At the Uniform Council Code Inc.s annual user conference in Grapevine, Texas, this week, WebMethods Inc. will announce new software aimed at helping retailers and suppliers better exchange, integrate and manage data points defining each product they have in common.
The WebMethods Integrated Retail Solution is geared to helping users at both ends of the retail supply chain develop, maintain and share centralized product data masters through a single data repository, officials said.
The Integrated Retail Solution brings together trading partner integration and execution capabilities based on WebMethods Fabric integration suite that is buffeted by Global Exchange Services Inc.s PIM (product information management) capabilities. The combination of the two companies software lets users synchronize data across systems and with customers and partners while linking the data with business processes.
This is not the first time WebMethods, of Fairfax, Va., and GXS, of Gaithersburg, Md., have collaborated. The companies announced a relationship nine months ago that had GXS embedding WebMethods Fabric into its Trading Grid business-to-business software.
Now, with GXS integrated PIM capabilities, WebMethods is able to take data synchronization one step further by adding predictive monitoring, or analytic, capabilities to the mix. Part of WebMethods Fabric suite, the business activity monitoring functionality lets users have some level of visibility into their synchronized data.
The Fabric suite also includes a trading network integration and execution platform and BPM (business process management) capabilities, built on an SOA (service-oriented architecture). The combination enables users to integrate applications and business processes, connect processes with trading partners, and assemble new processes, officials said.
WebMethods retail software will compete with the likes of Oracle Corp., SAP AG and IBM.
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