The deal is the second acquisition involving a metadata repository maker this week, after webMethods acquisition of repository technology from Cerebra (http://www.infoworld.com/4431) on Monday, and follows Mercury Interactive's acquisition of Systinet in January (http://www.infoworld.com/4336). BEA will add Flashline's product to BEA's AquaLogic product line as the BEA AquaLogic Enterprise Repository, allowing BEA customers to better manage IT assets and make it easier to manage SOA deployments across enterprise environments, according to BEA chief technology officer Rob Levy.

Metadata repositories allow companies to track and manage IT assets such as software applications and services that are running on their network, as well as policies that govern the use of those assets. Repositories are key elements of SOA implementations in enterprises because they allow companies to centrally manage and measure the performance of IT assets.

"Flashline brings a set of capabilities that will allow us to bring assets together not just at the service interface, but also the policies critical to managing those assets," said Paul Patrick, chief architect of BEA's AquaLogic product line.'

Combined with BEA's AquaLogic UDDI Service Registry, Flashline's registry will allow BEA customers to manage the entire SOA lifecycle from initial planning through deployment and ongoing maintenance, he said.

Flashline will make SOAs using BEA products more resilient, as well, by exposing the interdependencies between SOA services, like versions, schemas and the platforms that services run on, said Charles Stack, Flashline's CEO and founder.