Introduction to Documentum (for dummies)

Documentum is another entity before EMC bought a few years back. Since EMC is into selling storage, they might as well sell a software that store those very important information.

If we are talking about thousands of files, sure it could fit in your NAS, or probably a 80G hdd shared on your network.

Well Documentum is not for just storing documents. Where it matters is in storing regulated documents, where audit is strictly implemented, and ACL is highly enforced. Much like the FBI's "it's beyond your paygrade", or "you're on a need to know basis". Documentum solved exactly that problem.

While 10 years ago the tech word of the day is "database" and "dba", our time sees it as a necessity. And if you have 1000+ computers and each of them storing files elsewhere, then you got a problem.

Take for example a stealth technology, you wouldn't save those records on a file server, or just inside the database, because you cannot make efficient audit on the server. Put it in an enterprise content management software (ECM), and you even get an SMS when someone opens any file relating to stealth technology.

Now imagine you're a company and you have discovered a possible cure for cancer, you don't want other coporate users just view the scientific tests would you? Not even the scientists should be able to see 100% of the result and make copies of it. That's because somebody is eying on that scientist and possibly offeering a huge amount for the formula.

Documentum's today is on the top of the food chain. It's nearest rival is Filenet and IBM Content Management. Last year, IBM acquired Filenet to compete head to head with EMC.

When we talk about Documentum, there are key software behind it (products)
1. Content Server (the Documentum server)
2. Webtop (the primary user interface, webbased) - typically http://yourserver/webtop
3. DA (documentum administrator interface) - typically http://yourserver/da

This should be enough to manage the ACL and Documents as you want it, it also has workflow bundled with it. Workflow is the ability to automatically route documents for approval. You create a workflow template and Documentum sends the documents to the proper recipient. You can add conditions like rejected/approved/return to owner.

Now, as humans, we don't see everything as enough. So we desire for more, like:
1. Fulltext Index Server - creates word per word search results. Documentum will search even the words inside the MSWord file.
2. Captiva - an imaging software. Full text cannot search words inside images, so you need captiva to do OCR during scanning.
3. Records Manager - if you want to convert documents into records, important for legal offices
4. Documentum Transformation Services (DTS) - sometimes you don't want user to load the Word file, so you automate the creation of PDF or JPEG, and presents it to the user
5. Brava - if you don't want to install the expensive MSOffice on all 10000 corporate computers, install this and you get instant Viewer, this is an addon to Webtop. Unfortunately, runs on Windows server only, meaning your web server must be installed in Windows.
6. And many more...

And since we are realy humans we doon't want to chew what EMC is feeding us, we want to do it our way:
1. DFC - Documentum foundation classes, a set of java classes to access the Content Server. It also comes with .Net interoperability assembly, meaning, you can program it using .Net, beware thoug, it's slower, because it calls the Java classes in return
2. WDK - while the above is for the Window based or console based application, WDK is for customizing Webtop.
4. Business Process Manager - you know external users cannot access the Content Server, and it's really hard to create template on the built-in workflow, BPM claimed to be super enhanced workflow (still no match with Filenet's workflow, no wonder why IBM acquired it)
5. Documentum Application buildere (DAB) - when you import/export or modify the Docbase/Repository on the Content Server, you basically create an XML file, DAB simplifies import/export and ultimately the creation of XML files.
7. again... more...

But the above mentioned are the most essential.

What platform/OS does it run?
1. Solaris
2. AIX
3. HP-UX
4. Linux (Redhat/Fedora - sorry other Linux guys, these are the only ones I personally tested with)
5. Windows 2000+ Server

What Database?
1. Oracle
2. DB2
3. Sybase
4. MSSQL - would you believe MSSQL is the most number of DB being used by Documentum?

What web server?
1. Apache Tomcat (suggested is 5.0.28 and above, works like a charm, our production actually runs Tomcat)
2. Websphere 5 (and above)
4. Web Logic

What Java version?
1. No need to install Java, it comes with it's own version of Java

Where to get the installer?

You can get all of it from http://documentum.subscribenet.com provided that you have accounts with EMC. Since most of the time you don't, I can't think of any other way but to ask it from your vendor.