Mekon are the UK's leading Professional Services and Systems Integration organisation focussed on XML and content delivery systems.

Recent years have seen revolutions in the way that we find and consume information, and the practices used for managing it for efficiency and cost drivers.

Mekon Provide

• a defined and proven process that allows you to move ahead in manageable, cost-effective stages
• an informed, vendor-independent analysis of your business case, current content systems and processes
• validation by an industry expert of your Content Strategy, Content Technologies and Project Scope (for you and/or your management)
• as much or as little of the technical services and training needed to realise your goals
• experience of broad range of technology and tool options, with a strong background in XML

Call or email us about our defined modular approach to Consulting and Implemenation, Systems Integration, Development or Training - and start making savings now.

During the last decade Mekon have worked with many organisations providing specialist content services around best of breed solutions. The need for dynamic delivery and collaboration has been a continued theme hindered by the limited technology available to support a solution.

To address this, we present DITAweb – a cloud-based service that truly leverages the potential of structured information. With DITAweb, users can maximise the use of modular, platform independent content, going far beyond traditional websites, tri-pane help or basic feedback features.

Engage Your Customers, Partners and Subject Matter Experts

Our customers often ask us how internal reviewers and subject matter experts can comment and collaborate, while simultaneously seeking ways for customers and external communities to rate, enhance and bookmark key information on the same platform, providing direct feedback to authors. After solving the same problem for various clients, we decided to put together the DITAweb service to let our customers cost-effectively prototype and deploy DITA for dynamic delivery, collaboration and review all at once.

The Flexibility of a DITA Cloud Service

Organisations new to DITA or with existing DITA content can integrate the DITAweb service into their workflow. DITAweb can work off the file system or integrate with a component content management system (CCMS). Content can be published for delivery to both internal and external reviewers and users. Content in DITAweb is delivered from a single platform, retaining the benefits of structured content (the XML semantics) right to the point of consumption and without the need to purchase product licenses or setup internal infrastructure.

Achieve Better Customer Experience, Not Just Cheaper Content

DITA content saves the company money, but organisations often leave benefit on the table when they don't leverage what DITA can do for delivery itself. In DITAweb content is stored as DITA XML right up to the moment it's requested, then cached to ensure solid performance.

DITAweb allows you to integrate DITA content into any existing website or delivery pipeline, enabling delivery of the right content, to the right people, in the right format.

Pick and Mix Content from Any Device

Users can pick and mix content to create personalised PDFs, eBooks or other formats for later reference or printing. DITAweb is available as a hosted service with a user-friendly ‘online help’ style web interface with potential for smartphone and tablet connectivity.

Ask us for a demo.

DITA Open Toolkit Customisation Training guides participants through customisation techniques and covers a selection of tools for developing them. This intensive 2-day course comes with 1-day of follow-up online sessions and is designed to educate on the various features of:

• XSLT
• XPATH
• XSL:FO
• CSS
• Ant build files

With these, delegates can create customised processing and style sheets for producing HTML, HTML Help, Eclipse help and PDF output deliverables via :FO or Adobe FrameMaker. Delegates will also get an understanding of the DITA OT customisation framework that will allow them to wrap-up their customization as a conformant DITA Open Toolkit plug-in. After completion of the course, participants will be able to create their own customisations for the DITA Open Toolkit and know how to package and distribute these customisations as plug-ins.

DITA OT and FrameMaker

Did you know that you can use the DITA OT to push documents automatically through your FrameMaker templates using the FrameMaker Publishing Adapter?

Originally developed by Mekon in partnership with other leading technology vendors, the FrameMaker Publishing Adapter allows you to get value out of existing FrameMaker skills and assets, and publish top-quality PDFs without needing to learn XSL:FO. 

Click here to request more information

The DITA Open Toolkit Customization Training is for organizations and individuals who need to create their own customized processing and style sheets for the DITA Open Toolkit. The course guides the participants to the customization techniques and covers a selection of tools for developing these customizations.

When and Where?
The DITA Open Toolkit Customization training course is offered by Mekon as an on-site open training. Dates and locations are therefore fixed in agreement with the client.
 

Who Should Attend
The course is aimed at information architects, technical writers, style sheet developers and IT professionals and project managers who already have a basic understanding of DITA and XML and need to know about the possibilities and require an understanding of DITA Open Toolkit customizations. 
 

