Outcomes
CONVERT.
Bring what you have. Get the structure you need.
Most information already exists, in documents, tables and systems built for another purpose. Convert makes its structure explicit: what each part is, what it applies to and how it relates to the rest, so it can be used beyond the document it was written in. Configured rules derive what the source makes clear, and a person decides where it leaves room for interpretation.
- Information Models
- Structured Content
- Semantic Metadata
- Validation
THE MEANING IS IN THE LAYOUT.
A service manual in Word holds years of troubleshooting knowledge. Its tables follow conventions the team knows by heart: the first column is the fault, the second the cause, the third the remedy, and a merged cell usually means the entry applies to every row beside it. The chapter heading says which machines the table covers. People read all of that at a glance. A search, a service app or a translation process cannot, as long as it is only implied by the layout and the headings around it.
WHAT ONE TABLE BECOMES
Chapter 6 of the Model 200 service manual lists faults in a Word table. Convert turns the way the team reads that table into structure: separate Information Units for each fault, cause and remedy, linked to each other and to the products they apply to.
Illustrative exampleNot real customer or product data
| Fault | Cause | Remedy |
|---|---|---|
| Spindle does not start | Door switch open | Close the door and restart the program. |
| Emergency stop pressed | Release the emergency stop and acknowledge the message on the control panel. See safety notice S-14. |
Information Units (DITA)
Fault
Spindle does not start
Applies to Model 200, all variants
Cause
Door switch open
Remedy
Close the door and restart the program.
Cause
Emergency stop pressed
Remedy
Release the emergency stop and acknowledge the message on the control panel.
Related: safety notice S-14
How each part was settled
The three columns are fault, cause and remedy.
By rule
The table convention of this manual, configured once.
The merged fault cell belongs to both causes.
By a person
Decided while the conversion was set up and kept in the configuration.
All units apply to every variant of the Model 200.
By rule
Taken from the chapter heading.
The second remedy relates to safety notice S-14.
By rule
Taken from the reference in the remedy text.
The units fit the target structure.
Checked
Validated against DITA before anything is used.
When the manual is revised, the saved configuration can run again on the new version. Rows that follow the convention are converted the same way, and a person reviews the result before it is used.
WHAT THE STRUCTURE MAKES POSSIBLE
Finding
A technician who searches for “spindle does not start” finds this fault with both causes and their remedies together.
Translating
Each remedy is a separate unit, so a changed remedy goes to translation on its own and the rest of the table stays as it is.
Delivering
A service app for a Model 200 can show the causes and remedies for that machine, with the safety notice linked.