A component content management system (CCMS) manages text-based content at a granular level, meaning at the level of words, paragraphs, topics, concepts, or assets, instead of complete documents, articles, or web pages. Managing content at this level allows these systems to reuse content consistently without fear of incorrect versioning. A CCMS manages content at a granular level through the use of an XML-based data model such as Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) or DocBook. A CCMS enables users to maintain consistency across a document (or multiple documents) since elements are reused, as opposed to being copied and pasted. It also enables enhanced searchability since the content is further broken down into smaller topics.
Component content management systems are commonly used for both internal and external content management. They are used primarily by technical writers who are involved in creating documentation such as workforce training, product documentation, field operations, knowledge bases, and more. A CCMS will often be integrated with or provide content for other types of software, such as learning management systems, e-commerce platforms, and fixed asset management systems.
To qualify for inclusion in the Component Content Management System category, a product must:
- Search, classify, and export content
- Store content modularly using a semantically rich XML-based data model
- Provide content reuse features and the ability to create variants of content using filters and variables
- Allow for collaborative, topic-based authoring which enables single-sourced content
- Offer multi-channel publishing, supporting either print or digital consumption
- Separate the content and layout from the structured authoring environment
