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Compuware Releases OptimalJ 3.1

Compuware Corp outlined its vision for supporting software developers in successfully building service oriented, enterprise-class applications using the model-driven pattern-based (MDPB) approach. In support of its vision, the company unveiled version 3.1 of its popular Compuware OptimalJ development platform with industry-leading support for Web Services security, a broader set of options for Compuware OptimalJ's integrated testing environment -- including testing support for BEA WebLogic Server and IBM WebSphere Application Server -- and enhanced features for legacy integration.

"As J2EE application development continues to mature, model-driven development with architecture-based code generation will become as prevalent as traditional enterprise fourth-generation languages were in the 1990s," said Michael Blechar, vice president and research director of Gartner. "As development organizations search for better, more productive, ways to design integrated applications that support new and traditional business initiatives, model-driven development will find its way into the hands of most development organizations."

The MDPB approach uses patterns to automatically translate business models into working applications, which enables development organizations to deliver higher quality applications faster. As organizations continue to seek ways to develop more sophisticated enterprise class applications with fewer resources, they're increasingly turning to the MDPB approach employed by Compuware OptimalJ.

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"Compuware OptimalJ helped us minimize costs and application complexity while enforcing best-practice standards, which was particularly important for our entree into J2EE development," said Richard Seegmiller, CIO of Micro-News Network. "Compuware OptimalJ helped us quickly develop our flagship application and remain confident that we were building a foundation for the future. No other tool on the market offered this much value and productivity. Compuware's advanced development environment is the leader in the MDPB tools market."

Enhancements To Compuware OptimalJ 3.1

Compuware OptimalJ 3.1 enables development organizations to do more with less, helping businesses easily migrate to MDPB development through:

• Pioneering Web Services Security -- One of the first development tools to support the new Web Services-Security specification as defined by the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) to ensure a secure Web services implementation, enabling organizations to conduct business securely via Web services.
• Providing Flexible Modeling -- Compuware OptimalJ expands its integration with world-class modeling tools, including IBM Rational Rose, Borland Together Control Center, SparxSystems Enterprise Architect and Objecteering, in addition to providing support for UML modeling.
• Driving Legacy Modernization -- Support is extended for IBM's infrastructure software to integrate with WebSphere MQ so that Compuware OptimalJ customers using the IBM platform can fully leverage their existing infrastructure investments.
• Ensuring Platform Flexibility -- Compuware OptimalJ broadens the options for deployment in the integrated test environment to include leading application servers BEA WebLogic Server and IBM WebSphere Application Server. This enables IT organizations to build, test and debug applications faster.

Vision For More Productive Enterprise Application Development

Compuware is cultivating a growing ecosystem of products and partnerships around Compuware OptimalJ to accelerate the adoption of model-driven, pattern- based development. Through the introduction of complementary, integrated tools, partnerships with leading platform vendors, integration with complementary tools, and leadership in industry standards organizations, Compuware is leveraging its enterprise application development expertise to lead this new development paradigm.

Delivering on its vision, Compuware recently announced a partnership with BEA to integrate Compuware OptimalJ with BEA WebLogic Workshop. Compuware is also working with BEA and other industry leaders including Sun and Oracle to form the Java Tools Community (JTC), an organization dedicated to increasing the toolability of Java standards and tool interoperability. Throughout 2004, the company will continue to forge alliances and plan product integrations to support the growing MDPB development community.

"MDPB development enables companies to overcome the biggest J2EE challenge: productivity with limited resources. As more and more of our customers realize they need some form of automation to close the J2EE skills gap, we are seeing MDPB development mature past the early adoption phase," said Dan Schoenbaum, Compuware vice president of strategy. "Compuware is one of the first and most experienced major vendors to automate architected models into code, delivering on the promises of enterprise Java by helping organizations rapidly respond to business change, increase development efficiency and dramatically decrease maintenance costs."