Instruction Method
The course is delivered in English 2 days on-site and 1 day of follow-up sessions. It is made up of a mixture of:

• Classroom instruction
• Hands-on lab exercises
• Interactive question and answer sessions
• Follow-on online sessions and readings

Course Outline
This intensive 2-day course plus 1-day of follow-up online sessions is designed to guide the delegate through the various features of XSLT, XPATH, XSL:FO, CSS, and Ant build files for creating customized processing and style sheets for producing HTML, HTML Help, Eclipse help and PDF output deliverables. Delegates will also get an understanding of the DITA OT customization framework that will allow them to wrap-up their customization as a conformant DITA Open Toolkit plug-in.

The course is delivered as slide presentations, demonstrations and hands-on lab based exercises. Delegates will receive course handouts, lab exercise material and links to books and articles on the web that they can use for future reference. This course covers a broad range of topics and technologies and in its full length is more appropriate as part of an on-site training program. To fit the available time frame a selection of topics will be made that will meet client requirements.

The course covers the following:
XSLT and XPath basics

• How to use XPath to access any node in the XML node tree
• How to create and call templates
• How to use conditions in templates
• How to control XSLT program flow
• How to use XPath functions including string searching and manipulation
• DITA specializations and XSLT override templates
• How to include/import other style sheets

• Classes of style sheets
• Page Layout, Blocks, and Inline Content
• How to use XSLT to create PDF documents
• Centralized maintenance through property sets
• PDF rendering engines: RenderX, AntennaHouse, Apache FOP

• CSS overview
• HTML headers and footers
• The outputclass hack
• Stub templates provided with the DITA Open Toolkit
• Adding your own custom CSS files
• Creating and viewing HTML and Eclipse Help

• Running the DITA Open Toolkit
• Understanding the output of the DITA Open Toolkit
• Plug-in folder structure
• How to organize your custom style sheets
• DITA specialization types and where to put them
• Ant integration files
• Packaging up plug-ins
• Testing and debugging plug-ins
• Distributing plug-ins

Objectives

After completion of the course, participants will be able to create their own customizations for the DITA Open Toolkit and know how to package and distribute these customizations as plug-ins.

Schemas and Document Type Definitions (DTDs) are ways of controlling your content. Both called "schema" (little "S") collectively, they operate like a dynamic template, letting you control:

• What kind of information content creators can write
• What structures it can form
• How many of each kind of content
• Any special information or metadata you can apply

When you control content you can automate its processing and formatting into other formats like HTML, different types PDF, database interchange formats and so on. This is the fundamental benefit of XML, and what enables content reuse, translation savings, single-sourcing, content syndication, quality and time-to-market improvements, and all the other benefits that this website mentions. 

Schema and DTD are both international, text-based standards, not owned or controlled by any single organisation.

Bad Schema, Bad!

Your schema is your technical blueprint for your information. Therefore, if you write a bad blue-print, when you start to build information against it, you'll get very bad results. Mekon are often invited in to review or replace systems that were built on poorly executed schemas, or schemas that have simply out-lived their usefulness. Schema-development is a highly specialised skill that most organisations will not have in-house, and unfortunately far fewer of the "schema experts" offering services in today's market really have the broad range of experience necessary to build something that meets all a schema's requirements. A schema needs to be controlled enough for automation, yet flexible enough to be useable, and future-proof all at the same time. 

Mekon will develop custom schemas, but only when it's truly necessary.

Standard Schemas

DITA, S1000D, Docbook, MathML, SVG and many more are all standard XML schemas that allow you to leverage the investment of organisations that came before you in tools, process and knowledge. The more you adhere to standards, the more you can use the best practice, materials and sometimes even technology that come with them. Mekon works with dozens of different standards, each optimised for a different context. 

With a solid set of customisable and repeatedly proven standards - with cheaper associated implementation costs - now available, developing schema's truly from scratch is becoming more and more rare. If you're considering it, or having it suggested by "an expert", think twice and then maybe get a second opinion. Implementing the wrong information blueprint is one of the most expensive mistakes that can be made in an content project.

Mekon can build a custom schema, but more often we will work to add some additional development effort to an existing standard to deliver the best of both worlds.

