Three methods
There are three methods to drive the actual document creation process:
- Batch – The document composition software is called from within a job and the variable data file contains information for more than one documents. This is the “traditional” way for high-volume production and performance is the key differentiator.
- On Demand – The document composition software is handling a single document request in ‘real time’. The document software is running in the background without any user intervention. Once started, the software stays is memory and waits for document requests. Prior to the document request, all data is gathered from databases and passed on with the request. Being able to support various service implementations (Daemon, Started Task, web service etc.) and various communication methods is key.
- Interactive – The document is the result of a user interaction with the actual document composition software. The specifications for the interaction are part of the template and the user can select paragraphs, enter additional data or even enter free text. Key differentiator is whether the template designer can specify and maintain these dialogues without the participation of ICT and the ease of use of the software. (See our page on Interactive Documents for more information)
Trend: Document Ownership
Documents, especially customer communication, are a vital part of any business. The general requirement from the business to be able to react quickly on market opportunities also has an impact on what we refer to as document ownership, which we see shifting from ICT to the business. There are two factors supporting this shift: the growing awareness as to the strategic importance of customer communication and the increasing computer literacy among business users.
The software vendors support this development with modern document creation solutions providing intuitive, graphical user interfaces, which significantly reduce the complexity of template design, version management and deployment. MS-Word-like behaviour leverages on user experience gained from office packages. Variable data fields can be selected from a drop-down list. And condition wizzards make it very easy to specify business logics with a few mouse clicks.
Another positive side effect of delegating template management into 'the business' is a significantly reduced number of templates. As long as the templates are still managed by ICT, it is very time consuming and cumbersome to investigate which templates are still ‘live’. As soon as the business gets responsible, these templates are eliminated – in one particular case the reduction was even 30%.
