PlanetPress Connect

Planet Press Connect is the new Planet Press Suite from the Objectif Lune company. It is a broad software solution for creatiing of transactional variable data documents, communication materials, and customized document workflows.

Planet Press Connect is a set of tools for converting and merging data from almost any format. It allows users to (Read more)

Planet Press Connect is the new Planet Press Suite from the Objectif Lune company. It is a broad software solution for creatiing of transactional variable data documents, communication materials, and customized document workflows.

Planet Press Connect is a set of tools for converting and merging data from almost any format. It allows users to design and build documents and other outputs bringing in data and texts from a very wide variety of sources. It is typically used for creating transactional documents, but it is possible to merge variable data into output (even dynamic graphics like pie charts) for reports and marketing communications too.

The suite is intended to provide a platform with drag-and-drop tools for a user to create custom document templates into which variable data can be merged. Since the templates continue to be the basis for VD merges as the data evolves, this process can save a great deal of time. Planet Press can automate tasks which would otherwise involve manually collating data, texts and graphics from different sources each and every time output is required.

Data and content can be imported from a broad set of sources in almost any format. It can be output from Planet Press in a wide variety of ways too, from standard document or web styles to even OMR, SMS and barcodes.

Planet Press connect has three main components, and some additional add-ons.

The main tools, the components of the suite are:

DataMapper
This suite of database tools imports data from a wide variety of different sources with differing formats into the Planet Press data model, which is one designed for content management. This single repository for all content frees the user from format and filetype restrictions in subsequent stages, and suits usage in this context: all the information can be wrapped up in a "Record" which can be dragged and dropped into the broad range of Planet Press output templates.

Designer
In the Designer app, users create documents and other forms of content into which different bits of Records are merged. The Designer makes Templates, which contain the layout (the design of the desired print, email or web output) as well as all the rules and code (etc.) for merging the Records. Templates can be used in different Contexts, so for example, one layout intended for a printout can be re-employed easily as the basis for an email. All aspects of the Designer are based on html, css and js.

WorkFlow
The WorkFlow tool, as its name suggests, automates processes. Using icons on a drag-and-drop interface, repetitive tasks can be designed and modified. Workflows include Inputs, Trigers and Outputs. Each step can be defined in detail.
The WorkFlow tools is also endowed with tools for capturing print streams (e.g. from legacy systems) and mapping the data in them for re-use elsewhere, typically as input Records in a WorkFlow. This means the end-customer need no longer rely on an antique printer, and/or can create Records from fields of data locked in a specific output from a legacy system, often data which they could not exploit otherwise.