Adobe Livecycle ES2 Overview
What is Adobe LiveCycle ES2
LiveCycle ES2 solution components are various types of services available to developers including those needed to capture information, manage and optimise processes, secure information, invoke web services, create documents, and integrate with other applications and data sources. The solution components utilize shared "foundation" services which include administration and configuration services, service management, invocation methods across components, and encryption services.
Summary Component Description
Forms
Creation of templates in PDF files or HTML files. Can include wizards to aid user in filling forms in.
Data Services
Framework to simplify development of programs, allowing data to be synchronized, including messaging etc
Barcoded Forms
Allows printed copies of forms filled in on line to be created, allowing physical signing. The documents are barcoded, which allows the physical copy to be reconciled with the electronic copy
Reader Extensions
Switches on specific functionality within PDF documents
Process Management Framework
Brings all the functionality together, providing interfaces such as dashboards. Controls content to mobile devices etc
Digital Signatures
Supports electronic signature workflows, including bulk documents
Rights Management
Allows the control of distributed documentation from a remote location
PDF Generator
Ability to generate 2D PDF files from a central server. Converts numnerous formats and includes an OCR element
Output
Automates the creation of XML based forms, to create personalised document
Production Print
Merges data from a variety of sources with templates to produce documents
Content services
Basic document management with audit trail. Supports multiple document formats. Automatic conversion to PDf and deployment of Rights management techniques.
Connectors for ECM
Hooks into other Enterprise Content Management Systems
Workbench
Eclipse based tools to develop user written functionality to run inside the Live Cycle environment
Designer
Embedded tools to provide intelligent forms generation
LiveCycle ES2 Data Capture Products
LiveCycle Forms ES2
LiveCycle Forms allows users to create and deploy XML-based form templates as PDF, SWF, or HTML for use with the Adobe Reader, Flash Player, and web browsers. LiveCycle Forms ES2 supports data driven forms by merging XML content to create personalized renditions. The product includes the ability to render "Form Guides", which are Flash based wizards to help guide users through the data capture process. This product includes LiveCycle Data Services ES2 (see below), and form assembly functionality which was also previously sold as a separate product.
LiveCycle Data Services ES2
LiveCycle DataServices is a high performance, scalable, and flexible framework that simplifies development of Flex and AIR applications. It includes functionality for messaging, remoting, data management, and PDF creation of RIA interfaces. It solves complex data management problems such as maintaining a single instance of data across the application. With LiveCycle Data Services, information can be synchronized across clients and applications, providing a framework for conflict resolution in real time.
LiveCycle Barcoded Forms ES2
LiveCycle Barcoded Forms is primarily used when users have to fill in a form online and then submit printed and signed copy by mail or fax. When a user fills out the form electronically, the data is encoded in the 2D barcode (PDF417, QRCode, or DataMatrix). At the processing facility, the printed forms are scanned and processed through the Adobe LiveCycle Barcoded Forms server to retrieve the data.
LiveCycle Reader Extensions ES2
LiveCycle Reader Extensions switches on functionality within the Adobe Reader on a per document basis. When "Reader Extending" a PDF document, the user selects the capabilities they want to enable, then the Reader would enable that functionality when opening the document or form. The user can select all or any combination of the following capabilities: commenting, import and export of form data, ability to submit outside of a web browser, enable database and web services capabilities, capture digital signatures, and embed file attachments.
LiveCycle ES2 Process Management Products
LiveCycle Process Management ES2
LiveCycle Process Management orchestrates the business processes that are automated by LiveCycle. This solution component includes a process design environment and orchestration engine to bring together people, systems, content, and business rules into streamlined, end-to-end processes. It includes LiveCycle ES2 BAM (Business Activity Monitoring) which provides a configurable dashboard capability for managing events and metrics within business processes, enabling users to better manage the performance of their automated processes. Starting with the ES2 release, task recipients can now view and approve tasks on their mobile devices, in addition to their desktops. LiveCycle Workspace Mobile is available for Blackberry, Windows Mobile, and iPhone.
LiveCycle ES2 Information Assurance
LiveCycle Digital Signatures ES2
LiveCycle Digital Signatures automates electronic signature workflows for added assurances of authenticity, integrity, and non-repudiation. Organizations can use this component to sign documents in bulk, such as university transcripts, government documents such as annual budgets, grants, or tax returns. This component will also validate previously signed documents in bulk. The digital signature capabilities are based on the functionality available in Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader on the desktop.