Mekon delivers both Introductory and Advanced (1.2) DITA training courses.

DITA Introductory Training

This course is for users coming from unstructured authoring tools who want to learn to author DITA content.

The course will equip users new to structured information with a general understanding of it and how and why it is used.

You will benefit from comprehensive instruction that will enable you to become productive immediately with, or without, a content management system.

Introduction to DITA Training Covers:

• Introduction to Structure - XML vs. Proprietary Formats, XML vs. HTML, Semantic vs. Unsemantic, Benefits of Controlling Business Rules
• Introduction to DITA - Beyond Traditional XML, Topic Types, Conref, Bookmaps, Relationship Tables and Related Items, Information Architecture and Taxonomies, DITA and Content Management Concepts
• Specialisation - Overview of Structural Specialisation and Domain Specialisation, When to specialise.
• Topics and Maps - Creating Topics, Creating Maps, Creating Conrefs and Creating Basic Relationship Tables
• DITA OpenToolkit Overview - What it is, Publishing multi-format content, Managing Basic Conditions and DITAVAL files

DITA Advanced 1.2 Training

The course is geared for those already familiar with DITA who are looking to extend their skills and discover what DITA 1.2 has to offer. It is also a suitable for participants who have just finished the Introduction to DITA and Structure and want to extend their learning.

DITA 1.2 is a major step in overall features and scalability. Using your own sample content, we will work hands-on, covering the new features of DITA 1.2 in-depth. 90 days email support from your trainer is included in the price of the course.

Advanced DITA 1.2 Training covers:

• New Conref Features: Conref Range and Conref "Push"
• Keys and keyref
• Advanced relationship tables
• Advanced DITA map features
• Glossary, Learning and Training, and Machine Industry information types

For more information please call 0208 722 8400 or email .

This course is for XMetaL Power Users looking to make customisations to XMetaL.  An awareness of the basics of objected oriented programming and any familiarity or experience with scripting tools is highly recommended for getting the full value of this course.  You will benefit from comprehensive instruction that will enable you to become productive immediately with, or without, a content management system.

The course will equip Power Users with a general understanding of how XMetaL customisations can be developed, how the interface works, and how XMetaL forms and the XMetaL API can be used to develop integrations and extensions.  Users will learn how to manage XMetaL Projects using the Microsoft Visual .NET design tools (Visual Basic .NET, Visual Studio .NET, Visual C#.NET, etc.) and how scripts and real-time debugging can be used to rapidly extend the power of an XMetaL installation. 

Length 2 days (1 day course available for configuration only without scripting/forms)

Prerequisites A working understanding of XML, DTDs, of one JavaScript or VBScript, as well as a general familiarity with object oriented programming is required.

Content 

Understanding the XMetaL Workflow

• XMetaL Author
• XMetaL Developer
• XMAX
• XMetaL Reviewer

Working with XMetal Customisations

• What is a Customisation?
• Opening an Existing Customisation
• Customisation Objects
• The CSS File
• The CTM File
• The DTD File
• Other Valid Customisation Objects
• Adding/Removing Objects
• Moving between Customisation Objects

Building an XMetal Customisation

• Understanding the XMetaL Build Process
• Configuring the Build Environment
• Setting General Properties
• Setting the Command Property
• Setting the Command Arguments
• Setting the Post-Build Properties
• Building the Output
• Viewing the Build Output
• Setting Element Properties in a Customisation
• Understanding the Customisation File
• Managing the In-Parent Property
• Setting the Change List
• Understanding the “Display As” Properties
• “Displaying As” an XFT form
• “Displaying As” an ActiveX Control

Using Scripts in XMetal Developer

• Understanding the XMetaL Developer Scripting Environment
• Adding a New Script to a Customisation
• Editing a script
• Changing Script Properties

Debugging an XMetal Customisation

• Understanding the XMetaL Debugging Process
• Testing and Debugging a Script
• Testing and Debugging Customisation Properties
• Testing Cascading Style Sheets

Creating Forms with the XFT Form Layout Tool

• Understanding the XFT Form Layout Tool
• The XFT Form Layout Tool GUI
• Object events
• Binding XFT Forms to XML Content

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Mekon have years of experience moving content between formats. Using various techniques from XSLT, to custom scripts, to configuring 3rd-party tools, and if necessary and cost-effective re-keying, we can move datasets large and small between formats.

