Business Segments and International Operations (Income from Continuing Operations by Segment) (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2018 USD ($) segment	Aug. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of reportable segments | segment			3
Segment Reporting, Reconciling Item for Operating Profit (Loss) from Segment to Consolidated [Line Items]
Segment revenue	$ 95,683	$ 97,310	$ 285,832	$ 281,493
Segment costs of revenue and operating expenses	25,010	26,943	72,085	78,965
Segment contribution margin	70,673	70,367	213,747	202,528
Other unallocated expenses	48,490	50,068	152,008	160,723
Income from operations	22,183	20,299	61,739	41,805
Other (expense) income, net	(1,961)	(1,400)	(4,830)	(4,299)
Income before income taxes	20,222	18,899	56,909	37,506
OpenEdge
Segment Reporting, Reconciling Item for Operating Profit (Loss) from Segment to Consolidated [Line Items]
Segment revenue	68,029	68,135	204,404	198,533
Segment costs of revenue and operating expenses	16,419	18,374	47,194	52,538
Segment contribution margin	51,610	49,761	157,210	145,995
Data Connectivity and Integration
Segment Reporting, Reconciling Item for Operating Profit (Loss) from Segment to Consolidated [Line Items]
Segment revenue	7,597	8,987	20,989	22,911
Segment costs of revenue and operating expenses	1,520	2,200	4,823	6,531
Segment contribution margin	6,077	6,787	16,166	16,380
Application Development and Deployment
Segment Reporting, Reconciling Item for Operating Profit (Loss) from Segment to Consolidated [Line Items]
Segment revenue	20,057	20,188	60,439	60,049
Segment costs of revenue and operating expenses	7,071	6,369	20,068	19,896
Segment contribution margin	$ 12,986	$ 13,819	$ 40,371	$ 40,153