how database
DRIVEN PRODUCTION (DDP) works:
Import from anywhere
Import your data from something as simple as a text file, directly from an ODBC-compatible database via the optional ODBC Data Provider module or from an XML file or URL feed using the XML Data Provider module.
Manipulate and format your data
Data is displayed in a spreadsheet-style panel within InDesign – format, sort, group and query your data right from within InDesign.
You don’t need to return to the source of your data to do something as simple as sorting or querying your data – manipulate your data to show just the records you want to work with.
Link to your document
Link your data to InDesign document content – both text and pictures can be imported at the click of a button.
By creating a link from your database to your document you can ensure that your document always contains the latest information from your data.
The link is bi-directional, so you can modify the data in the document. For instance, if you find your source data to be in error, you can modify it in the document and update the source data to ensure the error never reoccurs.
Dynamic Libraries and Document Templates
See InDesign libraries come alive with DDP! By including Field Specifiers — placeholders that show DDP where and how to insert field content — in your library designs they will be automatically populated with live data when dragged to
the page.
Construct complex, design-oriented, pages in seconds containing data from your data source. It’s as simple as selecting data in your DDP panel and dragging the library item to the page.
Insert Tabular Data
Creating InDesign tables has never been so easy. Use your DDP data panel to define the running order of records and fields, and hit the insert button. A new InDesign table will be inserted in the document, containing your live, linked, data.
Tables stored in DDP libraries will also be populated with linked data with the number of rows in the table prototype being adjusted to accommodate the amount of data you’ve selected in the panel.
Complex tables created from an
XML structure can also be created using the optional XML Data Provider module.
Check for Errors
DDP can check the integrity of your documents to ensure the document content matches the source data.
Eliminate costly mistakes by checking the document for errors – DDP will highlight fields in the document and in the panel whose content does not match the
original data.
Update the Document
If your data has changed at the last-minute, DDP can automatically update your document – or all of the documents contained within an InDesign book. Any formatting you have applied will be preserved where possible.