Appian Readies Upgrades Of BPM SuiteAppian Readies Upgrades Of BPM Suite

Appian next month plans to release an upgrade of its business process management suite that the vendor says introduces features that make the product easier to use.

Improvements within Appian Enterprise 5.7 include expanded support for custom data types that can be used to define process variables, which are available for use in process nodes, forms and reports, the company said.

Enhanced Web services support means more flexible mapping of Web service inputs and outputs. In addition, there's support for WSRP 1.0 consumption for easier publication of third party WSRP content in the Appian Portal Pages. WSRP is a network protocol standard designed for communications with remote portlets, which are pluggable user interface software components that are managed and displayed in a Web portal. WSRP is developed by the international standards body OASIS.

Modeling enhancements in Enterprise 5.7 provide a faster discovery of key functions and of process errors. Better portal capabilities include improved portlets and portal content sharing, the vendor said. In addition, there's better content management interfaces with more options for manipulating content.

Appian plans to make Enterprise 5.7 generally available Dec. 19. In the meantime, the company has introduced a ShareBase repository that's available at no charge with a product license. Repository content, which is contributed by customers, partners and Appian staff, includes process models, services, form libraries, rules, and other extensions. ShareBase also includes collaboration features for discussing content.

The repository can be accessed via Appian Access, the online collaborative network for Appian Enterprise users.