Top 12 Documentum Developer Skills to Put on Your Resume
The job market is noisy and fast. Showcasing real Documentum development skill cuts through. A focused resume that spotlights the core capabilities employers look for doesn’t just say you can build things—it signals you can ship, tune, and maintain them in the messy realities of production.
Documentum Developer Skills
- DQL (Documentum Query Language)
- DFC (Documentum Foundation Classes)
- XCP (xCelerated Composition Platform)
- Webtop
- RESTful Services
- DA (Documentum Administrator)
- D2 (Documentum D2)
- Java/J2EE
- DFS (Documentum Foundation Services)
- Captiva
- BPM (Business Process Management)
- XML/DTD/XSLT
1. DQL (Documentum Query Language)
DQL is Documentum’s SQL‑like language for the repository. It’s the lever you pull to fetch, change, and manage objects—documents, folders, relations, versions—cleanly and predictably.
Why It's Important
Strong DQL chops mean faster retrievals, safer updates, and integrations that don’t buckle under scale. It’s the backbone of reporting, migrations, and tuning.
How to Improve DQL (Documentum Query Language) Skills
Sharpen your DQL by leaning into precision and performance:
Know the core syntax: Study the official DQL reference to absorb predicates, functions, and type nuances.
Trim the fat: Query only the attributes you need. Avoid SELECT *. Reduce round trips. Batch where it helps.
Index awareness: Align predicates with indexes. Check selectivity. Tidy up orphaned or stale indexes over time.
Join carefully: Keep joins tight and explicit. Understand where a LEFT join is necessary and where a subquery wins.
Full‑text tuning: Ensure xPlore is healthy, collections are indexed, and your CONTAINS clauses are thoughtful and tested.
Use the right tools: Practice with idql, iapi, and utilities like dqMan to inspect results and diagnose behavior.
Measure, then refine: Profile slow queries, adjust filters, and validate gains under realistic dataset sizes.
Invest time here and your apps breathe easier.
How to Display DQL (Documentum Query Language) Skills on Your Resume

2. DFC (Documentum Foundation Classes)
DFC is the Java API layer for Documentum. Sessions, objects, relations, lifecycles—DFC is the toolkit that lets you model and manipulate content from code with type safety and control.
Why It's Important
It’s how enterprise apps talk to the repository at scale. Well‑written DFC code means reliable transactions, predictable performance, and fewer operational surprises.
How to Improve DFC (Documentum Foundation Classes) Skills
Master the lifecycle: Understand sessions, transactions, object states, and when to persist versus cache.
Be a good citizen: Always release sessions in finally blocks. Pool connections. Reuse clients. Clean up collections.
Optimize queries: Push filtering into DQL, not the application layer. Minimize chatty calls. Paginate.
Model cleanly: Use strong typing and helper utilities. Encapsulate repetitive operations. Centralize error handling.
Harden security: Respect ACLs and permissions. Avoid long‑lived superuser contexts. Audit sensitive operations.
Log with intent: Trace IDs, sessions, and query parameters. Make failures actionable, not noisy.
Stay current: Track OpenText Documentum release notes for API updates, deprecations, and fixes.
How to Display DFC (Documentum Foundation Classes) Skills on Your Resume

3. XCP (xCelerated Composition Platform)
xCP speeds up building case and process‑centric apps on Documentum. Visual modeling, configurable UI, rules, data—less boilerplate, more outcomes.
Why It's Important
It compresses delivery time while keeping governance intact. You design with business language and still land a robust, scalable solution.
How to Improve XCP (xCelerated Composition Platform) Skills
Know the building blocks: Data models, case types, processes, activities, and UI composition. Understand boundaries and extension points.
Design for change: Externalize rules and configurations. Favor metadata‑driven behavior over hard‑coded logic.
Prototype quickly: Iterate with stakeholders early. Validate flows, forms, and security while it’s still cheap to adjust.
Performance first: Keep grids light, queries paged, and forms lean. Test with realistic volumes.
Integrate cleanly: Use REST services for system‑to‑system flows. Keep interfaces versioned and contracts explicit.
Govern releases: Treat configuration as code. Version, review, and promote through environments with discipline.
Advance gradually: Start with vanilla components, add custom code where it truly pays off.
How to Display XCP (xCelerated Composition Platform) Skills on Your Resume

