In-Depth

Of partnerships and data

• By Jack Vaughan
• June 27, 2001

The drive to integrate varieties of meta data often leads to complex technology partnerships. Witness Logic Works' recent announcement of the Logic Works Logic Links Partner Program. The program is based on a set of APIs that allow partners to integrate Logic Works technology in diverse ways. Partners include Cognos, ETI, Microsoft, Platinum Technology, Rational Software and others. The inclusion of Rational holds special interest in light of the earlier announcement of a merger between Logic Works and Platinum, a long-time rival of Rational.

More comprehensive data design support is a major impetus for the Platinum-Logic Works pairing. Driving the deal is the opportunity for Platinum to add the last missing pieces to an application life cycle tool suite. ERwin, and its process modeling counterpart, BPwin, provide the complementary modeling views to Platinum's Paradigm Plus object modeler. The modeling tools add to Platinum's existing configuration management and database management tools, and its jointly developed version of the Microsoft Repository (which Logic Works is already committed to supporting). "By the end of 1998, there will be only two places to get that suite, Platinum and Rational," predicts Andrew "Flip" Filipowski, president of Platinum.

Filipowski added that the data warehouse modeling capabilities recently added to ERwin 3.5 will, in turn, reinforce Platinum's data warehouse offerings.

Today, the Platinum tools can exchange files with the Logic Works products via CDIF, a basic file exchange standard. In the future, Platinum will add APIs to allow import and export of models. Further off, the tools will still be offered separately. However, Platinum will also offer an integrated suite where users could switch between business process, object and data model "views" from the same interface and repository.

"The deal will bolster Platinum's ability to deliver a complete solution to users," said Dave Kelly, vice president of the Hurwitz Group, Framingham, Mass. "In the longer term, this could be seen as a bottom-feeder strategy for the Microsoft/Platinum repository, since meta data about databases and object modeling is crucial."

Of course the long-germinating partnership deals between Logic Works and Rational may come under pressure as Logic Works becomes a member of the Platinum universe. "It will probably be hard for them to work out a mutually beneficial relationship," said Kelly.