FileNet P8 3.0 targets business process control

FileNet on Monday unwrapped Version 3.0 of its P8 ECM (enterprise content management) platform with new Web services support and business process management capabilities.

The goal of P8 3.0 is to improve visibility around content usage and business processes, according to Ullrich Leuthner, senior product marketing manager at FileNet.

“The marriage of content and process lets us have visibility into what content gets used in the process and where it is in the process. This is especially important when you are building a process around [regulatory] compliance,” he said.

Furthermore, Version 3.0 of P8 aims to facilitate the building of applications in a SOA (services-oriented architecture) environment. To that end, P8 adds Web services support for publishing WSDL descriptions and support for Web services operations from J2EE and .Net clients, according to FileNet officials. In addition, the new version conforms to Basic Profile 1.0 guidelines established by the Web Services Interoperability Organization and supports WSBPEL (Web Services Business Process Execution Language).

“Now [P8] can be used to expose and consume XML Web services. That means any kind of content-related operation can be used in a third-party application. This includes browsing a repository, searching a repository, [and] changing objects,” Leuthner said.

Later this year, FileNet plans to ship two additional ECM suites built on the P8 3.0 platform: Records Manager and Team Collaboration Manager. Records Manager, due next month, is designed to automate records-based activities and simplify and enforce regulatory compliance, according to FileNet officials. Team Collaboration Manager, set to ship in late 2004, will aim to facilitate collaboration activities from any point in the content management process.

Other enhancements to P8 include XML eForms integration, offering a tight connection between content and forms, and improvements to the portal interface.