4. Webtop
Webtop is the classic web client built on WDK. Still common in long‑running estates. Customizable, stable, and battle‑tested.
Why It's Important
Many organizations rely on it daily. Knowing how to tailor, secure, and tune Webtop keeps critical content operations humming while road‑mapping toward newer clients.
How to Improve Webtop Skills
Customize with care: Use WDK extension points and configuration layers rather than forking core components.
Tune the experience: Optimize DQL behind heavy views, trim large result sets, and enable sensible caching.
Harden security: Enforce HTTPS, tighten session settings, and review permissions regularly. Validate client‑side controls server‑side.
Smooth workflows: Refine lifecycles and inbox behavior. Reduce clicks for common tasks.
Integrate thoughtfully: Use REST or DFC where appropriate. Keep adapters isolated and testable.
Plan upgrades: Track compatibility with Content Server, Java, and browser changes. Maintain a clear deprecation path toward D2 or xCP where it makes sense.
How to Display Webtop Skills on Your Resume

5. RESTful Services
REST exposes Documentum over HTTP with predictable verbs and representations. CRUD operations, relationships, versions, searches—stateless and integration‑friendly.
Why It's Important
It’s the bridge to modern ecosystems. Microservices, portals, and external systems can collaborate with Documentum cleanly and securely.
How to Improve RESTful Services Skills
Respect semantics: Use GET/POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE correctly. Idempotence matters.
Version your APIs: Smooth upgrades and keep consumers stable as the platform evolves.
Cut payload bloat: Offer pagination, filtering, sorting, and field selection. Compress responses.
Cache where safe: Leverage ETags and cache headers to reduce chatter.
Secure the pipe: Enforce HTTPS, implement OAuth or token‑based auth, and scope permissions tightly.
Rate limit and throttle: Protect services from floods and uneven traffic.
Make errors useful: Consistent status codes. Clear, actionable error bodies.
Document the contract: Publish OpenAPI descriptions and examples that match reality.
Observe everything: Correlate logs with request IDs, track latency percentiles, and alert on error spikes. Tools like Prometheus and the ELK stack help.
How to Display RESTful Services Skills on Your Resume

6. DA (Documentum Administrator)
DA is the administrative cockpit for Documentum. Users, permissions, jobs, types, lifecycles, storage policies—configured and monitored in one place.
Why It's Important
Good administration shrinks outages and surprises. It also helps developers ship features that align with governance and performance constraints.
How to Improve DA (Documentum Administrator) Skills
Know the platform shape: Content Server, repository objects, xPlore, storage areas, index services—how they interact.
Get fluent in DQL and API: Script routine checks, automate fixes, and audit changes with confidence.
Use the right tools: DA, Composer, and query utilities for configuration management and troubleshooting.
Tune for throughput: Cache sizes, method server settings, job schedules, and connection pooling make or break performance.
Lock down security: Map roles, ACLs, and object permissions carefully. Rotate credentials. Enable auditing where warranted.
Backups and recovery: Test restores, not just backups. Cover both database and content storage. Document runbooks.
Stay current: Track OpenText My Support notices for patches, end‑of‑support dates, and compatibility updates.
How to Display DA (Documentum Administrator) Skills on Your Resume

7. D2 (Documentum D2)
D2 is a configurable, policy‑driven web client for Documentum. With D2‑Config (and D2 Smart View for a modern UI), you shape behavior and UI without heavy custom code.
Why It's Important
It speeds delivery while enforcing governance. You map business rules to content behavior and present a streamlined interface users actually adopt.
How to Improve D2 (Documentum D2) Skills
Structure first: Define types, metadata, lifecycles, and security clearly before UI work. Clean models pay dividends.
Lean on configuration: Use D2‑Config for rules, automatic classifications, and UI policies before writing code.
Use D2 REST when needed: Extend with integrations or custom widgets where configuration stops short.
Design for performance: Keep widgets efficient, reduce over‑eager queries, and test Smart View with real data volumes.
Release discipline: Version configurations, migrate via controlled packages, and keep environments in sync.
Keep current: Track D2 feature updates, especially Smart View improvements and security fixes.
How to Display D2 (Documentum D2) Skills on Your Resume

8. Java/J2EE
Java underpins most custom Documentum work. Classic J2EE concepts still matter, though much of the ecosystem has shifted toward Spring Boot and Jakarta EE.
Why It's Important
You integrate services, shape APIs, and implement business logic in Java. Stability, performance, and maintainability flow from good Java fundamentals.
How to Improve Java/J2EE Skills
Deepen the core: Collections, streams, concurrency, exceptions, and memory basics. Write code that’s simple and sharp.
Modern frameworks: Get comfortable with Spring Boot, JPA/Hibernate, and Jakarta EE updates. Test thoroughly.
APIs done right: Build REST endpoints that are versioned, secure, observable, and well‑documented.
Integration patterns: Messaging, retries, idempotency, and backoff strategies for resilient services.
Quality habits: Unit and integration tests, static analysis, CI pipelines, and meaningful logs.
Fit for Documentum: Combine DFC or REST with clean service layers; avoid tight coupling to repository details.
How to Display Java/J2EE Skills on Your Resume

