SDL, the leading provider of Global Information Management solutions, announced today the release of SDL Contenta® S1000D 4.1, the latest version of SDL’s industry-leading Common Source Data Base (CSDB) for S1000D, an international technical information standard for the aerospace and defense industries.  The new release delivers enhanced editorial support and streamlines the S1000D production workflow, enabling mission-critical content to be approved and fielded faster than ever before.

SDL Contenta S1000D is the leading Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) technology adopted by aerospace and defense organizations that are already using or moving to the S1000D standard.  SDL Contenta is a key component of SDL’s complete solution for S1000D which includes Component Content Management, publishing and Interactive Electronic Technical Publication (IETP) software. The preconfigured solution is designed to enable aerospace and defense organizations to simplify the adoption of the latest S1000D specification.  

SDL’s 4.1 release includes new authoring assistance functionality that enables writers to easily find, insert and validate references to other data modules or graphics without leaving the authoring environment.  Tables of Reference are automatically built and updated, saving time and eliminating the potential for human error as writers no longer need to key this information.  Allowing writers and editors to perform quality checks on references early in the process saves time during quality assurance and results in quicker turnaround, better quality publications and increased customer satisfaction.

“Our latest release builds on insights from our growing install base of sophisticated S1000D users,” said Jennifer Goodman, Vice President of Product Management for the SDL Structured Content Technologies division. “Understanding their challenges has enabled us to bring greater efficiencies into the deployment and management of S1000D content.”

The latest release of SDL Contenta S1000D includes functionality for creating and modifying S1000D Publication Modules without applying XML markup or using an XML editor. A “fill-in-the-blanks” web form is used to define Publication Module Codes and metadata, while the publication structure is created by adding book elements and data modules in a tree interface. Publication module content can be easily reorganized and reused as needed using drag and drop. This simple methodology for creating and updating S1000D Publication Modules also saves writers’ time and reduces errors.

SDL Contenta S1000D 4.1 also streamlines editorial and production workflow by adding enhancements to the Data Dispatch Note (DDN) Upload and Export processes and by enabling upload directly to projects.

The new functionality in the SDL Contenta S1000D 4.1 release solidifies SDL’s leadership in driving innovation in S1000D technology.   SDL Contenta S1000D is the only solution that preserves a company’s investment in prior issues of the standard by enabling data modules to be mixed and matched from S1000D Issues 2.2 through 4.1. This unique capability not only eliminates the need for costly data conversion, it greatly reduces the total cost of ownership over the complete lifecycle of the program.

Aerospace and defense leaders who rely on SDL technology for content management and publishing include Boeing, the U.S. Navy, Gulfstream, Sikorsky, Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, Embraer, Dassault, the Finnish Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force. 

For more information or to schedule a demonstration of SDL Contenta S1000D, please email xml@sdl.com or visit http://www.sdl.com/s1000d.