An object-oriented framework for rapid client-side integration of information management systems

Abstract

Reuse of software components offers the potential for significant savings in application development costs and time. This paper provides a characterization of reuse at different levels of client-based software in distributed document management systems (DMS). An object-oriented framework called JIMA is established as the basis for clients of a wide range of client­-server based DMS. The design of the framework is characterized by multiple architectural layers as well as by a set of standardized interfaces among them. The strict separation of conceptional and implementation level successfully offers the potential of reusing software components within the application domain of DMS. In order to rapidly integrate legacy DM S into JIMA, each component can be adapted and extended separately without interfering with other framework components. Because each user needs a special form of DMS due to individual documents and usage patterns the concept of software bundling at the component level in JIMA is introduced. The JIMA framework can be used via the Internet and as a locally installed standalone application transparently. Several examples of existing commercial DMS at debis Systemhaus Competence Center Document and Workflowmanagement are examined with respect to the framework. The programming language Java is used to implement the object-oriented model.