Pros and Cons of Updating DPS

Check out the DPS Dashboard for available updates.

Timing your DPS updates

If you want to understand how to update DPS and which tools to install, the simple answer that I posted earlier was:

Always update everything! 

However, if you are deep into your digital publishing cycles, there may be good reasons to wait on a DPS update.
In a segment on Adobe TV – Digital Publishing: Managing Updates – Colin Fleming covers the Folio Builder and Folio Producer tools, and explains when it is best to update them or when it is wiser to wait.

There are several components of the DPS workflow that may need updating:

• your current InDesign version
• the Folio Builder panel - connection to the Cloud
• the Folio Producer tools - a single download that includes:
• the Overlay Creator panel
• a plug-in that helps build the folios
• the desktop version of Adobe Content Viewer
• the tablet version (iPad/Android/Kindle) of Adobe Content Viewer
• Adobe Air, needed to run the desktop Viewer
• the Viewer Builder application
• your published DPS app

Of these, only the first two – InDesign and the Folio Builder panel – are REQUIRED updates. Any time there is an update to the DPS Cloud Services, the Folio Builder must also be updated to maintain a connection to the Cloud. Even if you don't have the most current upgrade to CS6, your installed version of the InDesign CS5 or CS5.5 application should also be updated whenever there are key fixes or patches available. For example, as of this writing the latest free updates available on the Mac and for Windows are InDesign CS5 7.0.4 update and InDesign CS5.5 7.5.3 update.

Deciding whether to install the OPTIONAL updates will depend on your situation. In the Adobe TV segment about Managing DPS Updates, Colin outlines four scenarios for updating the Folio Producer tools. In each case, decision-making factors include knowing your DPS subscription/service level, your InDesign version, and whether you have already-published apps that will be affected.

The Digital Publishing Suite: Managing Updates video
shows four scenarios for updating the Adobe DPS Folio Producer tools

When loading the latest greatest DPS tools, there may be a lag in availability of the corresponding tablet version of Adobe Content Viewer. This is because the iPad, Android, and Kindle platforms have their own review and approval cycles and may be delayed in the public release of their specific viewer. Pro and Enterprise subscribers have different options for creating custom viewers so are not as restricted to waiting for these public versions to be available before updating.

Keep in mind that published apps can have folios added without being updated, so if everything is working you can stay with your current version of the DPS tools. Apps can be updated to take advantage of new features, but you have to be deliberate about the sequence of updating the DPS tools within the approval workflow to keep it all working smoothly.

In general, load the Folio Producer tools LAST, and ONLY after all of the other components are updated and available.