SUCCESSFULLY ADOPTING

AND INTEGRATING THE

OPENDOCUMENT FORMAT
(ODF) WITH MICROSOFT
OFFICE DOCUMENT
FORMATS
An Overview

January 2010
ODF: SUCCESSFULLY COEXISTING WITH THE MICROSOFT OFFICE DOCUMENT FORMATS Sun Microsystems, Inc 3

Table of Contents

Introduction................................................................................................................................................3
Brief History Of ODF ...........................................................................................................................3
Section One: Advantages of the OpenDocument Format..........................................................................3
Section Two: Best practices for ODF coexisting with the Microsoft Office file formats..............................4
Best Practice # 1: Use ODF Consistently ............................................................................................4
Best Practice # 2: Use PDF when appropriate ....................................................................................5
Best practice #3: Choose a strategy to Collaborate with MS Office users............................................6
Best practice #4: Use Connectors for Content Management Systems.................................................7
Section Three: Action Plan and Next Steps ..............................................................................................8
Step 1: Move to StarOffice or OpenOffice.org......................................................................................8
Step 2: Adopt ODF..............................................................................................................................8
Step 3: Save to ODF as default............................................................................................................9
Step 4: Train your users on how to collaborate with Microsoft Office users..........................................9
Step 5: Use ODF Plug-in For Microsoft Office Users............................................................................9
Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................10
Appendix .................................................................................................................................................11
White Papers......................................................................................................................................11
Support and Training from Sun ..........................................................................................................11
More information on ODF...................................................................................................................11
4 ODF: SUCCESSFULLY COEXISTING WITH THE MICROSOFT OFFICE DOCUMENT FORMATS Sun Microsystems,Inc.

Introduction

Brief History Of ODF

The OpenDocument Format (ODF) is the result of a common effort of multiple vendors and
stakeholders aiming to create an open and standardized document format. With the digital storage of
information becoming the norm, it was necessary to specify a format that was vendor independent, and
could guarantee access of the information created with the file format, in the future. A Technical
Committee (TC) under the OASIS industry consortium developed the format in a transparent process,
where major vendors like Sun Microsystems and IBM played an important role. In 2006 the
OpenDocument specification was approved for release as an ISO and IEC International Standard.
As OpenDocument Format gains momentum and more governments and organizations adopt it,
questions about its coexistence with other document formats like Microsoft Office and Portable
Document Format (PDF) will arise. Subsequent questions will concern how to take advantage of the
features of ODF. This white paper provides a guide for an implementation and integration of the
OpenDocument Format in professional environments, where other document formats are also in use.
This guide is divided into three key sections:
1. Advantages of ODF. This will discuss interoperability, flexibility, cost savings, support from a
broad set of vendors, and continuity (ability to access ODF files 5, 10, or 20 years from now)
2. Best Practices for common scenarios. This will cover the use of the OpenDocument Format
as the default format in an organization and give tips and tricks on how to successfully coexist
with the Microsoft Office document formats.
3. Action plan and next steps. This section provides tips on evaluation, pilot, deployment and
integration of ODF .

Section One: Advantages of the OpenDocument Format

Choosing a standard document format is a strategic decision for any enterprise, institution or
organization, and previously, many organizations implicitly chose their primary document format by
using Microsoft Office, and that was probably appropriate. Fortunately, now there is an opportunity with
the OpenDocument Format to rethink and reanalyze what document format to set as the primary
corporate standard.
The format in which critical data is stored, used, and shared represents an important component of a
company's information asset, as many workflow processes, hardware and software purchasing
decisions and the long-term data retrieval depend on the format.
In this context the OpenDocument Format emerges as an alternative to other document formats bringing
the advantages of openness to the market place. ODF is an ISO-standardized document format based
on XML that stores data in a transparent form and not behind a proprietary binary code. ODF is a well
specified standard and that makes it suitable for all platforms and office productivity suites. The
openness and the interoperability provided by ODF enable the collaboration and exchange of
information among diverse communities. The format being open and specified guarantees that files
created in ODF today will be accessible tomorrow, independent of application or version used to access
them. This is what we mean by continuity and long term information retrieval, as it is possible to
implement the format by anyone at any given time. ODF is driven by vendors like Sun Microsystems
and IBM and is broadly supported within other office suites. For instance, all open source office suites
can and read and write ODF and most use it as the default file format.
ODF can also reduce costs of storage, as ODF-documents can be up to 50% smaller than Microsoft
Office 97-2003 documents. This is a significant point considering that companies spend approximately
11% of their hardware budget on storage1. The OpenDocument Format also gives users the freedom to
choose the office suites that meet their needs. And this can represent considerable savings, as the total

