Xpertdoc

Update: We can once again hold our head up high. We have dramatically improved our use of the ribbon.

At the SharePoint Conference last week I also took a look at Xpertdoc, one of our competitors. I have to admit that if all I cared about was using Word 2007 to design reports, and wanted to write C# code to populate the template, Xpertdoc does a good job at that.

1. Xpertdoc runs on Word 2007/2010 only. So no Word 2000/2002(XP)/2003 support. But on the flip side, they did a really good job using the Word ribbon for their UI because they know that they always have a ribbon available.
2. Xpertdoc does DOCX -> DOCX only. They do have a hack to run Word on the server to then generate PDF but Microsoft advises strongly against running Office on a server so that's not a good option. But no templates in Excel, PowerPoint, or HTML. No output to anything but DOCX.
3. The big issue, even if DOCX -> DOCX is all you need, is that Xpertdoc creates C# code with every tag you put in the document. It does it very well and lets you edit it all within Word. But you are creating C# code with each tag. And that means, if you need logic in a tag, like the condition for an if tag, you have to write C# code. There is no other way.
4. For each template you need to create an .RDL file (see below - it's optional) part of SSRS' configuration. So you need a programmer for each set of reports (reports that all use the exact same data can share the RDL).

I have to admit that I think their use of the ribbon is better than what we have in AutoTag. We basically ported our menus in Word 2000/2002/2003 to the ribbon while they went in fresh. Kudos to them on that. With that said, I take that as a challenge to us to rework our ribbon to be even better – so if you are reading this after November 2009 – come take a look at our new ribbon layout. I commit here that we will create one that surpasses Xpertdoc.

The need to write C# code for many of the tags is also, I think, a serious hindrance. It requires programmer involvement in the design of each template. And even where you have programmers designing the templates, it's an inherently buggy process as you write the code and then see if it runs. And when it runs, if it does what you expect. We put a lot of effort into our SQL and XPath wizards because even programmers are well served by a system that makes it trivial to create complex selects and verify that they are returning the data you want.

In my biased opinion, if DOCX -> DOCX is all you need and your templates will be created by programmers, Xpertdoc can work for you. But don't try to have non-programmers use it. And for the programmers, if the selects are at all complex at times, I think the cost of using Xpertdoc will skyrocket.

Comments

[Francis]

Hey David,

Thanks for the rather nice post. Too bad we couldn't hook up at the show. Although I could challenge some of your assertions (support for earlier versions of Office, "hack" for PDF, requirement to have a programmer involved), I will limit myself to a single fact-correction: Xpertdoc does not need an RDL, it can connect to any data wherever it sits.

Kudos for your ad, both real cute and powerful.

Francis, (Xpertdoc's CEO)

[David Thielen]

Hi Francis;

Thank you – your use of the ribbon got me motivated to improve how we use it. I updated the item about RDL and when I get time I’ll take a look at how Xpertdoc sets up datasources without an RDL.

And yes, we should meet at the next SharePoint show.

Thanks - dave

[Jeanne]

Now we know who the sesnbile one is here. Great post!