Prospective Confluence User - Questions
Asked by Adam McReynolds:

My main interest in confluence is to create/organize/share/store technical documentation.

- I really wanted to use the ondemand option but the more I read the more I think I will want the Download option, with that in mind what sort of internal IT assistance am I going to need to get storage up an running for the download version? After reading a lot of Atlassian documentation I'm still left confused as to what exactly I'm getting on the download version and what will be left for me to figure out??

- Is there any way in Confluence to update many documents at once? For example, let's say I have the file directory \<c:\\program files\\...\> on many documents and that directory changes, how can I change that directory on 20 documents without going into each one. I know about the 'snippets' but that doesn't seem like a very elegant solution for every name, directory, email that may change in many different documents.

- What is everyone's opinion on confluence strictly for documentation creation/storage?

Thanks so much.


Answers:
author: Denis Cabasson
body: For Confluence Download, you will need :

* A database instance (whichever is supported in your organisation will probably work, see <https://confluence.atlassian.com/display/DOC/Supported+Platforms> for more information)
* A server on which to run Confluence. On Windows, Confluence can be installed as a service. Confluence requires a folder as well, where it will store all of its "stuff" (such as attachments)

Once using confluence, you shouldn't (as much as possible) refer to documents using that sort of directory paths. Usually, uploading the document to Confluence (very easy with the new [Blueprints](http://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/whats-new/confluence-51)) ensures that you are isolated from those paths issues.

We are using confluence for documentation and find it really easy to work with. Having a web-based, central location for our documentation makes it both easy to find (and the Confluence search is definitely helping there too) and to update (the WYSIWYG editor is really easy to work with). We find that with Confluence our documentation is more up to date and can actually be used by all the people in the team.

comments: author: Adam McReynolds
body: So it seems the question of updating multiple documents at once is a No? In user documentation we reference many items that will always change: peoples names, email addresses, phone extensions, URL's etc. While we try to not use these as much as possible it isn't always possible to eliminate. I've only found one software solution that can accomplish this and it is very expensive.


author: Chung Park Chan
body: Hi Adam,

In my own opinion, the OnDemand version will be a more worry-free solution, as your instance will be maintained by Atlassian. Plus, you can access it aywhere (desktop or mobile), given that you have Internet access.

On the other hand, the Download version will have you to manage it on your end, along with some database knowledge. You can have a more customized instance as you can experiment with it.

Q: Is Confluence good for documentation creation/storage?

A: I would say yes. You can have a great software with collaboration purposes.