Essential Parts of a Content Management System (cont...)
* Converting. This is the process of changing the elementation scheme (i.e., the tagging structure) of the content. In this process the structural as well as the format related codes must be handled. One conversion problem comes in identifying structural elements (sidebars or footers, for example) that have only format codes marking them in the source content. Another problem comes in transforming formatting elements that don't exist in the target environment.
* Editorial/Metatorial Services. Editorial services fit each new content component into a system of formatting, voice, and style. Metatorial services fit each new component into a system of structures and connections. To do their work, editors use a style guide. To do their work, "metators" use a Metatorial guide. Like the style guide, the Metatorial guide details the meta information system and gives direction on how to fit new components into it. All types of content collection depend on solid editorial and Metatorial guides.
Management
The management system is the repository of all content and meta information, as well as the processes and tools employed to access and manage the collected content and meta information. The repository holds all of the content and meta information of the system.
Repositories perform the following functions:
o Textual content. This content is either flat text, or more often
markup. In a relational database the markup is usually saved
as text within fields. In an object database, the markup is
broken into all its elements and made accessible.
o Components. The repository must be able to link content into
manageable components. The better the repository, the
greater the ability to create, modify, and find components.
o Binaries and file-based data. Whether in the file system or
inside a custom data store, the repository needs to be able
to effectively manage a range of data, media, and executable
files.
* Store content. The repository may be one or a set of databases of various kinds. It can include the file system and network resources of the host computer. If the repository is distributed among databases, one database is often in a master position, organizing the information in the others. The repository must be able to store:
Meta information. The repository must be an effective store of the variety of meta information that needs to be collected. Some of this meta information is coded into the structure of the repository itself (for example, a database table can be created especially to store meta information for a particular component type). However meta information is stored, the repository must provide for the amount and kind of meta information needed to describe your content
