© Mindtree limited 2016
Sitecore
What To Look Forward To…
October 19, 2016
Sitecore Experience Accelerator (SXA)
• A new Sitecore add-on module that is downloaded and installed like any other
Sitecore modules
Accelerates…
Brochure ware
Content Production
Information Architecture
Branding
Multisite
Neutral…
System Integration
Heavy Customization
Single Page App
SXA Features
• 70+ components
• Template structures
• Experience Editor first; drag and drop approach to building website
• Theming
• Creative Exchange
• Multisite support
Creative Exchange
SXA – Value Proposition
Develop
Wireframe
Site Design
Content Entry
Export
Wireframe
Import
Design /
Theme
Finished
Site
…enabling multiple teams to work in parallel (agencies, developers, content authors)
SXA – Wireframes
• Build wireframes directly in Sitecore’s
Experience Editor
Creative Exchange – Exporting and Importing Site Design
SXA – Few additional points
• Architected, designed and implemented with adherence to Helix principles
• Developers can build custom components adhering to SXA architecture and
design
• Currently tied to the 960 Grid system
• Lookout for:
• Supporting other CSS frameworks through a plug-in based architecture
• Additions to the component library?
• Needs a separate license 
Publishing in Sitecore – Challenges
• Very expensive to run publishing; performance issues on large scale
implementations
• Even with parallel publishing…
• Even more long to complete a publish when having
• Multiple languages
• Multiple publishing targets, with geo-located targets making it worse
• Dedicated publishing instance required extra Sitecore license
Sitecore Publishing Service
• A new, ground-up developed add-on solution from Sitecore providing high-speed
publishing
• Default Sitecore installation will continue to use the legacy approach
• Installed as a standalone service – IIS or Console app
• Does the actual publishing
• Creates new tables and SPs in the database
• Built on .NET Core
•Sitecore Publishing Service
• Installed on Sitecore instance as any standard module
• Provides publish dialogs, publishing dashboards
• Communicates with publishing service endpoint
•Sitecore Publishing Module
Solution Breakdown
• Move away from “single content item publish” to a “bulk publish” approach
• 8753 API calls to 11 API calls for a single item publish
• Watch-out: any custom publish pipeline processors will no longer work; can
hook into publish completion events
• Parallel promote
• Move media and items together
• Publish to targets in parallel
• Transactional capability; rollback on failure
Publishing Dialogs
Publishing Dashboard
Sitecore Publishing Service – Lookout For…
• Ability to run Publishing Service as a Windows Service
• High availability of publishing service through Warm Standby option
• More documentation around extensibility / customization?
Sitecore on Azure
• First class support for Sitecore on Azure coming in the next few months
• Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates being made available for the
following Sitecore deployment configuration:
• Session State – Azure Redis Cache
• Search – Azure Search
• Database – SQL Azure
• Logging and Telemetry – Application Insights
• Support for various scalable deployment topologies
xConnect
• Capture interactions
and events across
online and
offline touchpoints
• Collect and act on any information about any individual – from any channel at
any time
• Unified API to interact with Contacts and their Interactions; so any interaction
with xDB will be using xConnect
Sitecore Commerce
• Current Sitecore Commerce offerings
• Powered by Commerce Server – since v7.2
• Powered by Microsoft Dynamics – since v8.0
• Sitecore Commerce vNext
• Completely ground up development of commerce capabilities in Sitecore and
built on ASP.NET Core
• No more “powered by” Commerce Server or Dynamics AX
• Integral partner of Sitecore Experience Platform
• Continues to use the Commerce Connect API
• Plan to be released by end of the year / early next year
Sitecore Commerce Engine
Data Exchange Framework
• A new framework to support exchanging data between Sitecore and any external
systems
• The intent is to have everyone build integrations in a consistent / standardized
way
• Product catalog import into Sitecore CMS from Sitecore Commerce vNext uses
the Data Exchange Framework
Example Source Target
Read contacts from a CRM and create contacts in xDB CRM Sitecore
Update a contact in CRM using information from a contact in xDB Sitecore CRM
Create items in Sitecore that represent products in a catalog PIM Sitecore
Sitecore Data Services
• Content as a Service (CaaS) through OData compliant micro services and token
based authentication
• Sitecore’s attempt to enter into the “Headless CMS” space
• Based on .NET Core
•Item Web API
• Legacy approach
Sitecore Services Client
• More of a framework to build
RESTful services
Data Services
• OData compliant
Helix and Habitat
http://helix.sitecore.net/
•Helix
• Principles, conventions, design patterns and recommended best practices for modular and
multi-tenant Sitecore implementations
• Sitecore advises you to follow Helix principles, but not mandated
• Sitecore also trying to internalize this and is evident with the SXA implementation
which uses Helix principles
https://github.com/sitecore/habitat
Habitat
• A reference implementation to demonstrate the use of Helix principles
• Not meant as an accelerator; for that, consider SXA
Sitecore Nuget Feed
• Sitecore libraries are now available through a
public NuGet repository
• Feed for Sitecore version 7.2 and above
are available, including a few add-on modules
• This is only for Sitecore assemblies and not for
Sitecore items
• Can leverage this in Build and Deployments
tasks
• https://sitecore.myget.org/gallery/sc-packages
.NET Core Strategy
• Sitecore appears to make attempts to align all their ground-up development with
.NET Core
• Publishing Service, Sitecore Commerce vNext, Data Services and xConnect (?)
are a few examples
• Do not expect core Sitecore product to be converted to .NET Core anytime soon;
it would be a huge undertaking
References
• Content and images in some of the slides have been referred from:
• Decks used in Sitecore Symposium, 2016
• Sitecore Developer Portal
Sitecore - what to look forward to

Sitecore - what to look forward to

  • 1.
