The SGML Implementation Guide: A Blueprint for SGML Migration

531 Pages·1995·10.844 MB·English

by  Brian E. Travis, Dale C. Waldt (auth.)

Brian Travis (left) is the president of Information Architects, Inc., an SGML
consulting group specializing in structured information. He has installed
SGML systems for clients as varied as book publishers, airlines, and chemi
cal manufacturers. He has been involved in all phases of SGML selection
and implementation, from providing management with information neces
sary for the decision to writing SGML applications for conversion and end
user maintenance. He is a principal voting member of the ANSI X3Vl
SGML committee.
Dale Waldt (right) has over ten years experience with SGML and electronic
publishing and database system design and development. He is the Director
of Data Development for Research Institute of America, a Division of
Thomson Professional Publishing, a large legal publishing company, where
he leads a team in the design and conversion of complex publications into a
database system based on SGML.
Both authors are alumni of the Internal Revenue Service Publications Divi
sion that was instrumental in creating what is now called SGML. Dale Waldt
is a founder and publisher, and Brian Travis is managing editor of <TAG>
The SGML Newsletter, the only regular technical periodical on SGML and
publishing database development.
Brian E. Travis Dale C. Waldt
The SGML
Implementation
Guide
A Blueprint for SGML Migration
With 97 Figures
Springer
Brian E. Travis
Information Architects
6360 S. Gibraltar Circle
ca
Aurora, 80016
USA
Dale C.W aldt
Research Institute of America
90 Fifth Avenue
NewYork,NY 10011
USA
Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for
Die Deutsche Bibliothek -CIP-Einheitsaufnahme
Travis, BrÎan E.:
The SGML implemenlation guide: a blueprinl for SGML
migration I Brian E. Travis, Dale C. Waldt. -1., corr. reprin!.
-Berlin; Heidelberg; New York; Barcdona; Budapest;
Hong Kong; London; Milan; Paris; Tokyo: Springer, 1995
ISBN 978-3-642-63383-6 ISBN 978-3-642-57860-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-57860-1
NE: Waldt, Dale C.:
First corrected reprint 1996
ISBN 978-3-642-63383-6
This work is !ubjectto copyright. AII righu are reserved, whether the whole OT part ofthe material is concer
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duct ion on microfilms or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of thi5 publication ar
parIS th.reaf is ptrmitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of Srplemb.r 9, 1965, in
its current verlion, and permis.sion for u.., must always M <>btainn! from Springer_Verlag. VioJations arelia
bie for prosecution under the German Copyright Law.
C Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1995
Orisi ..... 1y publi ...... by Sprinll",-Verl'fj Be~iD HoidelbetJ 1'0. ... \'<wk ;ft 1995
Sof\cov .. ",prillloftbob. ._ 1. . "'ili"" 1995
The u.., of registered name$, trarlemarks,etc. in this publication does not imply.even in the absenieof a spe
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""o
Type~l1ing: Camera-ready by author
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SPIN: 10526383 33/3142-543210 -Prinl.d on acid·fru paper.
To Deni, who puts up with these projects, and to Cooper and Miller,
who can now have their dad back. - B.E. T
I now know why so many books are dedicated to families who bear the
brunt of absenteeism, preoccupation, and occasional grumpiness on
the part oft he authors. You do not know how much your support and
love mean to me.
Thank you, Kelly, Max, and Miles. -D.C.W
TAB L E E N T 5
Table of Contents
Foreword ... . xxi
Preface ..... .
XXI
Conventions xxiv
About the Authors xxv
Acknowledgements . . . xxv
Part I / The Business Issues . . ..... 1
Chapter 1 / Your Publishing System is Broken! 3
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Related Topics ............... . .4
The Problem with Unstructured Information .4
The Promise of SGML . 5
Technology Changes . . . . . . . . . . . .5
VIII TABLE OF CONTENTS
Stating Problems with Publishing Systems in Business Terms . . 7
What are Goals ofa n SGML-Based System? . . .9
The Power of SGML Databases . . . . . . . . . . 11
Enabling Information Management Technologies. 11
Problems Inherent in Existing Systems . . . . . 12
Conceptual Configuration oft he Solution System . 13
Chapter 2 / Evolution of Publishing Systems 21
Introduction. . . 21
Related Topics .............. . 22
Markup Systems ............. . 22
Punctuation, Capitalization, and Spacing 24
Presentational Markup 24
Procedural Markup . 24
Generic Markup . . . 25
Standardized Markup 26
Summary . .... . 28
Publishing Systems . . . 28
Stand-alone Composition Systems 30
Linked Publishing Systems . . 31
Integrated Publishing Systems 31
Federated Publishing Systems 33
Publishing Process Flow 34
Summary ........... . 36
Chapter 3 / Desktop Publishing and Professional
Publishing Systems 37
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Related Topics ........................ . 38
Productivity and Flexibility -Which Tool is Right for the Job 38
Desktop Publishing 38
Professional Systems . . . 39
Let Editors Edit ..... 39
The Best of Both Worlds 40
Checklist for Selecting a System 41
Chapter 4 / The SGML Environment 43
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Related Topics ........... . 44
Working in an SGML Environment 44
