1. Usage of the memoQ web service API by LSP – a case study

2. Outline About think global What is a WS-API?
Usage of WS-API through the engineering department
Embedding memoQ into automated workflows
Common problems and limitations

3. About think global think global is a medium size, multilingual LSP
Customers are from different branches
Software companies are a big and important customer group
This leads to rather big and complex projects
many files
many languages
different, complex formats
frequent updates

4. About think global think global has different departments
The engineering department
prepares content for translation
develops tools for preparation
uses mainly Java as a programming language

5. What is a WS-API? API – application programming interface
It provides programming access to software functionality
In memoQ: Create projects, add users, ...
Advantage: Repetitive tasks can be implemented once but used several times

6. What is a WS-API?
A web service is a service that can be accessed through a network
The content is packed in XML files
It is a standard that is supported by most programming languages
Feels like local programming

7. What is a WS-API? Web Service Java C++ PHP ...
Because we have complex projects with automated workflows and use Java anyway, it’s only a small step to the usage of the ws-api.

8. Usage of WS-API Through Engineering
Simple tasks used by the engineering department:
Creation of resources (e.g. TMs for multilingual projects)
Cloning of resources with slightly different settings
Multi-step tasks (e.g. clearing TMs)
Import of huge projects with different filters
Export to different formats
Backup of projects / resources
Control tasks (resource settings, user groups, ...)

9. Embedding memoQ Workflow example: machine translation
Projects are prepared in memoQ
Bilingual export + conversion to machine friendly format
Machine translation
Conversion + import
tg has an own translation machine that is already trained to match our needs.

10. Embedding memoQ Analysis of memoQ projects
advantage: all needed analysis are done at once
memoQ client is still available
Assign translators to documents
very time consuming
has to be done twice (in the project management system and in memoQ)

11. Embedding memoQ

12. Problems and Limitations
API complexity and design
The API is complex; understanding it is time consuming
The design is not always consistent

13. Problems and Limitations
API functions sometimes differ from GUI functions
TM settings are not used in analysis
Some project settings cannot be read
Setting of import / export path is not possible
...
For me the worst point. Make it clear for kilgray staff !!!!!!

14. Problems and Limitations
Updates
Good news!
API is updated automatically with memoQ server
Very few changes in API functions
Only MBDs have been replaced with MQXLZ recently

15. Problems and Limitations
Bugs
There are not many bugs, but ...
WS-API has few users, bugs are not reported and resolved as fast as ‘normal’ memoQ bugs
Installation of older versions is not possible
When problems occur, finding workarounds is difficult
Combination with missing features can lead to severe problems

16. Problems and Limitations
Example: Export bug
Bug description: Some documents cannot be exported
Change to older version impossible
No workaround via API possible
Missing functionality setExportPath()
=> ‘Export to stored path’ via GUI is not possible
Every document has to be exported manually to the correct subfolder

17. Conclusion
The usage through the engineering department saves time and costs (and can be fun!)
It avoids human mistakes and raises quality
Automated usage through third parties (like project managers) can be a huge benefit, but has to be introduced with care
Carefully define the functionality you want to implement
Think about performance

18. Thank you!