"Real Life" Migration to Structured Doc

[Rick Quatro]

> Items a) and c) will cost you money, but it's well spent. Do it properly 
> from the start and you'll only do it once - try to do it on the cheap and 
> you can spend the money next time around. I've seen it more times than I 
> could count in the 15 years that I've been involved with SGML and XML 
> conversions. Plenty of very bright people have tried to migrate to 
> structure on the cheap - so many smart faces, so much egg.

I agree with Marcus's excellent post, but one thing to consider on the above 
point: even if you hire it out, try to learn as much about each process, 
especially if you can devote some time to it. In today's job climate, it 
pays to learn as much as you can about XML and related technologies. This is 
knowledge that will be valuable, not only in your current job, but perhaps 
in a future job search.

Also, in regards to steps (b) and (c), I have found that some unstructured 
to structured conversions can be adequately handled with FrameMaker's 
conversion tables. Again, if you have time, and a limited budget, this is 
one area that you might consider experimenting with.

Rick Quatro
Carmen Publishing
585-659-8267
www.frameexpert.com