Introduction to uProduce

uProduce is a production server and campaign dashboard application that is at the core of XMPie's PersonalEffect package. uProduce is driven by a browser-based user interface known as the XMPieDashboard.

In uProduce, the term "Campaign" refers to a virtual container. This Container includes all dynamic document elements: logic, data and design.

uProduce is also responsible for campaign management and allows you to manage accounts, campaigns in the accounts, and users that are authorized to work on these accounts.

Various team members can use uProduce to upload or download the various campaign components. Therefore, any modifications to the components are done using a process that checks-out and checks-in the various files, to ensure a secure and streamlined process.

The uProduce server allows you to:

Create a new account or edit account details, create a new campaign or modify an existing campaign
Upload or define campaign components (Plan, Data, asset, fonts, and documents)
Generate print output files, send email and provide live data for websites
Manage production jobs

Logging-in to uProduce

You access uProduce via a web browser, using the URL provided by your company's system administrator.

Note: If antivirus software is installed on the client machine where you are working, make sure to turn off the Enable block Scripting option. Using this option can disrupt the proper functioning of the uProduce software.

To log in:

Open your web browser and go to the URL provided by your administrator.

The uProduce URL should be of the following format:

http://<MACHINE_NAME>/XMPieDashboard

The Login to uProduce page is displayed.
Enter your user name and password. New users should obtain this information from their system administrator.
Your user name is saved and will appear automatically the next time you log in, provided that cookies are enabled.
Click the Log In button.

uProduce opens a list of your shared accounts. To define a new account, see Create a New Account.

uProduce license types

The features and capabilities of your uProduce server will be determined by the license used to activate the software. For example:

PersonalEffect vs PersonalEffect Pro licenses

The PersonalEffect package is available in "Pro" and non-pro forms. The major difference is that "Pro" servers include Adobe InDesign server as well as XMPie's own proprietary document production engine called XLIM. Non-pro servers do not have the Adobe InDesign Server and are also called "XLIM-only" servers for this reason.

XLIM is a much faster document composition engine than InDesign Server, but it does not support every feature that you can use in Adobe InDesign. For more information about XLIM capabilities, refer to: XLIM Capabilities.

Solo servers vs Enterprise / Platform configurations

PersonalEffect can be installed on a single or solo server where production and job management happens on the same server. For very high production loads, or to enable failover, enterprise or platform licenses allow for installation of different components on separate servers. In general, a platform configuration includes a "director" server that handles job queueing and the dashboard, and one or more separate "production" servers that handle print production.

Additionally, the "director" can be licensed and configured for failover or redundancy using standard Microsoft Windows techniques.

For more information on the right configuration for your needs, contact your XMPie Account manager.

Multi-instance licenses

A multi-instance license enables multiple copies of the production engine to run simultaneously meaning that the uProduce server can process more than one document at the same time, or different parts of one job when a large recipient list is processed on one document.

When creating VDP output from large data sources (more than 200 records), uProduce will automatically spread the job across multiple production instances to create the output in the shortest possible time.

It is also possible to manually define the number of instances that a job will use so that one or more instances are reserved for other jobs. Meaning that multiple jobs can process at the same time. Refer to Limit used instances.

The number of instances available will depend on the uProduce license, server configuration and the CPU and RAM resources available on the server.

PersonalEffect package	Default # of instances	Notes
PersonalEffect Pro Solo	4 x AIS or XLIM instances*	Additional 4 instances can be added with an 8-way MI license.
PersonalEffect Solo	4 x XLIM instances*	Additional 4 instances can be added with an 8-way MI license.
PersonalEffect Enterprise	8 x AIS or XLIM instances* per production extension. (one production extension included by default)	Additional production extension servers can be added.

*The number of instances that can be launched is also limited by the amount of CPU and RAM available on the server.