Mekon can convert:

• HTML to XML / DITA or XML to XML / DITA using XSLT
• Between FrameMaker Templates (structured and unstructured)
• Unstructured MS Word, FrameMaker, RTF, PDF, HTML to XML
• SGML to XML / DITA
• more (ask for detail)

We often provide a hand-over and knowledge transfer surrounding the resulting stylesheets and/or conversion routines. The deliverables and converted content can become our clients’ property to be used and adapted as needed.

Any technology or process change not sound both strategically and technically is at risk of failure.

On paper, it should be an easy sell...

XML and Content Management as well as many of the supporting technologies have been around for over a decade. Case studies show that XML content reuse and XML publishing to multiple formats alone can save 40% or more of effort and cost associated with its creation, management and delivery. When localised/translated content is involved, savings can hit 80%. Even in a small organisation, this often justifies the investments needed to update your processes.

But in business it's not always so simple...

Business demands that any change has a well articulated business case, not just in theory, but customised for the specific context, and not just from the perspective of one department

If one group, such as the IT or Technical Communications department, is pro change, other groups may need proof that the initiative will benefit the overall business or to even be brought up to speed on what the problem is!

The more support you have across the business, the more chance of project success!

Where we come in

Mekon brings together strategy and ROI analysis skills, with the technical know-how and examples to show that they're more than just theory. We will supplement and validate internal research with our own, and together with the project sponsors, we win and maintain support for change.

Many of our clients tell us that just having a 3rd party industry expert validate and deliver the same message often significantly helps win management's mind-share (and support).

Mekon helps explain to stakeholders of all kinds, how content systems improvement and things like XML, DITA, Knowledge and Component Content Management can benefit various departments. 

We have saved our clients money or helped alleviate overloaded staff in various scenarios:

• Market report content
• Technical communications
• Government legislative publishing
• Internal technical content (Specifications, design data) 
• Financial services information
• Marketing material and catalogue publishing
• and many more…

15 years ago, XML solutions were notoriously expensive and difficult, meaning only larger organisations could build the business case for them. Today, the market has changed significantly.

Mekon provide a range of skills letting us put in XML solutions that work with your staff. We not only implement XML solutions, but also consult and train users on the best practices surrounding them.

Mekon specialise in:

• XML Authoring, XML Component Content Management (XML CCMS) and XML Publishing Systems
• XSLT for Content Migration and XML Publishing
• DITA Content Management and DITA Publishing
• S1000D CSDBs and S1000D Publishing
• Both bespoke development and implementation of open source and 3rd-party tools

The Content Technology Audit (CTA) is very similar in process and approach to the Content Strategy Audit, but is especially suited for review of implemented systems and content solutions. Companies who have already restructured their processes or have already implemented multi-format publishing or, component reuse systems and are looking to extend or enhance them, can benefit from a CTA.

The CSA and CTA are often used together where large changes are needed and business process changes and financial justification is required to support them.

The CTA discusses the benefits and pitfalls of certain tools, open source vs. custom built vs. commercially supported, and internal data standards vs. open industry standards. Mekon will then deliver a report outlining our recommendations on specific points of your technology strategy.

Since 1990, Mekon has been reviewing and analyzing content creation, content management and publishing systems and their related business processes.  From these experiences we have developed a streamlined methodology for justifying, planning and implementing content solutions for organisations of all sizes:

The Mekon Consulting and Implementation Process^tm

Our Process includes these main stages, with optional add-on modules, and each stage can be customised or iterated over as many times as necessary for a given organisation's situation.

• Mekon Content Strategy Audit (CSA)^tm
  (& Content Technology Audit (CTA)^tm)
• Project Scoping and Planning (PSP)
• Conference Room Prototyping (CRP)
• Iterative System Implemenation (ISI)
  

Flexible Approach - Product Agnostic Advice

Our approach is not a rigid template, but a product agnostic "roadmap" which can be used to review existing systems (XML or unstructured, 3rd party or internally developed), or progress more loosely structured or unmanaged workflows into industrialised production practices.

We help justify investment, then make sure that whatever is invested has the maximum return.

