TT PERFORMANCE SUITE WHAT'S NEW IN RELEASE 2014

Transcription

1 TT PERFORMANCE SUITE WHAT'S NEW IN RELEASE 2014

2 Imprint Copyright TTS Knowledge Products GmbH. All rights reserved. What's New in Release 2014 TT Performance Suite 19. May 2014 II

3 Table of contents 1 Simplification of the product model Improved integration of TT Knowledge Force and TT Guide TTS Cloud Innovations in TT Knowledge Force SmartComponents Integration with SuccessFactors Improved search function in the Web Publisher New PowerPoint import formats Enhanced customizing option: Choice between the Compatibility mode and the Standard mode in Internet Explorer Innovations in TT Guide New design Use all types of documents and hyperlinks Structure information using processes, courses and topics Explain input fields via Field Helps Sweeping innovations Standardization of the Recording functions in TTKF and TT Guide Integrated hit list in QuickAccess Integrated search function in the portal III

4 1 Simplification of the product model As of Release 2014, both our products TT Knowledge Force and TT Guide will be available in two editions only Quickstart and Professional. The Quickstart Edition is based on the idea of a "Best Practice" system which is preconfigured for immediate use and comes without sophisticated customizing options. This facilitates a quick project start-up. The Quickstart Edition is only available in the TTS Cloud (yet another innovation) in the form of "Software as a Service" (SaaS). The Professional Edition is the new "all-inclusive" product mix which supports individual customization and includes all those additional components and adapters which used to be subject to an extra charge. The scope of the TT Guide has also been significantly enhanced. It now contains several functions which were previously only available with the TT Knowledge Force product (e.g. the depiction of process flows or the integration of all kinds of documents, such as PDFs in the Online Help). Quickstart Edition Best Practice model Facilitates a quick project start Operation in the Cloud as SaaS No complicated setup Professional Edition Includes all functions and adapters Supports individual customization Operation can be freely selected: Cloud or On-Premises Seamless integration into existing IT landscape Table 1 - Comparison of product editions There will be no immediate changes for existing customers of TT Knowledge Force and TT Guide as their existing licenses can continue to be used with the full range of familiar functions. With the exception of Workstation customers, since the Workstation scenario will no longer be available following the launch of Release Existing Workstation customers will receive additional information outlining their options. Furthermore, all existing customers will have the opportunity to switch over to the new product model under attractive terms and conditions. The benefit to you: No matter which edition you choose, you will receive a significantly enhanced range of functions with which you can implement considerably more use cases than in the past. For example, you will get to enjoy all the advantages that come with being able to use all the available content languages or the opportunity to publish content on an ipad. If interested, please don't hesitate to get in touch with your assigned TTS Account Manager. Brand new functions, such as SmartComponents, will only be available in the new simplified product model. 4

5 2 Improved integration of TT Knowledge Force and TT Guide Thanks to the integration of Guide Base into the Web Publisher, along with the considerable enhancement of QuickAccess, both products are now combined in the areas which are visible to end users: in the Portal and in Online Help. Customers with a license for both TT Knowledge Force and TT Guide will in future have uniform access to all content, such as guides, documents and structural elements (courses, processes and topics), as well as to glossary entries. QuickAccess allows end users to access all content in a context-sensitive manner directly at their workstations. On the technical level, the Guide Base will in future no longer be based on the open-source product Typo3, but will instead use the architecture of the Web Publisher. This means that there will in future be uniform system requirements for the server applications of TT Knowledge Force and TT Guide. If, for example, you use TT Knowledge Force in the server scenario, and also purchase a Guide license and upgrade the server, you will easily be able to use the functions of the TT Guide as all you have to do is roll-out the fully revamped TT Guide Client. Screenshot 1 - Integration of the Guide Base in the Web Publisher 5

