[austechwriter] Re: ISYS, dtSearch, zyImage, Verity Ultraseek, RoboInfo

From: "HALL Bill" <bill.hall@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 15:48:08 +1000 (EST)
Garry,

I would certainly take a good serious look at ISYS. Ten years ago when I fi=
rst tested ISYS, it did very much what you ask for. However, at that time i=
t provided no controls over the files other than reflecting the existing ne=
twork security settings (if you couldn't access the directory, you couldn't=
 see what was in it) - and I don't know what they have done to it since. At=
 least then, it was also very easily implemented without any particular ski=
lls. After the initial testing, where we did index our entire network, mana=
gement was only ever comfortable using it to index tightly defined document=
 sets (e.g., an RFT). My recollection is that ISYS's indexes were also smal=
l by comparison to the volume of text indexed (this is something you have t=
o be careful with - in some cases the indexes can be larger than the volume=
 of files indexed!). A significant ISYS advantage is that it is (or at leas=
t was) locally developed, so there should be no problems with support.

We are currently implementing OpenText's LiveLink as a knowledge management=
/retrieval tool. It can index and render for display almost any file format=
 from almost anywhere (network or its own repository) except that it starts=
 getting expensive if you want to include databases) from where content is =
currently located. In addition to its indexing and retrieval capabilities, =
the vanilla system also provides some versioning, access and workflow contr=
ols that are easy to implement where useful; and will allow you to develop =
a sensible taxonomy over time as you progressively bring your existing chao=
s under some degree of control. My understanding is that the vanilla system=
 is comparatively cheap. It starts to become an expensive product when you =
start adding sophisticated modules. It may require a third party database s=
uch as Oracle for its metadata and index. It certainly requires one if you =
are going to use its repository functions. These are questions to ask.

I still have my doubts that LiveLink will happily do everything we are aski=
ng of it; however, I think the pure vanilla application should do everythin=
g you are asking for without any costly intervention. Although LiveLink is =
an overseas product, it is well supported locally (Volante Systems) and has=
 established an Australian user group.

Good luck

Regards,

Bill Hall

Documentation Systems Analyst
Strategy and Development
Tenix Defense
Williamstown, Vic. 3016
Phone: 03 9244 4820
Email:bill.hall@xxxxxxxxx
URL: http://www.tenix.com

Honorary Research Fellow
Knowledge Management Lab
School of Information Management & Systems
Monash University
Caulfield East, Vic. 3145
Phone: 03 9903 1883
Email: william.hall@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
URL: http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/km/
=20

-----Original Message-----
From: Stevens, Garry [mailto:Garry.Stevens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, 4 July 2003 3:11 PM
To: 'austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx'
Subject: [austechwriter] ISYS, dtSearch, zyImage, Verity Ultraseek,
RoboInfo


Hi All:

My unit is looking for a way to pull together a disparate and disorganised
collection of docs in various formats. I've been browsing the above
products, and was wondering if anyone had any experience in any of them.

=46rom what I can work out of the brief (I've only been here two days):

* About ten+ authors involved, producing everything from Word docs to SPSS
scripts to spreadhseets, etc.
* System must index all these forms.
* Every author must be capable of publishing to the system.
* Moderate turnover of personnel, hence the problem: what did old so-and-so
do with that document?
* File locations all over the place. Can't see much point in doing a massive
file re-org since the whole thing will disintegrate fairly rapidly thanks to
personnel turnover.
* Moderate cost: there's only ten people involved, after all.

Yours,
Garry.

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[austechwriter] Re: ISYS, dtSearch, zyImage, Verity Ultraseek, RoboInfo

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