Within the ProSieben corporation, ProSieben Digital Media
GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of ProSieben Media AG, is responsible for the creation
and distribution of text and files for various types of media, including videotext,
Internet and teletext. In addition, ddp Nachrichtenagentur GmbH, another wholly owned
subsidiary of ProSieben Media AG, delivers basic services, such as national and state news
and special reports, as well as subscription photo and graphics services. It is very
important to ddp to be able to guarantee that editorial and scheduling information can be
sent to customers individually. With a sophisticated distribution system, about 1000
pieces of information can be matched with up to several hundred subscribers to whom
customized packages are sent daily.
So, in November 1999, ProSieben Digital Media and Think Tank Corporate Consulting GmbH, the IT specialist for new media,
worked together to develop Packager, a centralized multimedia content distribution system
based on XML. In this solution a subscription profile is maintained for each customer, and
the XML data is evaluated based on these profiles.
Technology Conversion Project Comes Off Without a Hitch
The technology conversion was a
time-sensitive project. After selecting Tamino, ProSieben left it to Think Tank to direct
the implementation of the existing content distribution solution in conjunction with
Software AG's innovative XML database.
Although XML is the strategic data format used by ProSieben Digital Media to store
information and communicate between systems, the central content management system is
based on a relational database management system (RDBMS). Accordingly, the RDBMS had to be
linked to Tamino, which was quite simple, because Packager's Importer module automatically
loads relevant content from the RDBMS to Tamino,
where it is then stored in native XML format. The dispatcher was used to assign individual
content to the different subscribers. Even before this project, a Web-based application
had been implemented so that the editorial team could enter and store information on the
contents.
Numerous Benefits
The project was completed to the satisfaction of ProSieben Digital
Media in a little less than three months, due to the support of Software AG and its
partners. The course that the project followed has been described as exemplary, thanks in
part to Tamino, the only native XML database on the
market. The following are a few of the benefits of the content distribution system:
- XML
architecture throughout.
- high data throughput.
- Automatic and individual content assignment.
-
Automatic format conversion and distribution.
- Automatic scheduling.
- Changes can be
implemented easily.
- Increased efficiency through fewer internal and external interfaces.
Tamino on the Job
ProSieben Digital Media's high expectations for the implementation
and use of Tamino have been met fully. The
innovative and robust XML database from Software AG guarantees unlimited XML usage and
optimal performance. Tamino efficiently manages complex, hierarchically structured
documents. The structure of the Tamino database can be easily adapted to new information
with very little effort; changes can be implemented effortlessly.
Adoption and Implementation of IT Projects
Software AG and its partners have a great
deal of expertise in the conceptualization, planning, and efficient implementation of
application development projects, owing to many successfully executed IT projects.
Tried-and-true methods guarantee that the deadline and budget of an individual project are
kept-regardless of a customer's company structure and industry.
