Summary 

Key Note has been providing industry analysis reports to businesses, libraries and academia for over 30 years. Having published more than 2500 reports encompassing 30 industry sectors, Key Note boasts one of the most comprehensive databases available to corporations in the UK. With over 4,000 clients already using their market intelligence and more than a 250,000 end users, Key Note has secured an outstanding reputation within the business information market place.

Key Note needed an efficient, cost effective publishing solution that allowed their expert authors to create high quality, accurate market reports quickly and efficiently. The content was a mix of ever-changing data served from remote databases, and original content written by the authors about the data. The solution would allow Key Note to merge these into the high quality reports expected by their client base while increasing throughput and reducing time to market. Above all, the system needed to be simple and easy to maintain, and support the authors, some working remotely, through provision of familiar desktop tools (e.g. MS Office-based) but still feed directly into a robust cross-media publishing platform.

Key Issues

• Existing DTP tools required specialist resources and training to operate
• Significant level of support and training for the external authors and editors
• Multiple manual tasks in publishing process with potential to introduce errors and inefficiencies
• Editors spent lots of time formatting content for output
• Could not single source changes easily– multiple output formats meant it was difficult to apply changes globally
• Multiple interfaces with other systems and databases needed to be maintained and simplified in any new system

Solution Description

Mekon developed a fast, dynamic, end-to-end cross media publishing system that allowed Key Note to keep external data and document content up-to-date in a single, seamless platform.

The project incorporated Quark XML Author providing DITA authoring within MS Word, MarkLogic XML repository for scalable dynamic storage, and Antenna House PDF publishing functionality. This was combined with the Notus Framework that delivered a web-based workflow management interface using Adobe Flex.

The resulting integrated solution produces complex reports and analytical documentation containing text, tables, dynamically generated charts/graphs and graphics. XQuery is fully utilised to provide dynamic information and the flexibility to change elements of the process without expensive re-development of traditional relational database systems. The solution also features an innovative copyright management interface for review and approval of copyright information and provides “one touch” publication in PDF, HTML and RTF.

Features/Benefits

• Supports authors and editors through use of familiar desktop tools while providing structured XML (DITA) output
• Facilitates efficient collaborative working practices
• Single source editing environment allows users to focus on content rather than presentation
• Efficient production management process enables Key Note to manage report production
• Effective copyright management facilities ensures all published content is approved and valid
• Streamlined publishing enables cross-media publishing
• Provides demonstrable return on investment (ROI)