1 Forrester Report, “Archiving: finding Data In 2050”, July 2, 2008. Author: Jo Maitland
ODF: SUCCESSFULLY COEXISTING WITH THE MICROSOFT OFFICE DOCUMENT FORMATS Sun Microsystems, Inc 5

cost of ownership of office suites that support ODF is typically lower 2.

To summarize, the key benefits of the OpenDocument Format are:
• Increased interoperability resulting from adoption, and broad application support
• Flexibility in front-end as well as back-end systems
• Continuity in accessing files, resulting from the ISO Standard
• Lower storage costs resulting from smaller file sizes
• Not locked in - choose from a number of vendors that implement ODF

Section Two: Best practices for ODF coexisting with the

Microsoft Office file formats.
The OpenDocument Format can be used in all kinds of organizations. It meets the needs of the private
and public sector and fits in enterprises and institutions of all sizes. With a carefully planned
implementation, the transition from other document formats can be very smooth. However concerns
about collaborating and interacting with Microsoft Office users should be addressed.
The following best practices describe how to ensure the right use of ODF in an organization that uses
StarOffice, OpenOffice.org or other office suite that support ODF. In large organizations with different
departments it is possible that some departments also use Microsoft Office. The strategies for ODF
users to successfully collaborate with MS Office users will be addressed below.

Best Practice # 1: Use ODF Consistently

Using the OpenDocument Format as the standard format for all documents is the best way to ensure
that all users can access all information and avoid formatting issues. The consistent use of the
OpenDocument Format for all documents created, saved and modified in an organization is critical for a
successful ODF environment. This ensures that users will have minimal (if any) document formatting
issues.
Train users on the advantages of ODF and encouraging them to always use it makes the transition to
ODF easier. By setting ODF as the default format to save documents most users will not even notice
differences with other formats. And once established as the internal standard (see Figure 1) there is no
need to change the existing workflow in the organization as ODF can be read, edited and saved by
many applications including OpenOffice.org, StarOffice and Microsoft Office.

2 White Paper: Cost comparison StarOffice, OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office.

6 ODF: SUCCESSFULLY COEXISTING WITH THE MICROSOFT OFFICE DOCUMENT FORMATS Sun Microsystems,Inc.

Figure 1: Always create, save and edit

documents in ODF. No need to introduce other
file formats as ODF can be used universally.

Best Practice # 2: Use PDF when appropriate

Not all documents created in an organization are intended to be modified by the reader. Nor should
information about those documents (also known as metadata3) be available for all recipients, as this
bears potential risks. It is therefore important to establish which documents should be sent as read-only
and to use the standardized Portable Document Format (PDF) for those documents. In this case
documents intended for internal use and allowed to be modified are saved as ODF and read-only
documents (when necessary) are exported to PDF with a single click with OpenOffice.org or StarOffice.

Figure 2: Documents not intended to be modified can be exported to

PDF with StarOffice or OpenOffice.org with one click.

