One popular search feature that UCM implements is Tag Clouds: Readers can browse keywords and see which are the most popular. Optionally, you can rate content to boost or lower its position in search results. Further, UCM generates an RSS feed for custom searches; these results are then saved in a personal search area of the portal.

The Bottom Line Oracle Universal Content Management 10g R3 Oracle Corp, oracle.com Excellent  8.7 criteria score weight Ease-of-use 9 25% Features 8 25% Scalability 9 15% Security 9 15% Management 9 10% Value 8 10% Cost: Starts at $100,000 per processor Platforms: Microsoft Windows (32-bit), Linux x86, z/Linux, Solaris (SPARC 32- and 64-bit and x86), AIX5L, HP-UX PA-RISC Bottom Line: Oracle UCM is a unified solution for securely managing documents, images, and other digital assets, plus Web sites. Content is delivered -- to the Internet, intranets, applications, and wireless devices -- using various methods, including Web services, HTTP, and RSS. Version 10g R3 has extensive Windows Explorer and Outlook integration, works with Microsoft SharePoint, and includes comprehensive search. Additionally, UCM includes strong information rights and records management. About our Reviews and Scoring Methodology

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It goes without saying in these Web 2.0 times that UCM doesn't limit RSS to Saved Queries. I easily set up feeds to show my Workflow Inbox and Checked Out Items. Another important feature let me create feeds containing usage analytics; this could, for example, enhance a help desk application where the RSS feed shows the most popular knowledge base articles. I also liked the rich formatting of feeds, which may automatically contain thumbnail images, text abstracts, and selected metadata.

I encountered Content Conversion Server, which is now a service-oriented architecture, throughout testing. For example, when browsing search results, UCM called this service to convert Microsoft Word documents into PDF and display them in a preview pane.

The new Oracle Web Parts for SharePoint worked without any catches. After logging into my test SharePoint server running the Oracle UCM Web Part, I uploaded documents to the UCM repository and also used UCM search. This useful integration allows users to store files in UCM, collaborate and manage these assets using SharePoint features, yet reuse this same content in Web sites or the company intranet through Oracle.

Easy Web CM
Managing Web sites is straightforward for several reasons. First, since they're being served from Content Server, you can take advantage of existing personalization and security. Second, a Contributor mode makes adding and editing content a breeze.

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Here's a typical scenario: After logging into the Content Server, I opened the Web Sites area and displayed my corporate site. Based on my login, UCM understood what permissions I had to add or change content. Using the new Site Studio Manager, an AJAX-based (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) tool, I added sections to the site and populated content with a Microsoft Word document already in the repository. UCM automatically converted the document and applied the appropriate look and feel based on a Web style sheet (.css).

Workflows, both simple and complex, are developed with a similar visual process. For my Web site test, I routed paged edits through a legal department; requests appeared in an attorney's Workflow Inbox in Content Server, and the person also received e-mail notifications.

Oracle Universal Content Management is a deep product, and I've only touched on the main new features. When I step back and examine the overall architecture, it too makes a lot of sense for large enterprises. For instance, UCM records management and rights management can be applied to your other systems, such as file servers and e-mail archives. In itself, this could simplify information administration throughout an organization and reduce costs.

Although implementing a full UCM system would be a large undertaking, Oracle has turned Universal Content Management into a better, more open product that's certainly competitive with the other main ECM vendors: EMC Documentum, IBM FileNet, Interwoven, and OpenText. Of the open source CMS products, Alfresco comes closest to Oracle UCM, though I believe UCM is superior in most areas, especially usability and security.