page 118
Managing XML content……Page 120
Developing standards policies……Page 126
Documentation……Page 132
Rolling your own standards……Page 137
6 Building on the Foundations……Page 138
Planning ahead……Page 140
An evolving framework……Page 141
Developing initial standards……Page 142
Naming conventions……Page 145
Namespaces……Page 148
Elements……Page 151
Attributes……Page 155
Datatyping and constraints……Page 159
Common vocabularies……Page 161
Schemas……Page 162
Conclusions……Page 163
7 Mapping the Old to the New……Page 166
Metadata……Page 168
Preparing to move shop……Page 170
Setting up an information typology audit……Page 172
Content analysis……Page 179
Use-analysis and process modelling……Page 189
Presentation analysis and ontology……Page 191
Recording the results of the audit……Page 194
Conclusions……Page 199
8 Building Momentum……Page 200
Developing XML expertise……Page 201
Promoting successes and learning……Page 203
Maintaining pace……Page 204
On the back burner……Page 205
Conclusions……Page 207
9 Application Development……Page 210
XML toolkit……Page 211
Types of XML tool……Page 215
Production tools……Page 217
Storage tools – databases and XML repositories……Page 226
Adapting existing systems……Page 228
Building your own tools……Page 229
Conclusions……Page 232
10 Content Management……Page 234
Planning for knowledge……Page 235
Content management – content or containers?……Page 237
New concepts of ‘content’……Page 239
Why structure content?……Page 240
Upstream organization……Page 241
New skills for authors……Page 246
Registration……Page 250
Management of content management……Page 251
Conclusions……Page 254
11 Process Management and ‘Web Services’……Page 256
Processing……Page 257
Process management……Page 259
Separation of data and processing layers……Page 261
Content, processes and messages……Page 264
Processing needs……Page 266
Web services infrastructure……Page 270
Styles of processing……Page 275
Dangers……Page 276
Role in inter-application exchanges and EAI……Page 279
Conclusions……Page 280
12 Delivery Management……Page 282
Content repurposing……Page 286
Personalization……Page 288
Questions of timing……Page 290
Presentation……Page 292
Conclusions……Page 293
13 Navigation Strategies……Page 294
Knowledge management……Page 296
User navigation strategies……Page 297
Link placement……Page 299
Content identification and discovery……Page 300
Language versions……Page 303
Knowledge management and XML……Page 304
Two hemispheres of knowledge……Page 306
Knowledge representation……Page 308
Building an ontology……Page 310
Management of knowledge management……Page 312
14 Conclusions……Page 314
Information architecture……Page 315
Reference……Page 318
Further Reading……Page 332
Glossary……Page 336
Index……Page 342