3 Metadata is information about data. It might contain sensible information such as the author of the document,
date of creation, people that have modified the document, and even the name of the organization, of the
network server or of the hard drive the document is saved on.
ODF: SUCCESSFULLY COEXISTING WITH THE MICROSOFT OFFICE DOCUMENT FORMATS Sun Microsystems, Inc 7

Best practice #3: Choose a strategy to Collaborate with MS Office users

There are two main strategies to exchange information with MS Office users: (1) an exclusive ODF
option where you only use the OpenDocument Format to share content and files or (2) a hybrid strategy
where you use both ODF and the MS Office document formats for file sharing. Whatever choice is
made will dictate the default file format OpenOffice.org or Microsoft Office will save files in. Choosing the
exclusive ODF option is typically preferred because of the many advantages (flexibility, compatibility,
continuity) of ODF. In addition, all MS Office users can also easily read, edit and write files to ODF with
the Sun ODF Plugin for Microsoft Office4. The Sun ODF Plugin4 can be downloaded for free and
installed with a few clicks. Microsoft Office also offers ODF support with Service Pack 2 for Microsoft
Office 2007, but their implementation is currently not as robust5. For better results we therefore strongly
recommend using the Sun ODF Plugin when using this option.

Figure 3: The process flow for strategy 1, where a business uses ODF exclusively to share files with
SO/OOo users and Microsoft Office Users (who need the Sun ODF Plug-in)

The second (hybrid) strategy is to use a combination of ODF and Microsoft Office formats. Here, the
policy would be to save in Microsoft Office for documents that are sent to Microsoft Office users while
saving to ODF for all other documents. Even with this strategy, the best way to avoid formatting
problems is to use ODF for most files (even ones created with Microsoft Office) and only use the
Microsoft Office format when sending to third parties. With the 'Send Document as E-mail' function in
StarOffice, users can easily define the format of the document. This function is very easy to use and
has the advantage of not creating a local file in the Microsoft Office format, but only generating the file
for the email. If other collaboration systems are in use and don't support or require e-mails, the 'Save As'
function can be also be used for saving and exporting documents in the Microsoft Office format.

4 The Sun ODF Plugin for Microsoft Office gives users of Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint the ability
to read, edit and save to the ODF format.
5 Rob Weir, Co-chair, OASIS ODF Technical Committee in his blog, 05/17/09
8 ODF: SUCCESSFULLY COEXISTING WITH THE MICROSOFT OFFICE DOCUMENT FORMATS Sun Microsystems,Inc.

Figure 4: The process flow for strategy 2, the mixed or hybrid strategy for sharing files: ODF
users export documents in Microsoft Office formats and send to Microsoft Office users, who
edit and send back in Microsoft Office file format.

For receiving documents in the Microsoft Office format the best way to handle them and avoid formatting
issues is to save it to ODF. This is highly recommended as problems accumulate if documents are
saved many times in the Microsoft Office document format. For further file exchanges with Microsoft
Office users the document can be exported to the desired Microsoft Office file format anytime and sent
via email as described above.

Figure 5: The 'Send As' function makes it easy to share files with Microsoft Office users.
ODF: SUCCESSFULLY COEXISTING WITH THE MICROSOFT OFFICE DOCUMENT FORMATS Sun Microsystems, Inc 9

Best practice #4: Use Connectors for Content Management Systems

StarOffice and OpenOffice.org users can seamlessly use Content Management Systems (CMS) such as
Microsoft SharePoint Server and Alfresco CMS. These systems provide a wide range of benefits, for
example, document storage in a central location, which ensures that your documents are available from
different devices and that you can always access the latest version of your document from anywhere.
With two extensions from Sun, the Sun Connector for SharePoint Server and the Sun Connector for
Alfresco, StarOffice and OpenOffice.org are ideal clients for Content Management Systems. Users can
load, search, browse, edit or check-in/out documents that are stored in the Microsoft SharePoint Server
or the Alfresco server directly in StarOffice or OpenOffice.org and benefit from workflow and document
auditing features. The Sun Connector also enables search within documents hosted on the CMS
servers and enables search within ODF documents stored in the Microsoft SharePoint Server. Both
connectors can be easily installed as an extension and note that the Sun Connector for SharePoint
Server is included with StarOffice and is an extra fee for organizations that use OpenOffice.org.

