Overview

Introduction

Database publishing incorporates the production of catalogues, dictionaries, encyclopaedia, directories etc. - anything where information is held in a database and runs automatically from that database (using 3B2). 3B2 has the ability to converse with the database using SQL & APIs

Increase production speed and maintain accuracy

Every database publishing project is different, but the core objectives are identical: an increase in production speed, together with guaranteed accuracy. For this purpose, 3B2 has been developed as a fully customisable product to solve your company's particular publishing requirements.

Automate the most demanding tasks

Because its own programming structure is specific to the publishing processes, 3B2 can automate even the most demanding tasks. 3B2's support for SQL enables it to automate and handle very complex rules where context sensitivity is required, conversing with the database through APIs and SQL commands.

In fact, you can produce a completely automated 3B2 solution for the composition/pagination of documents with virtually no manual intervention - even the task can be started by the database itself.

Publishing Data from Database

Publishing from a database most commonly happens in two different ways:

The most usual way is to export data from the database in some format, ideally marked-up SGML/XML. 3B2 picks up this export data and formats it using a template.
The other way is that 3B2 connects to the database through ODBC and selects data using SQL statements. The data is given to 3B2 as records then scripts in 3B2 can pick content field by field. This content is positioned and/or formatted in many different ways.

There are clear criteria when a direct connection to the database is the best option; either the publication process (for example formatting) produces some additional information that should be written back to the database, or you are producing a catalogue where the whole formatting and design process for all pages using content from the database takes quite a long time, but you need the option to update parts of the publication just before you print it out (for example prices) and therefore you need a permanent link from your document to your database. In all other cases the export method is preferred.

3B2 provides totally automated solutions

Dynamic interpretation of SGML/XML or any marked-up data.
Automatic high speed pagination.
Dynamic generation of folios, indexing and contents.
Dynamic placement and sizing of tables, graphics, footnotes and endnotes.

Fast, accurate production for any media

3B2 is the fastest pagination engine available, making it ideally suited for the automated production of high volume publications for printing, CD-ROM production and electronic dissemination of information via Internet/Intranet.

Applications include catalogues, parts lists, directories, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, technical documentation and much more.

Cost effective in the short term, cost efficient in the long run

Using 3B2 as your main automated publishing solution will not only provide a cost effective solution in the short term, but it will also provide a significant return on investment (ROI). An example of this can be seen in a configuration using 3B2 which consists of 60 high-end PCs all running 3B2, controlled by CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture). This system is capable of producing 670,000 pages per hour of detailed and accurate documentation.