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July 12, 2012
Dear ProQuest Customer,
In my last message to you, I noted that the Dialog service will continue to be available in 2013. This extension ensures that we have the time needed to fully develop the new ProQuest Dialog™ service and to work with customers on migration planning. Since then, we have continued to make progress, and I am pleased to share some highlights of what's been accomplished and a view of the path forward.
The product roadmap. The July 1 release of ProQuest Dialog included improvements for using search filters, truncation limits, thesaurus display, results lists, DOI links and result sets. Our focus for the second half of 2012 is on continued performance enhancement of core architecture and features including alerts, output processing and duplicate detection.
As we move into 2013, we will build capabilities for workflows related to specialized Dialog precision commands. These are fundamental to the planned patent product, which will also feature a robust offering of patent families and an intuitive interface with multiple searching modes. The product roadmap will continue to evolve, especially as we incorporate additional customer feedback from review and testing in coming months.
The content roadmap. We have begun a continuous process of content loading, starting with reloads to improve display and indexing of many STM databases already on ProQuest Dialog. The next phase will be adding the News and Trade collection, including ProQuest Professional Newsstand, World News Connection, Global Reporter, an expanded version of ABI/Inform®, and more business journal sources. This robust collection will provide global coverage of key newspapers and wires, plus extensive business and trade journal coverage. As we move into 2013, we will begin to load a broad base of patents, both A&I and full-text.
Technology focus. We are tuning product architecture to enable more rapid and flexible development cycles. In addition, to ensure clear focus on customer requirements, we have put in place a dedicated product development team whose members will work closely both with our internal product experts and with customers.
Migration planning. While some customers may choose to migrate earlier, migration will start for most Dialog customers at the beginning of Q3 2013. In Q1 2013, we will enter a period of active migration planning. This will include translation of alert profiles, account set up in the new administrative and billing systems, and training on the powerful search features. We will provide many more details in the coming months to help you prepare.
I know that migrating to a new platform will require your time and effort, adjusting to new ways of carrying out search and managing workflows. To make it as easy as possible, we will communicate frequently as we progress on the roadmap. I also urge you to bring questions to your account manager, who can help guide the process for your specific needs. And, our team of product experts will provide top quality training, service, and support to help you with each step.
We look forward to making this journey with you.
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