Sitecore has come a long way since its inception in 2001, evolving from a simple content management system (CMS) to a comprehensive digital experience platform (DXP). Over the past 20 years, Sitecore has released a number of versions, each with its own set of features and enhancements. Here's a poster of all the major versions launched by Sitecore over the last two decades.
So I designed this jumbo poster for showing the 20 years of Sitecore journey.
This poster reflects that Sitecore's evolution over the past 20 years has been marked by a commitment to innovation and a relentless focus on customer needs. With each new version, Sitecore has introduced new features and enhancements that have helped businesses deliver more engaging and personalized digital experiences to their customers.
We're excited to announce that our TDS team took part in the Sitecore Hackathon 2023 on March 4th.
We kicked off the day at 6 AM and wrapped up at around 10:30 PM. Among the three categories available, we chose "Best enhancement to SXA Headless" as our problem statement.
Our team successfully created a "Sitecore SXA module - SmartFill" for the Sitecore Content and Experience Editor, which functions seamlessly.
A content management system (CMS) is a critical component of any website, allowing businesses to manage their online presence with ease. However, there are times when a primary CMS may not be the best fit for an organization. In these cases, a secondary CMS can provide a more tailored solution. In this article, we'll discuss when to consider using a secondary CMS.
Topics for discussion
· Introduction to Secondary CMS
· Scenarios where a Secondary CMS may be a good fit
· Benefits of using a Secondary CMS
· How to choose the right Secondary CMS
· Implementation of a Secondary CMS and best practices.
Introduction to Secondary CMS
Before we dive into the reasons to consider a secondary CMS, it's important to understand what a secondary CMS is.
Essentially, a secondary CMS is an additional system that works in conjunction with your existing primary CMS to help manage specific areas of your website. This can be a useful solution in situations where your primary CMS is unable to handle certain tasks.
Scenarios where a Secondary CMS may be a good fit
There are several scenarios where using a secondary CMS may be a good fit for your organization. These include:
Managing localized content: If your business has a global presence and needs to create content for different regions, a secondary CMS can help manage localized content. This can include different languages, cultural nuances, and other region-specific content.
Digital asset management: If your business has a lot of digital assets that need to be managed, a secondary CMS can help keep them organized and easy to access.
Marketing automation: If you need to manage and distribute marketing campaigns across multiple channels, a secondary CMS can provide additional functionality that your primary CMS may not offer.
Mobile application content management: If you have a mobile app, a secondary CMS can be used to manage the content that appears within the app.
eCommerce management: If your business operates an eCommerce store, a secondary CMS can provide additional functionality to manage your products, orders, and customer data.
Benefits of using a Secondary CMS
The benefits of using a secondary CMS include:
More tailored solutions for specific needs: A secondary CMS can provide a more tailored solution for specific tasks that your primary CMS may not be able to handle.
Improved efficiency: By using a secondary CMS, you can increase your efficiency and save time by automating certain tasks.
Improved user experience: A secondary CMS can improve the user experience of your website by making it easier to manage specific content.
How to choose the right Secondary CMS
When choosing a secondary CMS, it's important to consider the following:
Compatibility with your primary CMS: Make sure the secondary CMS is compatible with your primary CMS.
Functionality: Consider the features and functionality of the secondary CMS to make sure it meets your needs.
Ease of use: Choose a secondary CMS that is user-friendly and easy to use.
Integration: Consider how the secondary CMS will integrate with your existing technology stack.
Implementation of a Secondary CMS and best practices
When implementing a secondary CMS, it's important to follow best practices, including:
Proper training: Ensure that your team is properly trained to use the secondary CMS.
Data migration: Make sure to migrate all relevant data to the secondary CMS.
Ongoing maintenance: Maintain the secondary CMS and keep it up-to-date with the latest updates and security patches.
In conclusion, a secondary CMS can provide a tailored solution for specific needs that your primary CMS may not be able to handle. By carefully choosing the right secondary CMS, you can improve your efficiency and provide a better user experience for your website visitors.
Sitecore offers SaaS based CMS Content Hub One which is a good fit for secondary CMS.
For example, your client uses Sitecore as their primary CMS with extensive integration and customization, and may even run it as an on-premises solution. Now, they are interested in using a lightweight, SaaS-based CMS for mobile apps and marketing activities, instead of going through the time-consuming, resource-intensive, and costly process of upgrading Sitecore, it would be wise to consider secondary CMS options such as Content Hub One. Generally try to choose a single-family product CMS for your technology stack, as this usually results in better compatibility and ease of use.
