Microsoft has released software to allow developers to
tailor supply chain middleware products for its forthcoming Office
2007 platform.
The Reference Application Pack for Supply Chain Management
covers various collaboration scenarios across organisational
boundaries.
Microsoft said, “Traditional business applications do not enable
collaboration across functional boundaries - which forces
information workers to use personal productivity tools to fill
these gaps in order to conduct business.”
Microsoft said this leads to a loss in productivity as users are
forced to cross from one set of tools to another. Information
workers need to bridge this divide in a way that is seamless,
synchronised and secure, said the firm.
This requires a new breed of composite applications that can
support cross-functional processes, and which can be assembled from
the collection of information assets that the business has already
deployed, said Microsoft.
The Office 2007 system provides a platform for building these
kinds of composite solutions, which are called Office Business
Applications (OBAs).
Microsoft has therefore launched the OBA for supply chain
management (SCM) as its first effort to address Office 2007’s new
capabilities.
The reference application pack provides details on architecture,
development models and what the end user experience will be
like.
Systems requirements for the software are Windows Server 2003
and Office 2007 Beta 2.