Customer Solutions - Catalogs

This page presents two PatternStream catalog database publishing customers.

Catalog Solution One

Customer:	The McGraw Group, Inc.
Products:	The McGraw Group, Inc. '99-'00 Shop Catalog (two versions; one with and one without product pricing)
URL:	www.themcgrawgroup.com

The McGraw Group, Inc. (McGraw) is a distributor of industrial equipment and supplies to the manufacturing industry. Established in 1866, the company has 14 branch locations in Virginia and the Carolinas. The McGraw customer base ranges from independently owned machine shops to multi-national Fortune 500 companies.

The print database publishing project developed as McGraw decided to create an interactive Web site that would allow customers to find and buy products on the Web. The Revere Group (Charlotte, NC office — Chicago, IL headquarters) was contacted as one of the vendors that could provide a Web-based solution. However, they had no experience with database publishing to print. To fulfill this need, they contacted Adobe (San Jose) and requested the name of a vendor in North Carolina. Adobe recommended Bright Path Solutions (formerly Mallet Technology). As a result of prior work with FML, Bright Path contacted FML and a team was formed with The Revere Group to provide a combined Web and print database publishing solution.

As the Revere Group developed a Microsoft SQL Server database and interactive Web site, FML implemented a run-time version of the PatternStream desktop database publishing solution. The final solution allows McGraw to present an interactive Web site and publish catalogs from the same product database.

As a result of this solution, McGraw has stopped using Microsoft Publisher to create its catalogs and now uses the PatternStream solution. For the first time in its history, the company has published multiple catalogs, one with pricing information and one without and intends to create more database published products while dramatically decreasing future publishing process costs and times. The printed catalogs are McGraw’s primary source of product information dissemination and purchasing.

Catalog Solution Two

Customer:	Sigma-Aldrich
Products:	Fluka/Riedel-deHaën - Laboratory Chemical and Analysis Reagents Catalogs (English and German versions with 14 different currency variations)
URL:	www.sigma-aldrich.com

Sigma-Aldrich is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and distributors of laboratory chemicals and equipment. Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Sigma-Aldrich has more than 32 branches worldwide and six major brand name lines.

Working with its Chicago based database partner Flow Systems, Inc., FML successfully implemented a desktop FrameMaker/PatternStream database publishing solution to publish the Fluka/ Riedel-deHaën catalog. FML modified PatternStream to incorporate required publishing functions, created the publishing pattern set templates, and implemented necessary post-processing features. Flow Systems designed and implemented the Microsoft Access database and database application for storing and maintaining Sigma-Aldrich product information.

The catalog is constructed from a database that contains more than fifty tables. Publishing requirements include two languages (English and German) and fourteen different currencies. There are several unique features inherent in the catalog:

• Three column text flow within a two column page text flow
• Automatic re-scaling of images
• Two column straddle of three column text flow
• Character codes interpretation
• Database specified cross references
• Continuation header
• Automatic re-sizing of text flows