Today, we will be discussing a hidden feature of the Sitecore that some of you may already know about but never use. We are all familiar with the "Publish" option in site work, which is used to make changes to the content live on a particular environment.
There are three types of publishing you can do - Incremental, SMART, and Republish.
Let's consider a scenario where you are working on a global website with content authors from all around the world. If one content author starts a publish in one country and another author submits a publish request from another country, the requests will be added to a queue. The second author's changes will only be published once the first author's changes have been completed.
However, if your client asks you to publish a specific item right away, it can become a tricky situation because the item will be added to the queue. In such a scenario, you can use the hidden feature of the Sitecore called "Transfer".
To demonstrate this feature, we will publish an entire website, open it in another window, and publish it again. The request will be added to the queue. In a third window, we will make changes to a item, say "Thank You".
To use the transfer feature, we will go to the "Publish" site and select "Republish". In the next step, we will make changes to the "Thank You" item and save it. Normally, when we publish the changes, they would be added to the queue. But with the transfer feature, we can copy the "Thank You" item and select "Transfer".
We will then move the item to the "Article” Folder, and the changes will be updated on the web database without going into the queue. The full publishing that we did earlier will still be in process, but our changes are already visible on the website.
This is a useful trick to know, although it's rarely used.
Here is my YouTube video for the same
Stay tuned for more such articles, tips and tricks.
Today, we will be exploring one of the coolest features on the Sitecore: OData Services.
This feature allows you to expose your item data in JSON format in read-only mode. It is incredibly easy to use and configure. To do so, you need to create an OData item API at the settings, services API key section. After you have created it, you can specify its fields, for example, core, allowed control. You can also specify the database to which you want to get the item details. In a production environment, it is mostly on the web.
Once you have configured it, you can access your items by using the Sitecore domain name followed by the OData services API and the item ID or item path. You also need to pass the OData services API key. For example, if you want to access the details of a home item with ID and three fields (title, text, and address), you can use this URL and pass the API key. You will get the item properties such as the item name, path, language, template, creation date, and ID.
Headless CMS is a popular technology that is used to manage and publish content across multiple platforms. However, it's not always the best choice for every website or application. In this blog post, I will explain when not to use a headless CMS and why.
Simple Websites with Minimal Content: If your website is small and doesn't require dynamic content, a headless CMS may be unnecessary. For instance, if your website has only a few pages, it's better to use a traditional CMS or a static site generator. You don't need the added complexity of a headless CMS for a simple website.
Small Development Teams with Limited Resources: While headless CMS platforms can offer many benefits, they can also be more complex to set up and maintain than traditional CMS. If your development team is small or lacks experience with headless CMS, it may be better to stick with a more familiar technology. Using a headless CMS can add unnecessary complexity to the development process.
Content-Heavy Websites with Complex Data Structures: Headless CMS platforms are designed to handle complex content models and data structures. However, if your website has relatively simple content needs, you may not need the added complexity of a headless CMS. In this case, a traditional CMS may be a better option. If your website doesn't require a complex content structure, there's no need to use a headless CMS.
Websites with Tight Deadlines: If you're working on a tight deadline, you may not have the time to learn and implement a headless CMS. Traditional CMS platforms are generally quicker to set up and easier to use, making them a better choice for fast turnarounds. If you're under time pressure, it's better to use a traditional CMS platform.
Websites with Tight Budgets: While headless CMS platforms can be a great choice for larger websites and enterprise-level applications, they can be more expensive to implement than traditional CMS. If you're working with a tight budget, it may be more cost-effective to stick with a more traditional approach. Using a traditional CMS can help you save money and still achieve your website goals.
Multiple Integrations: Traditional CMS may be a better choice if you need to perform multiple integrations in your CMS.
Customization: If you anticipate the need for extensive customization of the CMS for administrators or content authors, a traditional CMS might be more suitable than a headless one.
Conclusion: Headless CMS platforms are powerful tools that can help you manage and publish content across multiple platforms. However, they're not always the best choice for every website or application. By understanding when not to use a headless CMS, you can make a more informed decision and choose the technology that's right for your project.
Recently, I had a funny incident where someone asked me to explain what a content management system is. Even though I've been working with Sitecore for a decade, I struggled to explain the question because it was asked by a school boy. I asked the kid what he liked, and he said comics, so I decided to explain it in a way that would be fun for them.
That's how I came up with the Sitecore comics, which explain Content management systems to kids in an engaging and entertaining way.