LiveCycle Rights Management ES2
LiveCycle Rights Management is an enterprise Digital Rights Management (EDRM) product that provides data centric security with user access and control policies to various types of data including PDF and Flash Video - and also native formats including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and CATIA and PTC Pro/ENGINEER CAD (computer aided design) output formats. This product provides persistent security, in that it can control or revoke access to information that has already been distributed out to users. This is done by the client software that "phones home" to the server to authenticate a user when opening up the document. Off-line use is possible through the concept of document "leasing" for a finite period of time before it has to reconnect with the server. The product also includes detailed audit trail reporting for rights protected information, dynamic watermarking, expiration, and version control.
LiveCycle ES2 Document Generation Products
LiveCycle PDF Generator ES2
LiveCycle PDF Generator is server-based software that automates the creation, assembly, and manipulation of PDF documents. It converts documents authored in native source applications such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint and many others (supported formats list) into PDF documents. It supports the creation of customized PDF document packages by assembling or disassembling existing PDF files or PDF pages and adding dynamic custom elements such as headers, footers, links, bookmarks, tables of contents, and watermarks. In addition, it can convert PDF to PostScript, image, or PDF/A formats for direct server-based printing or compliance with archiving requirements. There is also OCR optical character recognition functionality with this product to create searchable PDF documents from scanned images.
LiveCycle Output ES2
LiveCycle Output automates the generation of template-driven, final-form documents. It merges XML data with LiveCycle Designer templates to generate personalized documents in PDF, PostScript, PCL, or Zebra label formats. It includes capabilities to assemble or disassemble existing PDF files or PDF pages and supports adding dynamic custom elements such as headers, footers, links, bookmarks, tables of contents, and watermarks to create customized PDF document packages. It also converts PDF to PostScript, image, or PDF/A formats for direct server-based printing or compliance with archiving requirements.
LiveCycle Production Print ES2
Adobe partnered with StreamServe Inc. to create LiveCycle Production Print. This product combines LiveCycle Designer with a document composition system from StreamServe to merge XML or ASCII data types with templates to generate personalized print or electronic documents in a wide variety of formats, including AFP (Advanced Function Presentation) and PDF. It includes a variety of post-processing functions to rendered documents such as batch sorting, house-holding, batch splitting, imposition, (2 up printing), and document marking for enveloping and insertion machines. It supports conversion of AFP or PDF formats to any supported output format for e-delivery of AFP files or compliance with archiving requirements.
LiveCycle ES2 Content Services Products
LiveCycle Content Services ES2
LiveCycle Content Services includes a set of library services that can be leveraged with other LiveCycle solution components to allow the creation of content spaces to share and collaborate on content integrated within a business process. It supports check-in/check-out capabilities and keeps a complete audit history of all actions. Content spaces can be enhanced with rules to automatically convert content into PDF and apply rights management to content based on access permissions. It supports categorization of content with custom hierarchical classifications which enables parameterized searches using a combination of custom classifications, word-based matching, and additional content metadata, such as content type, author, date, and location, to rapidly find information. It also includes team collaboration capabilities such as forums and discussions. In addition, it provides Microsoft Office plug-ins that enable users to interact with the process engine and content repository using Microsoft Word and Excel.
LiveCycle ES2 Connectors for ECM
LiveCycle ES Connectors for ECM integrates other ECMs (enterprise content management systems) with LiveCycle for design time asset management and runtime process management. At design time, users can manage assets for the application including forms, fragments, images, and other content assets in the ECM system. Developers can then access those assets directly within LiveCycle Workbench ES2 for the creation of forms, documents, and packages. The connectors also enable business processes to retrieve content objects, as well as their content attributes or metadata directly from the ECM system. Specific ECM systems supported by these connectors include IBM Content Manager, IBM/FileNet content repository, Microsoft SharePoint, and EMC/Documentum's document repository.
LiveCycle ES2 Tooling Products
Adobe Flex Builder integrates with the LiveCycle Workbench ES2 environment. Using Flex Builder developers can create RIAs and create custom additions to forms created in LiveCycle Designer ES2.
LiveCycle Workbench ES2
The primary development tool to create LiveCycle applications is LiveCycle Workbench. This is an Eclipse-based development environment which allows developers to create form templates and process designs that can be integrated with a variety of data sources and existing applications. It includes an integrated repository for collaborative development, and simplifies deployment via an archive file which contains all of the assets associated to the application. The process design environment enables drag and drop of process services to create process workflows and also provides the ability for developers to save them as single WSDL-based components for others developers to use.
LiveCycle Designer ES2
Authors and developers use LiveCycle Designer to build intelligent templates that merge with enterprise data to deliver interactive forms or personalized documents in a wide variety of electronic or print formats. LiveCycle Designer ES2 is included in every LiveCycle ES2 installation and embedded within LiveCycle Workbench ES2.
