Plan for and Implement SAP Learning Solution’s Authoring Environment

SAP Authoring Environment, a component of SAP Learning Solution, allows course authors and instructional designers to design and structure Web-based training content and tests. Learn about the key functionalities of Authoring Environment and discover undocumented tips about how to use Authoring Environment successfully.

---

Key Concept

SAP Authoring Environment is a locally installed application in SAP Learning Solution (LSO). It contains tools and wizards that course authors and instructional designers can use to create, structure, test, and publish course content. Customizable and flexible views allow them to configure and personalize Authoring Environment. Using any simple software such as Microsoft PowerPoint or FrontPage, or more advanced authoring software such as SAP Tutor, Macromedia DreamWeaver, Authorware, or Adobe Flash, you can create content pages in formats including .html, .sim (SAP Tutor), .pdf (Adobe), and .swf (Flash). Authoring Environment also imports third-party content into your company’s content management system (CMS). This CMS may be part of SAP NetWeaver Portal’s Knowledge Management (KM) layer, which is powered by the SAP NetWeaver platform. Companies using LSO100 and up who choose not to implement SAP NetWeaver Portal’s CMS can use any other CMS as long as it conforms to Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) level 2. However, using a third-party CMS prevents you from using SAP’s Text Retrieval and Information Extraction (TREX) search engine to search for course metadata for your authors.

After your company implements SAP Learning Solution (LSO), it may decide to create its own internal course content or purchase third-party authored content to store in your company’s content management system (CMS). Examine how the features and functionalities of SAP Authoring Environment allow content authors to create Web-based content. In addition, become familiar with Authoring Environment’s layout and see how it integrates with other SAP components.

We will explain features of Authoring Environment’s user interface (UI), share best practices for setting up your content repository in a multiple system landscape, and explain components of Authoring Environment such as Instructional Design Editor, Test Author, and Repository Explorer.

Content creators can use Authoring Environment for creating tests from scratch or for structuring Web-based content with external editing tools. Think of Authoring Environment as a tool to structure an outline as if you are writing a paper. Once you complete the outline, you start populating it with actual content. The content can come from several resources: articles, related studies, or research projects. Similarly, you create your outline for your Web-based training course material in Authoring Environment. Once you create your outline, you use different editors (e.g., PowerPoint or Authorware) to populate your Web-based training outline with the content.