BEA Systems on Thursday is announcing BEA SmartConnect 3.0, which connects the BEA AquaLogic Service Bus ESB to ERP and packaged applications. Service-enablement is key to the product.SmartConnect 3.0 lets these applications be plugged into the ESB without having to write code. “That last mile, when you get to that ERP or packaged application, normally requires custom integration,” said Paul Patrick, BEA vice president and chief architect. “We’ve now taken that need for you to do custom integration away through these smart connections.” Users can start small SOA-based integration or ERP connectivity and move to an enterprise-wide, multi-domain project, BEA said. SmartConnect links to ERP packages in native mode; “smart” adapters offered as part of SmartConnect can be plugged in as SOAP-based services. There currently is no support for REST (Representational state Transfer) Web services but BEA is looking into adding that capability to the ESB itself, Patrick said. Technology Industry