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| DataPrompter 2003 | |
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DataPrompter 2003 is a document assembly program that allows users to design and assemble interactive documents and e-mail messages. The Microsoft Word add-on uses reusable blocks of text or graphics saved as boilerplate items, and “DataFields” containing variable information to build the documents. In this review, I will refer to people who create DataPrompter documents as “authors,” and to those who use the documents as “users.” An author also can be a user, but in some office environments, certain people will design all the documents, and everyone else simply will use them. Boilerplate items are created easily by selecting text in any document, clicking “File,” then “Save as Boilerplate Item” in the Word menu. The boilerplate items are Word documents containing anything from graphic images to many highly formatted pages. The user then can choose an item from the boilerplate or any other document directory and place it in a list. The items in the list can be re-arranged, and the boilerplate items and lists can be saved in a shared drive so all users have access to them. They also can be inserted individually or assembled with other boilerplate items in new documents. Users then can create lists of boilerplate items and save them. Later, a user can call up a saved list and assemble items with a button click. For example, an author can save clauses in a contract and collect them as a list. Then a user can assemble a new contract by picking from the list and inserting various clauses, graphics or blocks of text. In addition to creating boilerplate items and lists, authors can create interactive documents that prompt users to enter variable information into documents, such as short amounts of text, addresses and dates. This is done through a system of prompts in the form of text boxes, drop-down lists and check boxes. The variable fields can be made conditional. For example, if the user specifies the recipient’s gender as female, all the pronouns are changed to “she” and “her.” When designing a document with DataPrompter, an author can create documents from scratch or convert existing documents by automatically replacing words with DataPrompter’s “DataFields.” For example, the author can convert a contract initially drafted for a particular company by replacing all instances of the same word with the DataPrompter field that identifies the new company. The author can lock out other users of the document, which will prevent them from making changes to the document itself, but allow them to enter specific information. Upon installation, the program places a new menu item in the Word toolbar. To create a DataPrompter document, an author starts with a blank document or with a document already created using Word. Clicking the DataPrompter menu, the author selects “Create/Modify DataField” from the drop-down options, chooses the type of field (text or a check box, for example), enters the name and any other information about the DataField, clicks “OK,” then inserts it into the document. An author can create DataPrompter documents either as Word documents or Word templates. To use the resulting document and be prompted to enter information in the various blanks, a user clicks “File,” then “Open Boilerplate Item,” pulls down the DataPrompter menu and chooses “Show DataPrompter.” The user also can click “File,” then “New” to create a document from a template. A dialog box will open requesting the missing variable information be entered. By choosing Word as the Microsoft Outlook e-mail editor, DataPrompter authors can create boilerplate e-mails and customize the content. Users also can pull information from the Outlook contacts list, which should cut down on repetitive typing. The resulting documents are standard Word documents, which can be viewed or edited by anyone using Word. However, to assemble new documents or to have the user be prompted for information, the user must have DataPrompter 2003 installed on his or her computer. The company offers free (but not toll-free) telephone support. The primary advantage of this product over other document assembly systems is its ease of use. While perhaps not as powerful as other programs, DataPrompter allows authors to design documents while users of other programs still are trying to figure out the manual. |
Coan and Company Inc. Price: $149 for one license. Contact company for other options. Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP Reviewed by Grace Suarez, a sole practitioner and knowledge management consultant based in San Francisco. PROS CONS VERDICT |
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