9. DFS (Documentum Foundation Services)
DFS is the SOAP‑based web services layer for Documentum. It opened the door for earlier integrations and still powers long‑lived solutions.
Why It's Important
Many enterprises run DFS in production. Understanding it helps you maintain, harden, and gradually migrate integrations toward REST when appropriate.
How to Improve DFS (Documentum Foundation Services) Skills
Reduce chattiness: Batch operations where possible. Keep payloads tidy and avoid unnecessary round trips.
Cache wisely: Cache reference data and metadata that rarely change to cut response times.
Go async for heavy work: Long‑running calls should be asynchronous to keep clients responsive.
Tight error handling: Standardize faults, log correlation IDs, and surface actionable messages.
Secure transport: Enforce TLS, rotate service credentials, and apply least privilege.
Keep dependencies fresh: Patch libraries and application servers. Monitor for CVEs.
Plan a runway: For new builds, prefer REST. For existing DFS, stabilize first, then phase migrations carefully.
How to Display DFS (Documentum Foundation Services) Skills on Your Resume

10. Captiva
OpenText Intelligent Capture (formerly Captiva) ingests documents, classifies them, extracts data, and sends clean packets into Documentum for downstream workflows.
Why It's Important
Capture quality decides how much manual cleanup you face. Better classification and extraction lead to faster processes and fewer mistakes.
How to Improve Captiva Skills
Stay current: Upgrade to supported versions for better recognition, connectors, and security updates.
Streamline flows: Map capture steps end to end. Cut dead time. Parallelize where practical.
Train recognition: Tune OCR/ICR, templates, and ML classifiers with real samples. Measure accuracy, not just throughput.
Tighten the connector: Align metadata with Documentum types and lifecycles. Validate failure paths and retries.
Extend with SDKs: Add custom modules only when configuration can’t reach the goal. Keep extensions small and well‑tested.
Watch performance: Profile batch sizes, queues, and hardware. Scale horizontally for spikes.
Protect the stream: Secure endpoints and storage, mask sensitive fields, and audit access.
Measure relentlessly: Precision, recall, and straight‑through rates are your north stars.
How to Display Captiva Skills on Your Resume

11. BPM (Business Process Management)
BPM turns scattered steps into resilient workflows. In Documentum, that means orchestrating people, rules, and content with clarity.
Why It's Important
Strong BPM slashes cycle time, reduces errors, and makes compliance less of a chore and more of a built‑in guardrail.
How to Improve BPM (Business Process Management) Skills
Start with outcomes: Tie processes to measurable business goals. Then cut steps that don’t move the needle.
Standardize patterns: Use xCP for case handling, escalations, and SLAs. Reuse components instead of reinventing them.
Automate the boring parts: Auto‑classify, auto‑route, and auto‑file whenever rules are clear.
Integrate systems: Connect ERPs, CRMs, and line‑of‑business apps via REST. Keep handoffs observable.
Instrument everything: KPIs, bottleneck reports, and audit trails help you iterate with evidence.
Iterate in short loops: Release, learn, refine. Process work thrives on feedback.
Educate users: Good training and clear UX design are as crucial as the workflow itself.
How to Display BPM (Business Process Management) Skills on Your Resume

12. XML/DTD/XSLT
XML structures your data. DTD validates its shape. XSLT transforms it into what downstream systems or UIs need.
For Documentum developers, this trio shows up in configurations, integrations, and reporting. Clean schemas and transformations avert chaos.
Why It's Important
XML, DTD, and XSLT underpin predictable interchange and presentation:
XML: Portable, structured data that plays well across systems.
DTD: Enforces structure so producers and consumers agree on the contract.
XSLT: Turns raw XML into HTML, text, PDFs, or other XML flavors.
How to Improve XML/DTD/XSLT Skills
XML (eXtensible Markup Language)
- Nail the basics: Elements, attributes, namespaces, and well‑formed vs. valid.
- Design with intent: Clear, consistent schemas and naming that future you will thank you for.
DTD (Document Type Definition)
- Learn declarations: Elements, attributes, entities, and notations.
- Validate early: Wire validation into your build or deployment steps.
XSLT (eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transformations)
- Get comfortable with XPath: The heart of selecting and reshaping data.
- Use templates well: Match, import, and modularize to keep stylesheets readable.
- Mind performance: Avoid redundant traversals and keep transformations focused.
For Documentum Developers
- Fit to the platform: Align metadata models with repository types; keep transformations close to where they add value (ingest, export, reporting).
- Test with real samples: Edge cases hide in production data. Build a rich corpus.
Practice and Resources
- Hands‑on repetition: Create, validate, and transform XML until it feels second nature.
- Use local tooling: Validators, XPath testers, and XSLT processors speed feedback.
Stay Updated
- Keep learning: Patterns evolve; so do best practices. Review and refactor periodically.
How to Display XML/DTD/XSLT Skills on Your Resume

