"I don't know how people compile a thesaurus without a tool
like a.k.a.® to assist them!
For me, a.k.a.® removes the enormous worry of the constructional
aspects of compiling a thesaurus. The ability to link and re-link terms, and the overall flexibility of the product makes adjustments so easy. It means I
can now focus on capturing the correct terms and the right relationships
of the language of the organisation. This adds enormous value for our
clients.
I believe a.k.a.® has helped enhance the image of the project we are
working on and produce a better outcome for our clients."
Brian Nielsen, Senior Consultant, Experience Matters, Adelaide,
Australia
"I have been working with a.k.a.® software since mid 2002 in my
role as the creator of thesaurus and business classification schemes for
a number of Western Australian government entities.
During this exposure to a.k.a.® software I have found it of
immense value in improving accuracy and reducing the time involved
in creating a thesaurus and a business classification scheme.
The software is being improved over time with the willingness of
Synercon personnel to listen to and accept input from the users of the
software. This process provides us, the end users, with ongoing
improvements to a.k.a.® as we expand our knowledge of the product and
the additional assistance it can provide us in the
creation of what is the foundation of any records and information system,
no matter what make or version of RM or ERDMS product is installed.
I will continue to recommend for any organisation with an RM or EDMS
requirement to investigate the appropriateness of a.k.a.® software to
assist them get the essential thesaurus and business classification
scheme, the foundation of any RM or EDMS in place, before they implement
a system appropriate to their needs plus the ongoing maintenance of
controlled vocabulary."
Laurie Varendorff ARMA, Records Management Consultant
"We are using a.k.a.® version 2 and it's great! The conversion of the
thesaurus from TRIM Captura into TRIM Context worked like a dream."
Veronica Pumpa, Assistant Manager, Information Management Team,
Australian Communications Authority, Belconnen, ACT, Australia
"The visible presentation of a.k.a.® speaks volumes when educating
users."
Caroline Beveridge, Records and Archives Manager, Australian Film
Commission, Sydney, NSW, Australia
"I had spent two days working methodically on the draft of the
thesaurus to get it right for our use, I felt I was going around and
around in circles. I ran the a.k.a.® Orphans/Duplicates report and it
identified over a page of terms without links! I couldn't believe it –
how does anyone do this manually?”
Lesley Church, Information and Records Management Consultant, Sydney,
NSW, Australia
"Having recently undergone a major restructure, we were looking for a
tool to facilitate the process of accurately representing the
functions/activities of our organization. a.k.a.® is proving to be a
powerful but simple tool to manage and publish corporate terminology in
a range of output formats.
While my ultimate aim is to have a single database used for the whole
campus, a.k.a.® is assisting me to manage two quite separate thesauri in
two separate databases."
David Horne, Records Manager, St Vincent’s & Mater Health, Sydney,
NSW, Australia
"We have found a.k.a.® both simple and easy to use with very
effective results within our own organisation, and plan to introduce it
to our clients."
Anne Cornish, Chief Executive Officer, Records Solutions, Melbourne,
VIC, Australia
"I would just like to thank everyone who replied to my request for
help for a thesaurus construction tool and the justification I could
give to management for spending the money.
We ended up using a.k.a.® Synercon software. It is very simple to
use and it works like magic! We have been very happy with it and the
staff at Synercon have been more than helpful.
Our IT department - the couple of them, anyway - have been very
impressed with it. One of them exported the thesaurus in RecFind,
something he couldn't do before we had the tool.
The time the program saves is phenomenal, so the cost benefits on
even writing one thesaurus makes it justifiable to any organisation. It
saves the thesaurus to PDF, HTML, writes reports such as automatic
business classification schemes, creates file 'trees' etc.
It has been very easy to send drafts of the thesaurus out to staff
members in the PDF format by email. This in itself has been useful in
raising recordkeeping awareness in the organisation. Lots of staff
members are getting involved because of this and are rapt in the
idea of creating a thesaurus using terms in their lingo.
A very useful little tool."
Records Manager Officer, Adelaide, SA, Australia