The SGML Environment 44
SGML Parser . . . . . . . . " . . 46
TABLE OF CONTENTS IX
Translator. . . . . . . . . . 47
SGML Editorial Workstation 47
SGML Add-ins . . 51
Delivery Vehicles. . . 51
Workflow Managers. 57
Database Repositories . 58
DTD Development Tools. 59
Related Standards . . . . 59
What is an SGML Application? 60
Part II / The Project . . . . . . . . . 63
Chapter 5 / Document Analysis 65
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Related Topics . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Documents and Document Models 66
The Document Analysis Team 67
The Evangelist . . . . . . . . 67
The Document Analyst . . . . 67
The Document Analysis Team 69
The Document Analysis Methodology 70
The Document Analysis Report . 71
P7-eliminary Analysis . .. 73
Expanded Group Analysis . . . 73
The Document Model . . . . . . . 75
Discovering the Information in Documents 76
Illustrating Information Structure 78
Documents and Databases 86
Formatting and Structure 87
Format Tagging . 87
Structure Tagging 88
Content Tagging. 89
Balanced Approach 89
Usability and Understandability 90
Reusability and By-products 90
Longevity of Data 91
Common Elements 91
System Issues . . . . . 91
Peiformance . . . 91
System Limitations . 92
Degree ofA utomation 92
Defining a Markup Language - The Recipe 92
Elements in a Recipe . . . . . . . . . . . 93
X TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 6 / The SGML Application 101
Introduction. . . . . . . 101
Related Topics ........... . 101
The Application Defined . . . . . . . 102
The Application Development Team 103
Owner .. 103
Managers .. 103
Analysts . .. 104
Programmers 104
Users .... 105
Application Considerations 105
Capture . ...... . 105
Editorial Workstations . 106
SGML Browsers. . . 110
Databases ...... . 110
Composition Engines 111
Translation to non-SGML applications. 111
Publication-specific Development . 111
Vendor-Supplied Applications 117
Customizability . . . . . . 117
SGML Features Supported 118
Integratability . . . . . . . 118
System Compatibility and Resources 118
Support ............. . 118
Price . .............. . 118
SGML Application Integration Issues 118
Glue . ........... . 119
Cross-platform Compatibility ... 119
Chapter 7 / Implementation Planning 121
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . 121
Related Topics . . . . . . . . 122
System Evaluation and Design 122
Project Scope . . . . . . . . 123
Stating Business Objectives . 124
Using SGML to Restructure Processes and Information . 124
Functional Evaluation . . . 127
Conceptual Design . .... 133
Cost and Benefit Evaluation 133
Quantifying Benefits . 134
System Development . . . . 139
Implementation Tasks .. 140
Implementation Resources 144
TABLE OF CONTENTS XI
Chapter 8 / Infonnation Conversion 151
Introduction. . . . . . . . 151
Related Topics . . . . . . 152
The Need for Conversion 152
Terms. . . . . . . . 153
Anatomy of an SGML Conversion 153
The Basic Conversion Process . 154
Finding Clues in Source Data . 155
Creating a Conversion Spec .. 156
Data Conversion Planning and Implementation 160
Planning. . . . . . . . . 161
Conversion Processing . . . . . 163
Managing DTD Change. . . . 163
Data Cleansing and Validation. 164
Conversion Strategies .. . . . 165
Conversion Resources. . . . . . 169
Existing Conversions that May be High-cost Areas 171
Types ofSGML Conversions 175
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Chapter 9 / SGML Data Management and Workflow 183
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Related Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
The File System as Database Manager 184
Entity Management 184
Version Control 186
Version Control BaJ'icJ' 186
Revision Numbering 187
Versions . . . 187
Branching . . 188
Reconciliation 188
~~m ... 1~
Reporting . . 189
Graphical Interface. 191
Implementation Factors 191
Network Functionality . 192
Database Managers . . . 192
Relational Databases J9 2
Full-text Databases 193
Object-oriented Databases 195
Choosing an SGML-enabled Database Manager 201
Document Assembly . . 201
Granularity of Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
XII TABLE OF CONTENTS
Version Management . . . 201
Programmability ..... 201
Tolerance ofI nvalid SGML 201
Transaction Processing. 201
Query .......... . 202
Blobs . .......... . 202
Direct Integration to System 202
Database Implementation Factors 202
Determine Granularity . 202
Application Development . 203
Workflow ...... . 205
Workflow in Action 206
Creating a Project 207
Assigning Tasks . . 209
User Authorities .. 211
System Management. 211
Implementation Considerations. 211
Part III / The Language. . . . . . . . . 213
Chapter 10/ Understanding SGML 215
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . 215
Related Topics . . . . . . . . 216
The SGML Document Model 216
SGML Declaration . . . . 217
SGML Document Instance Set . 218
Versions of SGML 219
Markup ... 219
Start-Tag . .. 221
End-Tag '" 221
General Entity Reference . 221
Comment Declaration 222
Processing Instruction . . 222
Character Reference . . . 223
Marked Section Declaration 223
Short Reference Use Declaration 223
LINK Set Use Declaration . 223
Declarations ........ . 224
The SGML Declaration . . 225
The Document Type Definition 229
The Element Declaration ... 229
The Attribute Definition List Declaration 239
The Entity Declaration ........ . 250