    © Mindtree limited2016 Sitecore What To Look Forward To… October 19, 2016
  • 2.
    Sitecore Experience Accelerator(SXA) • A new Sitecore add-on module that is downloaded and installed like any other Sitecore modules Accelerates… Brochure ware Content Production Information Architecture Branding Multisite Neutral… System Integration Heavy Customization Single Page App
  • 3.
    SXA Features • 70+components • Template structures • Experience Editor first; drag and drop approach to building website • Theming • Creative Exchange • Multisite support
  • 4.
    Creative Exchange SXA –Value Proposition Develop Wireframe Site Design Content Entry Export Wireframe Import Design / Theme Finished Site …enabling multiple teams to work in parallel (agencies, developers, content authors)
  • 5.
    SXA – Wireframes •Build wireframes directly in Sitecore’s Experience Editor
  • 6.
    Creative Exchange –Exporting and Importing Site Design
  • 7.
    SXA – Fewadditional points • Architected, designed and implemented with adherence to Helix principles • Developers can build custom components adhering to SXA architecture and design • Currently tied to the 960 Grid system • Lookout for: • Supporting other CSS frameworks through a plug-in based architecture • Additions to the component library? • Needs a separate license 
  • 8.
    Publishing in Sitecore– Challenges • Very expensive to run publishing; performance issues on large scale implementations • Even with parallel publishing… • Even more long to complete a publish when having • Multiple languages • Multiple publishing targets, with geo-located targets making it worse • Dedicated publishing instance required extra Sitecore license
  • 9.
    Sitecore Publishing Service •A new, ground-up developed add-on solution from Sitecore providing high-speed publishing • Default Sitecore installation will continue to use the legacy approach • Installed as a standalone service – IIS or Console app • Does the actual publishing • Creates new tables and SPs in the database • Built on .NET Core •Sitecore Publishing Service • Installed on Sitecore instance as any standard module • Provides publish dialogs, publishing dashboards • Communicates with publishing service endpoint •Sitecore Publishing Module
  • 10.
    Solution Breakdown • Moveaway from “single content item publish” to a “bulk publish” approach • 8753 API calls to 11 API calls for a single item publish • Watch-out: any custom publish pipeline processors will no longer work; can hook into publish completion events • Parallel promote • Move media and items together • Publish to targets in parallel • Transactional capability; rollback on failure
  • 11.
  • 12.
  • 13.
    Sitecore Publishing Service– Lookout For… • Ability to run Publishing Service as a Windows Service • High availability of publishing service through Warm Standby option • More documentation around extensibility / customization?
  • 14.
    Sitecore on Azure •First class support for Sitecore on Azure coming in the next few months • Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates being made available for the following Sitecore deployment configuration: • Session State – Azure Redis Cache • Search – Azure Search • Database – SQL Azure • Logging and Telemetry – Application Insights • Support for various scalable deployment topologies
  • 15.
    xConnect • Capture interactions andevents across online and offline touchpoints • Collect and act on any information about any individual – from any channel at any time • Unified API to interact with Contacts and their Interactions; so any interaction with xDB will be using xConnect
  • 16.
    Sitecore Commerce • CurrentSitecore Commerce offerings • Powered by Commerce Server – since v7.2 • Powered by Microsoft Dynamics – since v8.0 • Sitecore Commerce vNext • Completely ground up development of commerce capabilities in Sitecore and built on ASP.NET Core • No more “powered by” Commerce Server or Dynamics AX • Integral partner of Sitecore Experience Platform • Continues to use the Commerce Connect API • Plan to be released by end of the year / early next year
  • 17.
  • 18.
    Data Exchange Framework •A new framework to support exchanging data between Sitecore and any external systems • The intent is to have everyone build integrations in a consistent / standardized way • Product catalog import into Sitecore CMS from Sitecore Commerce vNext uses the Data Exchange Framework Example Source Target Read contacts from a CRM and create contacts in xDB CRM Sitecore Update a contact in CRM using information from a contact in xDB Sitecore CRM Create items in Sitecore that represent products in a catalog PIM Sitecore
  • 19.
    Sitecore Data Services •Content as a Service (CaaS) through OData compliant micro services and token based authentication • Sitecore’s attempt to enter into the “Headless CMS” space • Based on .NET Core •Item Web API • Legacy approach Sitecore Services Client • More of a framework to build RESTful services Data Services • OData compliant
  • 20.
    Helix and Habitat http://helix.sitecore.net/ •Helix •Principles, conventions, design patterns and recommended best practices for modular and multi-tenant Sitecore implementations • Sitecore advises you to follow Helix principles, but not mandated • Sitecore also trying to internalize this and is evident with the SXA implementation which uses Helix principles https://github.com/sitecore/habitat Habitat • A reference implementation to demonstrate the use of Helix principles • Not meant as an accelerator; for that, consider SXA
  • 21.
    Sitecore Nuget Feed •Sitecore libraries are now available through a public NuGet repository • Feed for Sitecore version 7.2 and above are available, including a few add-on modules • This is only for Sitecore assemblies and not for Sitecore items • Can leverage this in Build and Deployments tasks • https://sitecore.myget.org/gallery/sc-packages
  • 22.
    .NET Core Strategy •Sitecore appears to make attempts to align all their ground-up development with .NET Core • Publishing Service, Sitecore Commerce vNext, Data Services and xConnect (?) are a few examples • Do not expect core Sitecore product to be converted to .NET Core anytime soon; it would be a huge undertaking
  • 23.
    References • Content andimages in some of the slides have been referred from: • Decks used in Sitecore Symposium, 2016 • Sitecore Developer Portal