Figure 6: Using the SharePoint Connector to integrate StarOffice/OO.o users

Information on how to obtain the SharePoint Server is in the appendix.

Section Three: Action Plan and Next Steps

Now that you have become familiar with best practices, it's time to determine what are the next steps to
evaluate, deploy and spread the use of OpenDocument Format. Sun offers tools to help with this and a
list of these tools and how to obtain them, can be found in the Appendix.

Step 1: Move to StarOffice or OpenOffice.org

The first step to start using the Open Document Format is to move to an office productivity suite that
strongly supports ODF, like StarOffice or OpenOffice.org. A new office suite can bring along multiple
advantages and opportunities, besides ODF support. Among them are lower costs, choice of more
operating systems and hardware to run your office suite, open source (and open file formats). More
10 ODF: SUCCESSFULLY COEXISTING WITH THE MICROSOFT OFFICE DOCUMENT FORMATS Sun Microsystems,Inc.

details can be at found in the Cost Comparison White Paper. A migration to a new Office Suite should
always be carefully planed. You can therefore find more information about how to plan and execute a
successful migration to StarOffice or OpenOffice.org in the Migration White Paper. Locations for both
white papers are also in the appendix.

Step 2: Adopt ODF

Files used on a regular basis should be converted to ODF to ensure a smooth workflow. Other files do
not need to be converted right away and can be left it in their original formats. To achieve this, we
recommend analyzing your document repositories. The Enterprise Edition6 of StarOffice 9 provides
tools that helping you to run the analysis on your files.
The easiest way to convert Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files is to use StarOffice or
OpenOffice.org to open the files and then save them in the OpenDocument Format.
In the case of small number of documents and templates, you can automate the conversion process
with the help of the built-in Document Converter AutoPilot. For a larger number of documents and
templates the StarOffice 9 Server, a document conversing and processing software is an option7.

Step 3: Save to ODF as default.

As mentioned in Best Practice #1, the consistent use of ODF is critical for a successful migration and
document workflow. With OpenOffice.org and StarOffice, ODF is the default format. This is very helpful
in the migration as users will not notice the difference in file formats and you will ensure that all
documents are saved in ODF. n case ODF is not set as the default format, StarOffice and
OpenOffice.org make it very easy to set ODF as the default. Just click the Tools menu and select
Options. Then click Load/Save and select ODF to be the default file format.

Step 4: Train your users on how to collaborate with Microsoft Office users
Once you have moved to StarOffice or OpenOffice.org and are using ODF as the standard format it is
important to make sure that your users know how to collaborate with Microsoft Office users. The best
strategies for an effective collaboration are described in Best Practices #2 and #3. To ensure these
practices are being followed, users should be trained, as it may effect their day to day workflows. It is
particularly useful to emphasize the use of PDF, as it will make the collaboration with Microsoft users
much easier. Trainings can be a combination of white papers, web-based or instructor-led classes, and
these are listed in the appendix.

Step 5: Use ODF Plug-in For Microsoft Office Users

For some specialized users, migrating to StarOffice or OpenOffice.org may not always be the best
option. However organizations and businesses can still maintain a smooth workflow based on ODF, as
the Sun ODF Plugin enables Microsoft Office users to import and export to ODF. Once the free Plugin is
installed, Microsoft Users will be able to save their data to ODF with just one click. Training Microsoft
users and making them aware of the importance of the ODF format is the best way to ensure a smooth
workflow.

