You only need a key!

Why is the SDL OpenExchange (now RWS AppStore) called the OpenExchange?

If you weren’t familiar with SDL and the OpenExchange initiative then perhaps the name suggests it could be a platform of some kind that supports an open exchange of information or tools to help manage the open exchange of data or processes that are not supported out of the box in the core products. Maybe you might also think that the word Open could refer to some kind of open source facility?

Well, it would be incorrect to state that this is open source because it’s not a free license, but if this is what you thought then you were on the right lines.

If you thought any of the following then you’d be wrong!

• The SDL OpenExchange (now RWS AppStore) is not available to anyone in competition to SDL… like Atril, or MemSource for example.
• The SDL OpenExchange (now RWS AppStore) is not free and SDL will charge a fortune to make this available to you.

Why do people sometimes think this facility is restricted in these ways? This is a good question, and I can only hazard a guess. But I think it’s probably for two reasons. First, it’s simply because some people like to perpetuate the idea that SDL are closed and not open to everyone… particularly when the reality is that I think SDL are the only commercial provider in this space that provide as extensive a facility as this for free! It’s very likely that if you choose any other commercial technology as your primary platform you are locked in and will either have to pay for access to a less extensive API or ask the vendor to add features before you can get them.

The Studio Technology Platform is a lot more than a tool for translating files and managing your translation and terminology databases. It also provides an SDK (Software Development Kit) and an API (Application Programming Interface) that is freely available to anyone with a full license of the Freelance or Professional versions of SDL Trados Studio. What you can do with this is what’s referred to as the SDL OpenExchange (now RWS AppStore). It is exactly the opposite of being locked in!

The second reason would be because in the olden days of TTX and ITD, TMW and MDB—formats created by Trados and SDL—it was sometimes voiced that these proprietary formats locked you in. If you were locked in, I think it was the result of circumstance rather than any deliberate attempt on the part of Trados or SDL. Today things are different. The modern tools developed by SDL are XML-based, making it easier for interoperability and customisation.

If you want to read more about what can be done with this platform, then perhaps these articles will be interesting for you:

• The SDL OpenExchange (now RWS AppStore)
• The PowerShell what?
• Pimp my Studio 2014…
• SDL OpenExchange Application Security
• X-CAT… the next generation?

You can also explore more articles here:

• Tag Archives: SDL OpenExchange

These tools are available through the SDL OpenExchange (now RWS AppStore) “App Store”: SDL OpenExchange “App Store”. Many companies and users also create integrations and tools using the SDK and API for their own benefit—without paying SDL extra.

So, why might a competitor still complain? We might be “Open”, but you still need a key. That key is a valid use case. These facilities are provided free of charge to benefit SDL users. They weren’t intended for competitors to enhance their own platforms without offering any value to SDL users.

Some valid use cases include:

• Create a filetype to support a new proprietary format
• Create a plugin for connecting to a different TM system
• Integrate a third-party QA tool into Studio
• Add a custom view for additional processes like file analysis or terminology checks
• Integrate an MT engine

In short: development using the SDK and API should benefit SDL Trados users. Most competitors who applied had valid use cases and were approved. Of over 800 developers, only four were ever rejected.

I think calling it the SDL OpenExchange is entirely appropriate — and everyone gets a key, if their intentions are right.