We are excited to share the latest enhancements in the DMP Tool with the 5.0 release. This update marks a shift in our technology, featuring substantial back-end advancements that set the stage for a more robust, efficient, and scalable future. 

Infrastructure Improvements  

At the core of these updates is an overhaul of our infrastructure. The DMPTool’s back-end, built on legacy Rails code, is evolving. We’re transitioning towards a more modern architecture, separating the front-end and back-end operations. This shift involves transforming existing code into API endpoints and developing a React-based front-end. These changes will allow the DMP Tool to effectively generate the structured data required to realize the potential of machine-actionable plans. 

A New Look and Feel

The first thing you’ll notice is an updated DMP Tool homepage. This redesign aims to streamline how users and prospective partners access information about the tool. Recognizing the frequent inquiries we receive about joining the DMP Tool, we’ve focused on making key information about the application more accessible and straightforward.  

Versioning of Registered DMPs

Plan versioning is a key feature for machine-actionable DMPs and one we have received many requests for. Rather than static, quickly outdated documents, effective DMPs track progress by logging critical events from planning to preservation. Regularly revisiting and updating DMPs as research unfolds creates dynamic records that monitor ongoing activities. 

As a first step to exposing updates to DMPs, this release also includes the introduction of versioning for plans with DMP-IDs. This means a new version is created whenever a registered DMP is updated. Changes made within the same hour are combined into a single version. This feature provides a clear history of updates and ensures that you can easily track and reference different iterations of a DMP.

We welcome your input on these latest updates. Please reach out with any comments, questions, or feedback about these changes or the DMP Tool in general.