Ci is targeted at single users--the entire system, including a free J2EE (Java 2, Enterprise Edition)-compliant application server and ProcessWriter component, is loaded onto each user's desktop.
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Good News
• Easy-to-use interface.
• Excellent performance even on low-end systems.
• Extensible SDK lets you great specific business rules to be added and exposed to business users for more complex applications.
Bad News
• User management is internal; no integration with existing sources of user authentication unless you purchase the enterprise version.
• May require training before business analysts are ready to develop their own applications.
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In addition to the desktop version of the product, Nobilis offers an enterprise version that can be deployed on BEA Systems' WebLogic or IBM's WebSphere on a Microsoft Windows or Unix platform. This more flexible Ci version separates the components and lets IT restrict user access to data sources, including enterprise-class databases. Additionally, this version lets you develop specific components for business-logic functions that the user can drag and drop onto his or her own application.
The Setup
I installed a copy of Ci on a laptop running Microsoft Windows 2000 with an Intel Pentium II, 300-MHz processor and 256 MB of RAM--meeting the minimum hardware recommendations. The application was responsive and snappy, despite the usually slow J2EE-compliant application server (JBoss). Installation and configuration were a breeze.
You can access the front end of this system through its tight coupling with Excel in the form of integrated menus and options or through a Web browser. The entire system is based on Web services and provides continuous, real-time updating and tracking of documents throughout the workflow process.
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Footprint and Memory Utilization of Nobilis Ci Components
Component: SQL Server
Disk: 53 MB
Memory (while running): 16 MB
Component: ProcessWriter Ci
Disk: 105 MB
Memory (while running): 50 MB
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Business processes can be run continuously, kicked off on a scheduled basis or manually, and can be created to be serial or parallel in nature.
I used the Web interface to configure a business process for collecting sales figures from regional offices via a simple Excel spreadsheet, and then ran the process. After logging off and then back onto the system as a regional sales manager, I was immediately presented with my inbox, where documents are delivered for processing. I clicked on the link marked "please fill out your monthly sales figures." Excel launched and opened the application, complete with Ci's menu bar--slightly modified to include only the option to "mark this task completed." I filled out amazingly high sales figures and clicked the "task complete" button. The spreadsheet was closed and sent back to the application server.
Logging back in as the administrator, I could view the audit log of the sales process that was circulating, including which offices had completed their documents and which offices were slacking.
The Details
Data-source support for the enterprise version of Ci can include relational databases and OLAP (online analytical processing) sources as well as documents; database support is limited to Microsoft Access and SQL Server.
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Vendor Information
Nobilis Ci, starts at $399 for 10 users.
Nobilis Software, (617) 556-8288.
www.nobilis.com
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Configuration includes data-level access, letting you tightly control which fields within a document or database can be modified and by whom. Business processes are designed through the use of an intuitive drag-and-drop, flowchart-like interface that both business and IT people will find familiar.
Ci lets you group users according to business-process needs, so you can take the conventional approach of creating and including regional hierarchies as a part of your workflow. In addition, the enterprise version of the product can use an external LDAP directory for its address book, while the desktop version uses its own internal address book.
An innovative tool, Nobilis Ci offers a more controlled approach to management of business processes typically accomplished solely via Excel spreadsheets. Whichever version of Ci you choose, this product has definite bang for the buck and is worth a try if you're tired of tracking your Excel-based data and reports in, well, Excel.
Technology editor Lori MacVittie has been a software developer and a network administrator. Most recently, she was a member of the technical architecture team for a global transportation and logistics organization. Write to her at lmacvittie@nwc.com.
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