- Measuring Return on Investment for Content Management
- Content Management Options
- Site Framework for Content Management
- Content Management Server Overview
- Site Framework for Content Management Server
- Starting the Portal Site in MCMS
- Creating Templates
- Content Creation and Approval Process
- Defining Channels
- Multilingual Sites
- Web Page Workflow Implementation
- Enabling Security on MCMS
- .NET and Web Services Integration
- Content Management in SharePoint
- Integrating SharePoint with Microsoft Content Management Server
- Custom Content Management
- Conclusion
Custom Content Management
We have taken a look at two content management solutions in the Microsoft server family, MCMS and SPS. Another alternative is to create your own custom .NET content management solution. This approach is a throwback to the days before off-the-shelf content management existed. The value in products such as MCMS and SPS is such that it would be quite difficult to get anywhere near the same level of functionality, dependability, and support from a custom solution. For general-purpose content management, I discourage you from attempting to reinvent the CMS wheel.
On the other hand, a highly specialized content management solution might be better served with a custom approach. For instance, imagine that your entire web presence was constituted of pages dynamically generated from an existing database. Your site would essentially consist of forms for entering data and reports for extracting that data from the database. In such a case, your requirement is not really for content management at all, but rather for a custom application that happens to have a web user interface. In this scenario, a custom approach might be the quickest path to fulfilling the project requirements.