Previously, you had to shell out to the Ilog tool to specify and manage rules for .NET apps. The new version lets rules reside directly with Microsoft Office artifacts, taking the Office Business Applications (OBA) approach that was also embraced by SAP and Microsoft in their joint Duet product.

Specifically, you can now edit rules directly in Word or Excel, and rules artifacts can be stored alongside Office artifacts, without having to go into a separate Ilog data store. As this is Office 2007 and Vista compliant, you can enter riles through an Office or web interface. And Ilog’s rules system integrates, not only with Microsoft BizTalk Server, but also the emerging Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) on which Microsoft is basing its Oslo BPM strategy.

Native integration with the new Microsoft .NET platforms is part of a strategy by Ilog to embed itself wherever possible into major SOA platforms, such as Software AG’s CentraSite community. In other words, it’s an ambitious balancing act for a $160 million company where BRMS is but one of three distinct product lines.

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