Why SharePoint Falls Short for Publishing
Organizations striving to maximize the benefits of DITA need a robust and purpose-built publishing platform. While Microsoft SharePoint is one of the most widely adopted enterprise platforms, commonly used for collaboration and content management – it is not a fit for publishing DITA-based content.
In contrast, Bluestream’s XDelivery platform is specialized and offers distinct advantages for DITA content delivery.
Limitations of SharePoint for Publishing DITA Content
SharePoint’s extensive adoption, especially in Fortune 500 companies, often makes it the default platform for content management, including DITA content. However, SharePoint was primarily designed as a collaboration and document management system, not as a dedicated documentation publishing platform. Some key limitations include:
- Lack of Native DITA Support: SharePoint does not natively handle DITA XML content or its specialized structures such as maps, topics, and conditional processing without third-party plugins or customization efforts, making implementation complex and costly.
- Publishing Challenges: Transforming DITA maps to user-friendly formats in SharePoint often results in workarounds, as SharePoint is not optimized for DITA publishing. Users may face errors or need additional tools for reliable transformations.
- Limited Search and Navigation: While SharePoint offers basic search capabilities, it lacks the advanced faceted search tailored for technical documentation, which can hinder the findability of specific technical topics.
- Complex Integration and Maintenance: Deploying DITA workflows on SharePoint requires considerable setup, often involving plugins or custom workflows. This leads to increased maintenance overhead compared to dedicated solutions.
- User Experience Constraints: SharePoint portals are generalized and do not provide a seamless reader experience optimized for technical documentation browsing, filtering, and content personalization.
Bluestream XDelivery: Designed for DITA Content Publishing Excellence
Bluestream XDelivery is a documentation portal specifically built to unify, deliver, and enhance access to technical content, including DITA, PDF, HTML, and multimedia. It provides a purpose-built solution that addresses SharePoint’s shortcomings with several standout features:
- Unified Multi-Format Delivery: XDelivery supports multiple content types seamlessly, allowing users to access DITA XML, PDFs, HTML, videos, and drawings within a single portal.
- Advanced Metadata and Search: It enriches content at the delivery tier with customizable metadata, enabling powerful faceted search filters and full-text search for rapid, precise content discovery.
- User-Centric Content Permissions: XDelivery controls access based on user roles, allowing tailored delivery of content to relevant audiences, enhancing security and user experience.
- Rapid Deployment and Scalability: XDelivery is quick to deploy (sometimes within weeks) and can scale easily as content volumes grow, providing flexibility for evolving documentation needs.
- Integration Capabilities: Integrates smoothly with existing CMS systems, including CRM platforms like Salesforce to provide unified content search and delivery
- Offline Access and Usability: Supports content download for offline use, responsive web design for device independence, and an intuitive admin interface requiring minimal training.
💡 Tip:
When evaluating Bluestream XDelivery, think about how your team currently delivers technical content. Pay attention to pain points like poor search, limited format support, or slow deployment, and use this summary as a checklist to see where XDelivery might directly solve those challenges for you.
Feature Comparison: SharePoint vs. Bluestream XDelivery for DITA Publishing
Feature | SharePoint | Bluestream XDelivery |
Native DITA Support | No native support; requires plugins/custom dev | Full DITA support; built for multi-format delivery |
Multi-Format Content Delivery | Limited, primarily document-centric | Supports DITA XML, PDF, HTML, video, drawings |
Search Functionality | Basic; relies on SharePoint search | Advanced faceted & full-text search with metadata |
Content Permissions | Standard SharePoint permissions | Fine-grained user role-based permissions |
Ease of Deployment | Complex setup, customization required | Rapid deployment within weeks |
Integration | Integrates with Microsoft ecosystem; plugins for DITA | Integrates with CMS, CRM (Salesforce), REST APIs |
User Experience | Generalized portal; limited documentation focus | Responsive design; rich navigation & feedback tools |
Offline Access | Limited | Supports offline content download |
Metadata Enrichment | Limited support | Custom metadata injection to improve findability |
Scalability | Can be scaled but may require costly infrastructure | Highly scalable; cloud or on-premises deployment |
Administration | Moderate complexity; needs training | Simple admin UI with minimal training needed |
Customization | Portal customization possible but limited for docs | Highly customizable branding and portal layout |
Cost | Prohibitive customization costs | Cost-effective with rapid ROI |
Detailed Feature Breakdown
Bluestream's XDelivery
- Platform Focus: Dedicated documentation portal for technical content delivery.
- DITA Handling: Native support for DITA XML and complex documentation structures.
- Search: Rich faceted search enhanced by customizable metadata, improving user access to precise information.
- Content Updates: Lightning-fast content publishing with bulk import and automation.
- User Control: Detailed content access permissions, supporting role-based and customer-specific content.
- Output Formats: Supports DITA, PDFs, HTML, video, drawings, and more, all unified in a single portal.
- Integration: REST API, Salesforce Communities integration, and capability to connect with existing CMS.
- Additional Features: Offline viewing, parts catalog (IPC), comments with feedback loops, AI-powered assistance.
SharePoint
- Platform Focus: Enterprise collaboration, document management, intranet portals.
- DITA Handling: Requires third-party plugins (e.g., DITAonPoint) for limited DITA publishing capabilities.
- Search: Faceted search and metadata are general-purpose, not tailored for the complex structures of technical content.
- Content Updates: Workflow-driven but can be slow and complicated for technical writers.
- User Control: Integrates with Active Directory permissions; however, lacks fine-grained, documentation-specific access control.
- Output Formats: Primarily designed for document storage and sharing; multi-format publishing needs external tools.
Conclusion
While SharePoint is often available in enterprises and can be extended to handle DITA content, it lacks the specialized capabilities, ease, and user-centric features required for effective DITA publishing. The complexity, limited search, and publishing challenges can hinder delivering a seamless experience for technical documentation users.
Bluestream XDelivery, on the other hand, is a modern, cost-effective, and highly specialized documentation portal purpose-built for DITA and technical content delivery. Its robust metadata-driven search, multi-format support, user-friendly interface, and seamless integration options position it as an ideal solution for organizations serious about unlocking the full potential of their DITA content.
For organizations looking to enhance technical documentation delivery, investing in Bluestream XDelivery will deliver superior content accessibility, better user satisfaction, and a future-ready platform scalable to evolving documentation needs.
💡 This article presents a comprehensive comparison and rationale for choosing Bluestream XDelivery over SharePoint for publishing DITA content based on current capabilities and user experience considerations.
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