Documentum and PC DOCS Demonstrate ODMA Cross-Repository Interoperability; Top Document Management Firms Partner to Drive Query Extension Specification.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 29, 1996--Documentum Inc. (NASDAQ: DCTM) and PC DOCS, Inc., a subsidiary of PC DOCS Group International Inc. (NASDAQ: DOCSF, TSE: DXX), are jointly demonstrating a query extension to the Open Document Management API (ODMA).

ODMA is a standardized, high-level interface that enables users to transparently access a document management system (DMS) from their desktop applications. The query extension advances transparent access by enabling concurrent access and query support for multiple DMSs, giving desktop application users the ability to simultaneously search repositories from different vendors. The query extension will be voted on at the ODMA meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 2, 1996 at the AIIM show. Both Documentum and PC DOCS plan to incorporate the query extension in products planned for release this summer.

Since its inception in 1994, ODMA has been embraced by application and document management vendors alike. Almost 100 ODMA-compliant applications are currently shipping from top vendors including Wang, WordPerfect and Lotus, with a statement of intent from Microsoft. The purpose of ODMA is to make DMS services available to users of desktop applications in a seamless manner so that these services appear to the user like extensions of the applications.

The query extension is a direct response to customers' requests for searching across multiple, mixed document repositories. It is an incremental, easy-to-implement extension to the base ODMA specification, designed to strengthen interoperability between desktop applications and DMSs. The query extension provides the following functionality:

Query. Based on the attributes described in the specification, users can query and retrieve information residing in DMS repositories from a single application query window. The system retrieves all documents meeting the specified search criteria, regardless of their location in the enterprise or the type of repository in which they are stored. The query results are then presented back to the user through a single interface. The user is spared the complexities of working with multiple applications and windows, and can be assured of getting complete, accurate results based on the document resources of the entire enterprise.

Concurrency. The ODMA extension provides an addition to the ODMA Connection Manager that enables an ODMA-compliant application to keep track of multiple registered DMSs, to pass requests to the appropriate repositories, and to retrieve information from them. This shields the user from having to know which repositories the system is connected to, and to specify which repository contains the required information.

"We have PC DOCS installations in several of our offices in southern California as well as a joint venture with a biotech firm on the east coast which uses Documentum," stated Ruby Bishop, manager of Documentation and Publishing for the Regulatory Affairs division of Baxter Healthcare Corp. in Glendale, Calif. "There are vital documents in both repositories that our users must be able to access, and we want them to be able to retrieve information quickly and easily without having to know where the documents reside. We are pleased to see PC DOCS and Documentum working together to respond to a real market demand that is being driven by an industry standard."

"We are deeply committed to addressing customer requests and driving standards that expand the document management industry," said Jeffrey A. Miller, president and CEO of Documentum, Inc. "We're also committed to providing a smooth path to deployment throughout the enterprise, and that includes customers who have already deployed a mixed-vendor environment. When we evaluated the options for quickly delivering cross-repository querying to our customers, ODMA was the logical choice."

"The industry is accepting and implementing ODMA at an astoundingly rapid pace," said Larry Bohn, executive vice president and general manager of PC DOCS, Inc. "We and Documentum are both active participants in the efforts of the Documentum Management Association (DMA) and recognize its potential for establishing important interoperability directions. We see this new query extension to ODMA as providing a fast path for vendors to bring the value of interoperability to market quickly, while DMA's extensive specifications are still being developed."

"Customers are best served by the standards-based integration of imaging, workflow and document management systems. The widespread acceptance of ODMA validates the importance of the standard and the new extensions respond to key marketing requirements," said David Goulden, senior vice president of product development and marketing at Wang Laboratories. "ODMA offers both a pragmatic and customer-driven approach to integrating DMS services with imaging and workflow."

David Yockelson, AIMS research analyst for the Meta Group, added, "Clients either possessing or acquiring, imaging, text and document management systems are wary of buying into products that cannot be searched consistently or collectively by their users.

"The ODMA extensions will help users leverage the purchase of best-of-breed compound document management (CDM) products while making the application integration job more straightforward. PC DOCS and Documentum are pushing the standards envelope to further the CDM market and help users address document pain points today."

About Documentum

Documentum Inc. (http://www.documentum.com) develops, markets and supports a family of object-oriented, client-server document management products that specifically address the challenges of managing intellectual capital effectively across large enterprises. Documentum is the leader in providing document management for Global 500 corporations.

Headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., Documentum sells the Documentum EDMS through a direct sales force, systems integrators, and affiliated distributors in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Documentum has more than 150 customer sites in pharmaceutical, process and discrete manufacturing and government applications around the world.

About PC DOCS

PC DOCS Inc. sells its award winning software, DOCS Open, through a channel of authorized resellers, integrators, and distributors worldwide. The company provides enterprise-wide document management systems for a variety of industries including manufacturing, finance, government agencies, insurance, legal, and other professional service organizations.

PC DOCS Group International Inc. and its subsidiaries, PC DOCS Inc., The Quartex Corporation Inc., CMS/Data Corp., CompInfo Inc. and Cantebury Systems Corp., are suppliers of software and computer systems to businesses, banks and other financial institutions, hospitals, retail and college stores, distribution companies, government agencies, and the legal industry in North America, England, Europe, Australia and the Far East.

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Note to Editors: Documentum is a trademark of Documentum Inc. All other brand names or trademarks mentioned above are the property of their respective holders.

CONTACT: Documentum Inc.

Larry Warnock, 510/463-6800

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PC DOCS INC.

Beth Parker, 617/273-3800 Ext. 210

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