Examples - Database Publishing

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You have information in a computer database that you want to present in another medium. That's Database Publishing.

Our client is a medium-sized daily newspaper publisher. The assignment in this example was to create a system to store information about community events, to present that information as a Community Calendar in the print edition of the newspaper, and also to present the information as a searchable version on the newspaper's web site.

The solution involves four elements:
  1. Database application.
  2. Web site for the Community Calendar.
  3. Database-to-typesetter link.
  4. Database-to-website link.

1. Database application:
We used 4th Dimension (4D) to create the application that runs on Macintosh computers in the newspaper's editorial offices. Multiple clerks enter event name, dates, venue, description, type, etc. Previously, clerks had to manually re-enter information for recurring events whenever a calendar was published. Now they enter the data once, reducing error and improving morale.

2. Web site:
WebStar hosted the Community Calendar web site as one element of the newspaper's larger site. The web server machine is physically remote from the newspaper's editorial offices. A 4D application on this machine replicates portions of the data held on the editorial office system.

3. Database-to-typesetter:
Editors export selected data from the database to the newspaper's typesetting systems (Quark Xpress or DTi). To format the text, they use interfaces within the 4D application that mimic dialogs in Quark and DTi. Exported text is tagged for direct import to the appropriate typesetter.

4. Database-to-website:
Web designers use a special tagging system within the 4D application to design web page templates around the event data elements. Automated methods send event data to the web site machine each night, updating the next day's Community Calendar with the latest events. The 4D database application at the web server automatically recreates static web pages, and delivers dynamic pages resulting from user searches.