Workflow Management Coalition unveils standard client application programming interface; client API gives end users increased flexibility in implementing multi-vendor workflow solutions.BRUSSELS, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 20, 1995--The Workflow Management Coalition (body) Workflow Management Coalition - (WfMc) A non-profit, international organisation of workflow vendors, users, and analysts committed to establishing standards for workflow terminology, interoperability, and connectivity. (WfMC), the non-profit international organization of workflow vendors, customers and analysts unveiled today its workflow application A workflow application is where various applications, components and people must be involved in the processing of data to complete an instance of a process. For example, consider a purchase order that moves through various departments for authorization and eventual purchase. programming interface (API (Application Programming Interface) A language and message format used by an application program to communicate with the operating system or some other control program such as a database management system (DBMS) or communications protocol. ) for the support of workflow client applications. The workflow API provides a means of communication between workflow client applications and workflow engines to give users increased flexibility in implementing standards-based workflow systems such as insurance claims or purchase order processing. "Application developers worldwide will now be able to write their workflow applications to one API in any standard-conformant workflow platform," said Raul Medina-Mora, Chairman of the Coalition's working group on client application APIs and Chief Scientist at Action Technologies -- a Coalition member. "This will allow businesses to optimize their applications for the workflow standard, simplifying workflow deployment across the enterprise." For example, a client application will be able to request work from a variety of workflow products and construct a single worklist for the user, eliminating the need for users to invoke multiple desktop windows for the worklist of each workflow product their organization uses. "We are extremely excited about the public release of the workflow API," said Mark Tucker Mark Tucker may be:
Tucker went on to comment, "As exciting as the workflow API release is, the efforts of the other WfMC working groups are equally important to National Life of Vermont and will offer even more benefits to all workflow customers. We are as excited about what WfMC will bring forward in the future as we are with what is being announced today." International Support for Workflow API Standard Both U.S. and European workflow vendors are announcing their support for the Coalition's workflow API. The Coalition has validated the use of the specification through demonstrations of several prototype implementations. WfMC members already validating the specification with a view to implementing include Action Technologies, Computron Technologies Corp., CSE (Certified Systems Engineer) See Microsoft certification. Systems, Fujitsu, IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) , ICL (International Computers Ltd., London) The former name of Fujitsu Services, the European-centered arm of the global Fujitsu Group and one of the leading IT services companies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. , Integrated Work, Lion GmbH, Recognition International, SAP AG (company) SAP AG - (Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung - German for "Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing") A company from Germany that sells the leading suite of client-server business software. The US branch is called SAP America. , Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme, AG (SNI) was formed in the mid 1990s by the merger of Nixdorf Computer AG and the Siemens' Data Information Services (DIS) division. , Staffware, Telstra Applied Technologies, and Xsoft. The Coalition anticipates that additional WfMC member companies will do the same soon. About the Workflow Management Coalition Founded in 1993, the Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC) is a non-profit, international organization of workflow vendors, users and analysts. The Coalition's mission is to promote the use of workflow through the establishment of standards for software terminology, interoperability and connectivity between workflow products. Consisting of over 150 members, the Coalition has quickly become established the primary standards body for the rapidly expanding software market. CONTACT: Phase Two Strategies Beth Johnson, 415/772-8419 or WfMC Emmy Botterman, +32 2 774-9633 |
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