Mekon's consultants make unbiased recommendations which address:

• Tool selection and training requirements analysis
• Return On Investment
• Process change and change management
• Project feasibility
• Content Migration

Even the most turnkey solutions will need some customisation.  In order to maximise ROI from a project, integration to other systems is often required. 

Mekon provide a range of skills letting us put in solutions that work with your staff.  We not only implements solutions, but also consultant and train users on the best practices surrounding them. Our cross-client cross-industry experience is an asset to our clients and helps keeps Mekon a market leader in this area.

Mekon specialise in 

• XML Authoring, XML Component Content Management (XML CCMS) and XML Publishing Systems
• XSLT for Content Migration and XML Publishing
• DITA Content Management and DITA Publishing
• S1000D CSDBs and S1000D Publishing
• Both bespoke development and implementation of open source and 3rd-party tools

See our featured and related items for more about how Mekon's technical expertise can help improve how a business functions.

The ROI of structured and XML Authoring has been proven by organisations around the world, or groups as small as a single content creator to hundreds of contributors and subject matter experts.

If you want to

• evaluate requirements and recommend tools
• customise, configure and integrate XML Authoring tools for your specific needs
• train your users in their use in a custom or generic training course

Mekon employ the experts and methods to support you.

Why XML Authoring?

• Enables superior content reuse and content management
• Underpins modern and web 2.0 publishing and delivery systems
• Drastically slashes localisation / translation costs and increases quality
• Removes dependency on proprietary tools and formats

Supported Tools

• JustSystems XMetaL (all editions including DITA and Enteprise Edition)
• Adobe FrameMaker (Structured and Unstructured)
• Quark XML Author (XML Authoring Tool previously known as InVision Xpress Author)
• Altova Authentic
• PTC Arbortext Editor
• Syntext Serna
• SyncRO Soft <oXygen/>

Mekon Information Mentoring Process

The Mekon Information Mentoring Process is designed to help clients understand how they can manage their information and accelerate the move towards implementation of highly efficient, cost effective information management solutions.  By leveraging Mekon's information management experience, our clients are able see through the maze of technologies, standards and tools and select the most appropriate, fit for purpose solution.

Verify 

• Cost effective initial step in defining an information management strategy
• Provide a cross departmental view
• Enable decision makers to see how, why, and where content creation, management and delivery strategies can be improved
• Raise staff awareness of content issues effecting their departments
• Report on best practice content management strategies, standards and technologies
• Identify Return on Investment metrics for creation of internal business case

Plan

The Planning and Scoping stage has been developed specifically to help clients discover precise details of how to successfully execute a content or document-related business strategy. 

• Shortlist the best tools for the job
• Set the specific project goals and priorities
• Define high level workflows and use case scenarios for product selection
• Minimise disruption by facilitating communication and understanding among all project sponsors and team members
• Validate feasibility of specific project scope, ensuring it will work on time and on budget

Prototype

• Accelerate and reduce costs of tool selection process
• Get first-hand experience of the usability and functionality of the system and how it will impact your working day
• Workshops sessions enhance support from internal staff who are included early in the project
• Identify and mitigate potential risks earlier
• Refine and validate project requirements and use cases
• Gather formal lists of actions and discussion points for feeding an evaluation report

Implement 

The Iterative Implementation helps clients deliver a controlled roll-out of modules identified in previous stages.  Each module is delivered in phases with functionality verified as you go to minimise disruption and reduce risk.  Clients are assured tools are up to the job, staff understand the new way of working and the business maximises benefits from the system.

• Deliver a controlled, well managed project roll-out
• Verify functionality, demonstrate return on investment and ensure compliance with stated requirements after every iteration
• Minimise disruption and associated project risk
• Ensure delivery of fit-for-purpose system that returns measurable value

Overview

Component Content Management is the practice of componentising content to small modules, so that it  can be use to create publications by pulling the desired modules together at publish-time.  Publishing modules can either follow a preset table of contents (e.g. a DITA map or S1000D DML) or, be completely dynamic, allowing users to make their own documents on the fly.

Mekon assist our clients with the selection and implementation of Component CMS Systems.

Component Content Management Systems (CCMS) understand content reuse at a level smaller than an entire publication, allowing several documents to share centrally updated content.  Examples of these include EMC x-hive docato, Trisoft CMS (previously known as InfoShare), Ovidius TCToolbox, XyEnteprise Contenta, SiberLogic SiberSafe, and so on.

