Small Apps for S1000D Users

Very very rarely do I ever push applications which Mekon has on its shelves but on this occasion I thought that I would flag up some useful stuff. Our clients are from a wide range of sizes from the large corporate to the much smaller one or two person band. All are equally important to us but our smaller clients often operate with a distinct disadvantage in that they cannot afford an S1000D compliant CSDB. Of course the functionality of the various CSDBs can be considerably different.

Without a CSDB there are a number of functions which have not been available to them. For a start I mention just two of them and provide just a little bit more information about them.

• Assisted Data Despatch Note creation
• Assisted Illustrated Parts Data creation

Assisted DDN Creation

The creation of a Data Desptach Note can be a fiddly occupation usuallly requiring the copying of filenames and then some serach and replace to get the various elements wrapped round the data. As part of the Product Improvement practice that we undertake from time to time we decided to incorporate this within our standard S1000D Editor application. Such a little thing but it makes a huge difference to the day to day running of S1000D projects.

Assisted Illustrated Parts Data Creation

I remember as if it was yesterday when the IPD data module DTD was released. At that time I was involved in a UK Navy project migrating existing parts lists into S1000D. Although we were heavily involved in S1000D Feasibility Studies for the UK MoD the powers that be would not release the DTD to us even though we were also heavily involved in S1000D specification work (even creating one of the Data Module types). I think we were horrified when we saw the DTD in a Visual DTD application. It was explained to us that it was to be a mechanism to send data from one S2000M user to another.

Is it any wonder then that the Business Rules associated with several projects that we have seen over the last three or four years have clearly stated the the Illustrated Parts Data Module should not be created by hand.

So what do you do? You create a  standalone application which enables you to create the IPD Data Module using an enhanced output from a parts data base The enhanced output is a spreadsheet file of the parts data. All databases can output spreadsheet files as a report on a table.

Mekon has provided a short series of videos which show how this application works.

Mekon also have a similar application for the ATA iSpec2200 Illustrated Parts List specification.