Symtrax Refreshes Output Management with Compleo 5

Published: January 24, 2012

by Alex Woodie

Symtrax last week unveiled Compleo Suite 5, a major new version of its line of output management software for IBM i and other platforms. With version 5, Symtrax has added a Web-based interface for the first time, providing an alternative to its Windows-based client. Better backups of critical documents, workflow capabilities, and new support for inputting additional document types round out this release.

Compleo is a suite of output management tools that is well-established in the IBM i community. The software offers a range of document-related capabilities, the biggest being the conversion and distribution of spool files from IBM i servers and other major ERP platforms (notably SAP) into PC-centric formats like Excel, PDF, Word, RTF, CSV, and HTML. Other major product components and functions include: a forms overlay tool; support for XML and EDI formats; reporting capabilities; a document archive; and an integrated job scheduler.

With version 5, Symtrax has added three main capabilities. First and foremost is a new Web-based console to go along with the existing rich-client interface the product has supported. Symtrax says the Web console will make it easier for Compleo customers' business partners to input documents, such as purchase orders or invoices, into their document workflows.

The new Web console will be particularly handy while using the new document workflow module in Compleo Suite 5, called Compleo Reviewer. This module allows customers to create business document workflows and to select the specific documents to be used, the individuals to be involved, and the actions that need to be taken.

Users can define and implement their own business process workflows using the new Reviewer module included in Compleo Suite 5 from Symtrax.

The new workflow functions are only available through the Web interface, which is also used for accessing functions in the Explorer and Layout modules. Many (but not all) Compleo functions will be offered through the Web interface, says Symtrax director of sales Frank Yacano. "Our long term strategy is to keep a Windows interface for the building of templates (the most technical work). For pretty much everything else we plan to use a Web interface," he says via email.

Critical business documents will be better protected via the new backup and synchronization features that Symtrax has added to Compleo's Supervisor module, which also contains the job scheduler. If a production Compleo document system goes down, Supervisor will automatically restart the system and apply a backup copy of the data. Even greater resiliency can be had through the new synchronization function, which allows two or more Supervisor modules to be kept in sync.

The final major new feature in Compleo Suite 5 is the addition of supported formats in the Compleo Layout module. Symtrax says the graphical layout tool now supports text files and spool file fragments, in addition to all the other supported file formats (PDF, AFPDS, SAP BC-XOM, etc.). This release also brings support for generating quick response (QR) codes, and the capability to move spool files archived on a Windows system to an IBM i server.

Compleo Suite 5 is available now. Pricing was not disclosed. For more information, see www.symtrax.com.

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