XSLT Development is one of Mekon's core skills. As the defacto standard technology for transforming content, XSLT skills are an essential component of many of our single source XML publishing and XML content management solutions.

Mekon provide XSLT Development Services for:

• XML Publishing
• Content Conversion (to / from XML or other formats)
• Manipulation and 'clean up' during XML Authoring and reuse

Iterative System Implementation is designed to help clients deliver a controlled, well managed roll-out of system components and essential functionality identified in previous stages.

Mekon advises against aggressive “big bang” roll out schedules as it often causes significant disruption to client’s important daily business and hence increases the risk of failure.

We work closely with clients refining the order that key functions need to come online.  We implement using an iterative process that tests and verifies each module against pre-defined project requirements and quality criteria.

Our measured approach delivers each phase with manageable modules, designed to ensure successful implementation of the specified project requirements, whilst minimising disruption and mitigating project risks.

Our clients are ensured that the final system is proven to be up to the job and that staff understand the reasons and benefits of any new ways of working.

Benefits of Iterative Implementation:

• Deliver controlled, well managed project roll-out
• Verify functionality as-you-go and demonstrate compliance with stated requirements
• Minimise disruption and associated project risk
• Ensure delivery of fit-for-purpose system that returns measurable value 

The Project Scoping and Planning stage of a project has been developed specifically to get into the precise details of how to successfully execute a content or document-related business strategy.

Following in-depth analysis of documents and processes, Mekon assists clients by recording and refining initial technical requirements, short-listing potential tools, and laying out a recommended solution architecture. We will also define the vitally important project success criteria and business metrics that will be used to measure performance on an ongoing basis.

PSP Benefits

• Shortlist the best tools for the job
• Set the specific project goals and priorities
• Define high level workflows and use case scenarios for product selection
• Minimise disruption by facilitating communication and understanding among all project sponsors and team members
• Validate feasibility of specific project scope, ensuring it will work on time and on budget

The Content Strategy Audit looks at the creation, management, review, reuse, and delivery of your content and data. We help focus your content strategy on satisfying your customers while making your organisation more efficient internally.

The CSA is a short, low-cost way to get some peace of mind, guidance and validation before taking any decisions on whether change is needed. Your commitment is limited to examining the potential in your situation, and which is the best way forward, so extensive upfront investment and risk are avoided. The audit helps with questions like:

• Should you go XML?
• Are your content processes optimised for your customers' needs?
• Can you streamline collaboration by applying new technologies like DITA, S1000D, XQuery or new information architecture best practices?
• What have other companies in your situation done to help with content issues?

Request a fast quote

Content Strategy Audit Benefits

• A cost-effective first step in defining a content management or content publishing strategy
• Get a clear distinction of internal and external customer benefits vs. system user benefits vs. financial return on investment
• Enable decision makers to see how, why, and where content processes can be improved
• Report on best practice content management strategies, XML standards and technologies
• Identify Return on Investment metrics for creation of internal business case

Contact us to find out more

Our customer's words...

"The Content Strategy Audit gave me confidence I was recommending the right solution and enabled me to provide the business with accurate return on investment information.”

- Mark Southee, Documentation Manager, SurfControl Plc.

The Conference Room Prototype (CRP) is a hands-on workshop and training session designed to help clients accelerate the product selection or project requirement development process.

Leveraging Mekon's years of experience in the information management industry, our team assists clients in selecting the most appropriate, fit for purpose tools that match their specific requirements.

Our approach helps organisations work out longer term requirements and prevents them from choosing tools that seem appropriate in a demonstration, in the hands of the vendors, but present brick-wall challenges during implementation.

CRPs are also used during large implementations or when the tool is already chosen as project kick-off and training exercises.

The CRP is conducted on a fixed price basis and enables clients to quickly and confidently make the best decision for their organisation.

CRP Benefits

• Accelerate and reduce costs of tool selection process
• Get first-hand experience of the usability and functionality of the system and how it will impact your working day
• Workshops sessions enhance support from internal staff who are included early in the project
• Identify and mitigate potential risks earlier
• Refine and validate project requirements and use cases
• Gather formal lists of actions and discussion points for feeding an evaluation report