6 3 TTS Cloud The adoption of a cloud strategy signals the expansion of our portfolio to include yet another component. With the launch of Release 2014, both products TT Knowledge Force and TT Guide will be available in the "TTS Cloud". You will be able to choose between: a "Software as a Service" model (SaaS) and a "Managed Hosting" model. If you opt for the SaaS option, you will receive a complete package consisting of software, maintenance and hosting, for which you will pay a subscription fee. Under the "Managed Hosting" model, you will be able to avail of a hosting service in addition to your existing software license. In this model, only the hosting service will be subject to an annual fee. As an existing customer, this means that you can relocate your current server to the cloud, thereby slashing your in-house IT expenditure. Both models involve a "Managed Service" which not only includes the simple hosting of servers (hardware, operating system) but also technical maintenance on the application level (database, application servers and the TTS applications running on them). The licenses for the necessary operating environment (e.g. database) are also already included in this model. Customers will only have to personally tend to the roll-out of our client software (TTKF and TT Guide) along with the administration of the TTS applications (user maintenance, defining workflows etc.). To ensure the ultimate in data protection and system reliability, the TTS Cloud is operated in data centers operated by Amazon Web Services in Ireland and which are certified according to EU standards. Additional benefits of the TTS Cloud at a glance: Reduced operating costs Comprehensive service Quicker project start Dynamic scalability Great availability Security and data protection Worldwide data distribution Amazon as technology partner TTS is a technology partner in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) partner network. One of our main motivations for choosing AWS as a partner is the fact that Amazon is the undisputed market leader from a technological perspective. Plus, hardly any other provider would have been able to implement a solution that guarantees this level of performance, fail-safe operation and global scalability. The TTS Cloud therefore relies on the same AWS infrastructure as other renowned web services (such as Dropbox, LinkedIn, Netflix or Spotify). What's more, AWS is also certified for business-critical enterprise applications such as the SAP Business Suite or SAP HANA. So basically, all the pieces of the jigsaw are now in place, meaning that TTS customers can look forward to an optimal cloud environment. 6

7 4 Innovations in TT Knowledge Force 4.1 SmartComponents SmartComponents are components which can be flexibly designed in order to considerably enhance the level of interactivity in web-based training. They can be used to implement design elements which would otherwise be difficult or highly time-consuming to realize using the in-built TT Knowledge Force features (such as buttons which maintain their current state even when the learner moves to the next page, or the 3D animation of a CAD model). SmartComponents can even be used in the interface of TT Knowledge Force, where authors can avail of them to access editing functions that have been specially customized for that particular component. Furthermore, the existing functions of TTKF's Content Runtime Environment (CRE) can also be used by SmartComponents (e.g. proceeding to the next page, Audio on/off etc.). To develop a SmartComponent, you just need a knowledge of HTML and JavaScript, meaning that they can be easily created by any experienced web developer. The SmartComponents-API (Application Programming Interface), which was introduced as a ramp-up feature in TTKF 2013 R2, can now be licensed as part of an upgrade to the new product model. The API supports over 60 methods for the creation of SmartComponents. The new release includes a series of improvements aimed at enhancing their functionality. Three of these are listed below as an example: With the launch of Release 2014, the insertion of SmartComponents is incorporated into the authorization concept for authoring roles. This means that the function for inserting SmartComponents can be assigned to, or removed from, a role. Furthermore, there is now an export/import mechanism for the transport of SmartComponents. The transport format can be used to swap components between the Q and P systems, but also for exchanging them with other customers (e.g. via the TTS Community) or with TTS. Integration into the TTKF templates has also been completed. The authorizations for a template now support the explicit release of every SmartComponent property to an author. Comprehensive reference and API documentation is now also available online. It describes all the supported API functions, provides assistance in developing your own SmartComponents and also includes sample components. 4.2 Integration with SuccessFactors With the help of portal links, courses from TT Knowledge Force can be quickly and easily integrated into SuccessFactors Learning and published (in conjunction with the Web Publisher). This way, the actual training material remains in TTKF and you can avoid manual tasks such as importing and exporting. The publishing of TTKF content in SuccessFactors Learning therefore doesn't require any additional content server (icontent). Minor changes to course content are made directly in the TTKF user interface the modifications are then immediately available in SuccessFactors Learning, meaning that the updating of content could not be more convenient. Users' respective study progress and results are automatically transferred to SuccessFactors Learning. This level of integration is possible "out of the box" thanks to the standardized "AICC 7

8 HACP" procedure and once Single Sign-On (SSO) has been activated, it will no longer even be necessary to log on to the Web Publisher. Please note that existing customizing may have for be updated for a fee. 4.3 Improved search function in the Web Publisher The TT Knowledge Force portal now supports searches for structural elements such as processes, courses or topics. What's more, it now also includes glossary terms in its search. Not only that, but filters can now also be used to quickly narrow down the hit list to include only certain object types. Screenshot 2 - The improved Web Publisher search function 4.4 New PowerPoint import formats With the launch of the new release, it is now possible to carry out the resource import in Power- Point with files in the *.pptx format. Once imported, many of the objects included on a PowerPoint slide can then be edited further in TTKF. This should be of particular interest for non-it training projects where content has already been assembled on PowerPoint. 8

