Ask the Expert: EMC Announced xCP 2.1

This discussion is now open for questions. We look forward to a lively and informative event.

Best regards,

Roberto

Hi,

Is there planned a CIS 7.1 release? Currently CIS 7.0 is the version "bundled" with xCP 2.1 and, it doesn't work OOTB with the new, "strongly recommended" , certificate-based SSL mode included in documentum 7.1.

(I hope the answer is not a "for further information ask your sales rep" )

Hello experts !

In xCP 2.1, a new feature appears in UI: UI events.

Besides the Designer, what other documentation is available to demonstrate this feature?

I´m using some xCP 2.0 accelerators. All the Accelerators will be xCP2.1 compatible ?

Hi!

What does EMC mean under the term "Case Management"? I do know that IBM means under this term (for example: http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redpieces/pdfs/sg247929.pdf  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMCGNsTryqI), but xCP2 functionality falls short of competitors. It seems that xCP2 is not ECM anymore but it is also not yet CM.

Considering how time consuming setting up a xCP 2.1 environment is, do you have plans to clearly state in the documentation which components are (really) required to run a solution? We learn (the hard way) than in xCP 2.0 you could work with just xPlore an BAM running (though you need some more to setup the environment), is the same in xCP 2.1 (at least looking at the documentation looks that way)? Are there any plans for a "lite" version with "relaxed" component requirements?

And what about the developer edition with xCP 2.1? Is the delay (I assume is delayed because it was announced to be released with the Postgres vm) due to technical reasons (incompatibility with postgres, CIS 7.1 not being available, etc.), licenses (cts still needs a windows machine if I'm not mistaken) or you haven't started working on it until having the documentum-postgres vm ready?

Hi Expert,

Is there any tools available to migrate from a xCP 1.x solution to xCP 2.1 ? When xCP 2.0 was GA, I heard about such a tools but never saw it.

Thanks and glad to see you here @johnny_gee

Hi Julien,

AFAIK, there is not a migration tool, nor is there one planned (from DevCon this past fall).  The fundamental technologies between 1.x and 2.x is really different.  There is a whitepaper/tip document that describes at high-level what inter-operability is supported in 2.1, but it does not go into any detail of how one would migrate 1.x to 2.1.  We have basically had to re-write our 1.x certified solutions to work on 2.x.  Most of it was re-creating UI, which in 2.x is more flexible.

-Johnny

Julien Fontaine wrote:   Hi Expert, Is there any tools available to migrate from a xCP 1.x solution to xCP 2.1 ? When xCP 2.0 was GA, I heard about such a tools but never saw it. Thanks and glad to see you here @johnny_gee

Julien Fontaine  you may want to check the answer I got from Arnaud Viltard  here: EMC Documentum xCP 2.1 is Now Generally Available! 

Alvaro de Andres wrote:   Hi,   Is there planned a CIS 7.1 release? Currently CIS 7.0 is the version "bundled" with xCP 2.1 and, it doesn't work OOTB with the new, "strongly recommended" , certificate-based SSL mode included in documentum 7.1.

Hi Alvaro de Andres 

A version 7.1 of CIS is in development.  This release will align with 7.1 certifications and deployment practices including server certificate SSL mode.  Current release guidance is for mid-Q2 of this year.

I am actually working on a mini tutorial that will explain how to configure them and highlight some of the great uses for UI Events.  It should be ready next week.

As for xCelerators, they should all be compatible with 2.1, but they do need the manifest file in the JAR file updated to reflect that they are being used for 2.1 before they will work.  We shall post something on the community site in the next few days to clarify the changes that are needed.

As Johnny says we do not have any dedicated tools for migrating from 1.x to 2.x.  What we have seen is that when moving from 1.x to 2.x, aside from the shift in UI technology, most of the time it also makes sense to re-architect the solution (UI and processes) to make the most of the new features of 2.x.  What we have done in 2.1 is enable you to adopt the type definitions from your 1.x application so that you do not have re-configure them. 

Check this out: Read the EMC Perspective

So to answer your question, I will start in the middle.  For xCP 2.1 there is no significant change in the architecture in terms of the required components.  There is still a dependancy on xPlore and BAM, whilst CTS and CIS are optional (although without CTS you cannot use the viewer widget for displaying numerous document formats, you are really limited to PDF).

Going forward we are looking at whether we need to make components like xPlore optional, and so in a future release this may be possible.

As for the developer release, right now I am not sure what the holdup is and so I will need to get back to you on that.

Nick King wrote: Check this out: Read the EMC Perspective

Have you read the IBM's one? Your "Case Management Product evaluation guide" tries prove that ECM is inefficient without BPM, and nothing more. Looks like it's a try to sell BPM, isn't it? Actually, here I can't understand why customers do need xCP2 - this product does not introduce new "must have" features, moreover it removes good old ECM capabilities. On the other hand, IBM tries to describe why BPM is inefficient in Case Management, and why customer need some other high level entities to solve cases.

In xCP 2.1 you can now apply custom styles from your theme to individual widgets, rather than at the Column Box Widget container level like you had to in most cases in 2.0.  This means for example that you can apply a style to one button in a column to make it green, and then apply a different style to another button in that same column to make it red.