Documentum D2 & FirstDoc: A Comparison

The FirstDoc Enterprise suite has a respectable footprint in the world of pharmaceutical electronic document management systems.This competitive edge substantially relies on FirstDoc’s configuration model.

Yes, Documentum has been, technically, configurable since 4i. However, 4i’s configuration model is convoluted and arcane to the average user. Most moderately complex requirements would still involve server-side coding in either DmBasic or Java.Creating a completely new Documentum application would involve a full-length customization project.

FirstDoc succeeded because it inserted a layer of abstraction between business users and the intricacies of the docbase object model.This facilitated requirement-gathering workshops and communication the end-user. The FirstDoc Development Kit (FDK) constituted a more robust,easier-to-understand configuration and customization model than what Documentum had at the time. FirstDoc introduced prepackaged “Vertical Applications,” which took customers most of the way to a usable Documentum implementation.Customization, previously a requirement, was discouraged due to downstream costs during upgrades and maintenance.Configuration became the norm. Projects completed quicker and expensively, opening the world of document management to smaller pharmaceutical companies.