6 For more information on StarOffice 9 Enterprise Edition see the

http://www.sun.com/software/staroffice/get_org.jsp page
7 For more information on the StarOffice Server, please see sun.com/soserver
ODF: SUCCESSFULLY COEXISTING WITH THE MICROSOFT OFFICE DOCUMENT FORMATS Sun Microsystems, Inc 11

Conclusion
Adopting the OpenDocument Format in your applications, reduces costs, increases your flexibility and
adds value to your company, institution, organization or even just your department. The interoperability
will allow users of different operating systems and office productivity suites to work together. The
organization will also be independent from vendors, as it will not be tied to a proprietary format. And with
ODF, organizations can freely choose which software they want to use, as there are a wide set of
applications supporting ODF. Furthermore the open and standardized formats ensure the long term
retrieval of your data and users can be sure that their documents will be available in the future.
No longer being forced to use a specific office suite, an organization can choose one that supports ODF
and immediately reduce their licensing costs. In addition there is an opportunity to reduce total cost of
ownership over the longer term, please refer to the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)8 white paper
comparing costs of StarOffice, OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office. Besides that, ODF files can be up
to 50% smaller than other formats, which can also cut storage costs.
ODF is clearly gaining momentum as more governments, public administrations and international
organizations such as NATO9 are requiring it as the standard format10. The adoption of the
OpenDocument Format is also accelerating as more and more applications and office productivity suites
support it. The migration to the OpenDocument Format can also be seen as a chance to rethink the
workflow around documents in an organization and can be used to define better ways to manage
information. Users can additionally be easily trained to improve their skills with the new office
productivity suite.
The best practices described in this paper will make a transition to ODF smooth and provide guidance
for a successful coexistence with the Microsoft Office document formats in a professional environment.

8 White Paper: Cost comparison StarOffice, OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office.

9 See NATO Interoperability Standards & Profiles
10 ODF Alliance, ODF Adoptions Dec 2008
12 ODF: SUCCESSFULLY COEXISTING WITH THE MICROSOFT OFFICE DOCUMENT FORMATS Sun Microsystems,Inc.

Appendix

White Papers
1. Cost Comparison of StarOffice, OpenOffice.org and Microsoft Office
This white paper shows the significant cost savings of deploying StarOffice and OpenOffice.org
instead of Microsoft Office. The costs covered include licensing, migration, training and system
administration costs among others. The white paper provides a framework for any customer so
they can perform their own StarOffice or OpenOffice.org cost-benefit analysis.
2. Migration Guide Microsoft Office to OpenOffice.org/StarOffice Migration Overview
This white paper provides a migration blueprint so customers can create an effective migration
plan for moving from Microsoft Office to either OpenOffice.org or StarOffice. Key topics include
training users, analyzing and migrating files, converting macros and handling custom
applications. There are also tips on setting up an evaluation strategy from, a case study
showing how a successful migration can be achieved and common scenarios.
Both white papers are based on real customer experiences and data.

Support and Product Offerings from Sun

• Services for OpenOffice.org – Sun provides enterprise class services for OpenOffice.org similar
to our services for StarOffice.
• StarOffice , Sun's Professional Edition of OpenOffice.org. With StarOffice, Sun offers pre-sales
support, for enterprises and end-user support for customers that purchase the Standard edition
via retail, etail or download. Note that pre-sales support is not available to businesses that
deploy OpenOffice.org.
• Sun Connector for Microsoft Sharepoint Server – this extension allows StarOffice or OpenOffice
to be used with Microsoft Sharepoint. It comes bundled with StarOffice 9 Enterprise Edition or
can be purchased standalone from our online store. More information about the Sun Connector
for Sharepoint can be found at the OpenOffice.org extension repository.
• Sun Learning Services for OpenOffice.org , the Learning Path page for OpenOffice.org shows
courses available for OpenOffice.org from basic courses (Essentials) to expert topics. There is
also information on how to get certified on OpenOffice.org

More information on ODF

OpenDocument Format Alliance, this website has more technical detail on the ODF standard, including
tools, architecture information, applications and vendors that support ODF and much more.
OASIS, The Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) is a global
consortium that drives the development, convergence and adoption of e-business and web services
standards.