As reported briefly (CI No 2,914), Tuxedo’s new master, BEA Systems Inc has won Peoplesoft Inc, Pleasanton, California for its transaction processing middleware. Peoplesoft will integrate and bundle Tuxedo with its full suite of applications for manufacturing, distribution, materials management, accounting and payroll and personnel. It will use Tuxedo’s Remote Procedure Call and publish subscribe messaging technologies to provide application partitioning. Tuxedo will be offered with Peoplesoft 6 in September (CI No 2,935). Future releases will include partitioning of on-line interactive applications said the company. Peoplesoft also snared Cambridge Technology Group spin-off Business@Web Inc and Spider Technologies Inc for their OpenScape and NetDynamics software. OpenScape integrates Object Linking & Embedding, legacy, Internet-intranet and tele-processing monitors as well as environments such as SAP AG’s R/3, Distributed Computing Environment and Corba. It includes a Kerberos security add-on. Palo Alto, California-based Spider’s NetDynamics is a Java-based Web-database development system that automatically creates server-side Java code for application run-time. It enables users to access and update Java-based applications leveraging existing databases from Web pages. OpenSpace and NetDynamics tools will provide custom interfaces to Peoplesoft applications. Peoplesoft is also developing an Electronic Data Interchange architecture for business-to-business transactions partnering with a bunch of transaction software and services types including Fron-tec AMT Inc, Premenos Corp, Sterling Commerce Inc and the EC Company. Sterling will design an Electronic Data Interchange gateway for electronic commerce, Frontec will integrate its AMTrix Intelligent Messaging Engine with Peoplesoft applications, Premenos will provide Unix and AS/400 translation software and Templar authentication agent for Electronic Data Interchange on the Internet and develop a bunch of Electronic Data Interchange templates for integration with applications, while the EC Company will deliver its electronic commerce network via an integrated link to Peoplesoft users. Peoplesoft is not putting any time-frame on the work.
Time and labor
Meantime the company was showing off early versions of its Time & Labor and Pension Administration modules at the International Association for Human Resources Information Management Conference in Orlando, Florida. Peoplesoft Time & Labor includes tables and rules, scheduling, reporting time, prior period adjustments, updates to paysheets, labor distribution and attendance reporting. It can record information to support time-related needs such as wages, cost accounting and organization administration. Its Peoplesoft Pension Administration is intended for US private-defined benefit plans including traditional, cash balance and contributory plans. It enables automation of pension administration functions such as data storage, benefit calculations and estimates, employee communications, flexible system design, retiree administration and reporting and data extraction. Currently in beta test, the applications are due for delivery in Peoplesoft 6 at the end of the year. Peoplesoft claims it now has an installed base of over 1,000 customers with 75 firms implementing its Human Resources Management System in three countries or more including Hewlett-Packard Co and NCR Corp.