9 4.5 Enhanced customizing option: Choice between the Compatibility mode and the Standard mode in Internet Explorer For the display of graphic objects, such as AutoShapes, all versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) before version IE9 used a technology which was different to that used by all other popular browsers: They relied on proprietary VML (Vector Markup Language) from Microsoft instead of standardized SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). In practice, this meant that graphic objects were often displayed differently in the WYSIWYG Editor than in end users' web browsers, provided they weren't using Internet Explorer. To ensure a uniform appearance and optimal backward compatibility, even with older versions of IE, TTKF content has always been displayed in the IE7 Compatibility mode up to now. Since the release of version 9, Internet Explorer now solely supports SVG instead of VML in the newly added "Standard mode (in other words, a mode in which Internet Explorer more closely complies with web standards), which is why the IE7 Compatibility mode can now be deactivated for the product export via TTKF customizing. This brings many advantages when end users no longer work with older versions of Internet Explorer (before version 9) and use IE9+ or Firefox, Chrome or Safari (MacOS) instead. Not only that, but dispensing with backward compatibility also opens up a whole new field of opportunities, particularly when it comes to programming state-of-the-art SmartComponents. For example, the extended functionality offered by HTML5/CSS3 can now be used, as can innovative JavaScript frameworks all of which were impossible in the IE7 Compatibility mode. However, please remember that the use of such functions within SmartComponents leads to an increase in browser system requirements. Yet another advantage: This type of configuration can also ensure operability in certain Learning Management Systems which prevent the setting of the Compatibility mode when accessing content. 9

10 5 Innovations in TT Guide In addition to the deeper level of integration with TT Knowledge Force, as mentioned above, the TT Guide now has been enhanced with functions which go well beyond the simple act of providing guidance in IT applications. This means that the TT Guide has been transformed into a knowledge management system with which you can deliver all types of information via the context-sensitive QuickAccess. 5.1 New design To tie in with the launch of the new version of TT Guide, the QuickAccess, Web Publisher (former Guide Base) and Guide Creator were completely revamped. Thanks to completely restyled buttons, along with a reduced "flat" design, the TT Guide is now easier to use than ever. The TT Guide design therefore now also matches the current Web Publisher design, giving them a uniform look and feel. Screenshot 3 - Integration of TT Guide into the Web Publisher portal 10

11 Screenshot 4 The new look Guide overview page Screenshot 5 - New "flat" design in the Guide Creator 5.2 Use all types of documents and hyperlinks In addition to guides, TT Guide now also supports the management of all types of documents (PDF, Word etc.) and their publication via QuickAccess or Web Publisher. Existing process manuals or procedural guidelines, for example, can therefore be easily integrated. Similarly, it is now also possible to embed links to other websites (e.g. Intranet or SharePoint). 11

12 5.3 Structure information using processes, courses and topics With TT Guide by your side, you will in future be able to depict additional information in the form of process, course or topic structures and make it available to end users via the Web Publisher portal or in a context-sensitive manner via QuickAccess. You can, for example, depict a process flow and then link this process to an application context, such as a particular SAP transaction. Whenever QuickAccess is subsequently launched from within this SAP transaction, the process will appear in the QuickAccess window. 5.4 Explain input fields via Field Helps The new version of TT Guide gives your users the opportunity to access specific help on defined fields within a business application. The help text can be entered as a glossary term and then delivered to users via QuickAccess exactly at the moment when an end user activates the particular field in the business application. Screenshot 6 Example of an SAP Field Help in QuickAccess 12

13 6 Sweeping innovations 6.1 Standardization of the Recording functions in TTKF and TT Guide The Recording functions in TT Knowledge Force and TT Guide are now based on the same technology. One highly significant improvement is the fact that with the launch of Release 2014, TTKF now also supports the "Microsoft UI Automation" interface which is used by current Microsoft products. This ensures optimal object recognition in Office 2013 applications, for example. Furthermore, the Recorder can now be enhanced via add-ons to facilitate, or improve, object recognition in customer-specific software. 6.2 Integrated hit list in QuickAccess In future, customers with a license for both TTKF and TT Guide will be able to use QuickAccess to generate a context-sensitive hit list featuring content from both products. If, for example, users start QuickAccess while working in Microsoft Word, they will be able to generate a single contextsensitive hit list containing both guides and e-learning units from TT Knowledge Force directly at their workstation. Not only that, but they will also enjoy context-sensitive access to structural elements, documents in other formats or glossary terms. Screenshot 7 - Integrated hit list in QuickAccess 13

14 6.3 Integrated search function in the portal Customers with a license for both TT Knowledge Force and TT Guide will now also be able to use a search function that delivers a single hit list showing consolidated content from both products. This means that users will be able to simultaneously search both products for TTKF documents, guides and structural elements. Screenshot 8 - Integrated search function (with a guide as the second item in the list) 14