SilkRoad's Eprise Eases Content Management

Eprise boasts an in-content, Java-based Web page editor called Lite Editor, which supports basic editing functions such as copy, paste, fonts and color. Unlike Ektron's editor, which is also included but only works on Internet Explorer and Windows, Lite Editor is compatible with multiple browsers and environments. CRN Test Center engineers found Lite Editor responded quickly, even while working with large pages.

Eprise also includes a QuickForms editing capability, which allows users to modify content while working on a Web page. The QuickForms feature controls all content objects and content properties on a page and can automatically build a page for editing. This powerful feature lets users edit content directly on a page without having to re-create separate pages to make content changes.

Eprise's RediEdit is truly a WYSIWYG in-content editor. RediEdit gives users the same rights they would have with a text editor, such as the right to publish and view changes. This editor is ideal for streamlining a workflow process, as users can delve deeply into pages and content that need changes and publish the changes instantly.

A newly released Eprise Docs feature embeds a plug-in into Windows Explorer so users can drag and drop documents directly from their hard drive into the content management system. Eprise includes the capability to automatically render documents to Web pages. It can also check for meta-data changes within documents before they are rendered in a system. This feature makes document management easier for average users.

Developers can also programmatically change workflow processes on the fly using the Workflow Action Triggers. This feature enables developers to insert process steps at any point in a workflow using programmatic control over any task, including individual section blocks that make up a page. Developers or users can choose any element on a page and, by activating a wizard-driven Action Trigger, can define or modify any action involving that element's approval process. Actions are flexible and can be triggered based on any changes to a page, including alerting users when the software initiates an action.

Eprise is well known for its ability to allow script code from various languages to be embedded into business logic and then associate that logic with content on a page. This method is unusual since code is usually directly connected to a specific piece of page content. Eprise treats the concept of a Web page as a method to display content or as a piece of application code so a coded page appears as just another Web page in a site. Workflow Action Triggers point to application pages to execute logic. Developers can also jump between different workflows based on any programmatic event.

When Eprise executes C# code, for example, the system creates feedback from events that are compatible with the executed language so code can interact with any condition outside of a coded page. Using a Script Builder or Rule Builder, developers can create various programmatic conditions to render content. The Rule Builder is the easiest way for developers and users to accomplish simple tasks and build pages dynamically, since rules are predefined by the software. These predefined Eprise rules allow users to build pages without having to write code. Eprise provides powerful string manipulation functions that can perform data merges, formatting, validation, data access and testing on any page content or internal configuration files. This API simplifies many difficult functions within a language. Without it, most developers would have to rely on third-party language libraries or open-source code to get the job done.

Out of the box, Eprise provides a rich event-driven API that covers most of the actions that a developer would need to use on a page. What's more, Eprise boasts an integration API to add content brought from outside the Eprise content management system. The integration API can support content imported from Microsoft's Active Server Pages, Java Server Pages, Macromedia's Cold Fusion, Web services and internal scripting. Eprise can also edit or retrieve content using Web services, whereby the code can be written with any scripting language supported by Eprise, including .Net languages. Web services are primarily used to interact with applications that deliver content to Eprise, and users can retrieve and manage content from them. Eprise does not include a Web services engine, nor does it act as one. Instead, the software acts primarily as a Web services client.

SilkRoad's average reseller margin can be as high as 40 percent based on partners' sales track records. The company can help integrators with special pricing in competitive bid situations, and it offers margin-enhancement incentives. Sales support is provided for all referrals; in-person training is provided as well. SilkRoad offers partners additional Web-based training on an as-needed basis. Eprise costs $39,000 per server or $2,900 per month when sold as a service.

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>SilkRoad Eprise

COMPANY: SilkRoad technology, Inc.
Winston-Salem, NC
336-201-5100
http://www.silkroadtech.com
DISTRIBUTORS: Ironworks consulting, Multimedia Solutions Corp (MSC), Alegri, Envision Group
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