Adobe Systems Inc. is integrating its Internet form creation software with IBM Corp.’s DB2 Content Manager.
The integration of IBM’s DB2 manager and Adobe’s Form Solutions software will make it easier for users to automate their existing paper-based processes, Adobe, of San Jose, said in a statement Monday.
Adobe Form Server is a data capture product that allows PDF (Portable Document Format) and HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) documents to be published on the Internet. The agreement with IBM of Armonk, N.Y., means that developers can quickly and easily create Web-based forms, using Form Server, that will link directly to the DB2 database, Mark Floisand, Adobe’s marketing director for Northern Europe, said.
“It significantly streamlines data capture. You can create a straightforward form environment for content input to DB2, and you don’t have to hire lots of developers to create bespoke forms,” Floisand said.
The integration makes use of XML (Extensible Markup Language) for data transfer, which makes data routing easy and fast, Floisand said. In a second announcement Monday, Adobe said that it has developed an XML architecture for all of its products including PDF files.
“It gives an open framework to extend and improve business processes, not just inside the organization but with customers, resellers, suppliers, whatever suits the business model,” Floisand said. XML, he said, will make it easier for different systems to exchange the information in a PDF file.
Adobe will deliver its new tool for designing XML and PDF templates and forms “over the coming months,” will make the XML architecture specification publically available, and will provide a toolkit for developers to give easy access to PDF file content from common scripting languages and Java, it said.
The initial sales focus of the integrated Adobe and IBM products will be on government users, Adobe said.
