Flashline purchase bulks up SOA options for BEA

The acquisition of Flashline will add a metadata repository to BEA's AquaLogic suite

BEA Systems has purchased privately held metadata repository firm Flashline, and will blend its technology into its AquaLogic suite of products. AquaLogic is aimed at organisations adopting a service oriented architecture (SOA) approach to software provision.

BEA’s AquaLogic products include its UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration) repository for business information - a sort of XML-based Yellow Pages for locating web services. The firm said that the Flashline tools would help firms looking to track, govern and manage their business process assets.

In a statement announcing the purchase, BEA said it is continuing to execute its vision to “deliver to customers the industry’s most unified SOA platform”, explaining that the addition of Flashline’s tools would help firms to better manage and govern all of their assets.

“There is no question that a repository is a key enabler for SOA, and the Flashline repository will serve as the basis for providing a more unified environment for SOA” said Rob Levy, executive vice president at BEA.