Thomas Kern
Herby Tessadri
Application modules at a glance
Crossbase's PIM, MAM, CMS and Crossmedia solution with a sense for the big picture
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Data maintenance
Product database
The flexible product data model for features, relationships and views
Media Asset Management
Manage image material in a media-neutral manner and operate each medium optimally
Channel Output Management
Market-specific catalogs – meeting the needs of countries, branches of industry and target groups
Basic modules
Database base module
The crossbase software solution is based on an Oracle database and includes an embedded software license. This enables optimum system integration, easy administration and flexible usage, without those responsible for IT having to deal with organizational or technical details.
Multilingual user interface
The user interfaces of the crossbase applications are delivered with a selectable language and optionally offered in other languages. The application languages German, English and French are currently available.
Web application server
Based on the web architecture with web and API servers, users at all locations can maintain and translate product information and media assets. Features, images, text and relationships can be edited in tabular form for products or media assets. At a glance, users are able to see where data is missing, where it differs or where it has been inherited. There are extensive options for sorting, grouping, filtering and customizing the interface.
Data import
ERP interface
crossbase is an open system and has an XML standard interface for importing data from upstream systems. The import of data into the crossbase database can be automated and time-controlled. In addition, data can also be transferred back into the ERP system.
Data import configurator
crossbase offers a graphical user interface to analyze the structure of Excel files and to connect columns with database fields. Transformation rules for automated transformations can be applied. These settings can be saved and applied to similar Excel files.
Data maintenance
Product database
The item master data in the ERP system is generally insufficient for customer-oriented, market- and media-specific product communication. Therefore follows the additional maintenance of product features, views, and product relationships in the PIM system. Mandatory fields and inheritance functions can be used for efficient data maintenance.
Media Asset Management
The integrated Media Asset Management (MAM) stores and categorizes photos, graphics and symbols as well as documents, videos and CAD drawings – all in media-neutral format. From a source format, the integrated graphics and video converter, or alternatively Adobe Photoshop, automatically generates media-compatible output formats. With the video converter all common video formats can be created and video sequences can be cut.
Text management
Texts are captured media-neutrally and managed granularly, so that they can be reused many times over. This keeps the maintenance effort as low as possible. The variety of texts can be structured and managed by means of categories and versions in all languages of the world.
Channel Output Management
Due to increasing internationalization, the requirements for market-specific printed, online and electronic catalogs are constantly increasing. Catalog management offers the possibility of creating market- and country-specific catalog ranges and price lists and taking them into account in automated media production.
Workflow management
When maintaining data and producing media, product managers, editors, translators, graphic designers and layout specialists work hand in hand. With the integrated workflow module, the work process is supported in a structured manner for all participants by means of a configurable task list and completeness check.
Translation
Translation management
Product communication can be made available rapidly in all markets with a standardized, database-driven translation process. The translation can be carried out externally or in the crossbase database. If required, a transfer into a test and correction cycle is possible.
Online translation
With browser-based online translation, translators and correctors in the country offices have access to translation or correction jobs. Control is provided by the translation manager. The translator can view the progress at any time, assign orders accordingly and inform the translators.
Online
CMS / Website
The CMS can be applied flexibly as the basic platform for all online modules. The website, the online catalog and the media service are implemented with individual templates and layouts. Marketing specialists can use the CMS to easily maintain the company's website without any knowledge of HTML. This also includes dynamic categories such as trade fairs, new products, jobs, press and contact, which can be expanded to suit individual customers.
Online catalog
The module for the online catalog is based on crossbase's CMS platform. All desired data for the catalog are retrieved from the crossbase database in a media-specific and up-to-date manner. They are then presented in customer-specific layouts - fully automated for all countries and languages.
Media service
Often employees, national companies or partners need up-to-date and uniform photos, graphics, videos and documents to market the products. In the fully integrated MAM, media files can be made available to authorized users via a comfortable web interface.
Mobile applications
Mobile devices have established themselves in sales conversations (keyword "sales 4.0"). All documents, catalogs, media and documents can be stored digitally on the tablet and carried without space requirement and additional weight.
Print-Publishing
Automatically produced InDesign pages that you would never be able to see "from the retort" - with the crossbase print tools, this is easy to achieve. Using the flexible layout kit, you can produce not just structured print publications, but also creatively complex pages, such as artwork pages and editorial pages, with the aid of a database.
Office connection
In many areas of the company, images and graphics from marketing are used - for example for offers, data sheets and presentations. With powerful search mechanisms and simple operation, the Office connection guarantees the provision of up-to-date marketing content. This reliably supports compliance with the corporate design and wordings.
Provision of data
Data export XML / Excel
One of the most important tasks in marketing is the provision of data for online catalogs, shops, third-party systems, trade partners and portals. For this purpose, in the crossbase database electronic catalogs are created with a customer-specific catalog range and a price list. The mapping of the fields to the contents in the database can be defined individually depending on the format or classification.
API server
The crossbase API Server (Application Programming Interface) offers a flexible way to access data in the crossbase database in third-party systems. These accesses remain independent of changes to the underlying data model. With relatively little effort, software developers can write programs that retrieve data from the crossbase database.
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