Creating Open XML documents from XML and database data

The latest release 2008r2 of StyleVision gives users important new functionality for creating advanced stylesheets to publish XML and database data in Word 2007, which uses the new Open XML (OOXML) data format, as well as simpler processes for publishing the same source content in other formats. And, to further ease the transition for developers and designers working with OOXML, we have just reduced the price of StyleVision considerably. As adoption of Open XML increases, StyleVision developers will be ready with a powerful tool for publishing XML and database data in what is sure to be the most predominant end-user document format, now that Open XML has been approved as an ISO standard.

Here is how the process works:

1. Open your existing XML document or connect to an existing relational database to populate the source pane in StyleVision:
   
   
2. Drag & drop elements from the source pane into the design pane and apply styles to them, thereby creating a meta stylesheet for producing the desired output formatting:
   
   
3. Click on one of the preview tabs underneath the design pane to preview the output in any of the supported output formats (Open XML for Word 2007, HTML, PDF, and RTF) - all outputs are automatically created from one and the same visual design:
   
   
4. Save the generated output file(s) as well as the specific stylesheets that have been auto-generated to render your data in the desired output formats again and again...
   

StyleVision can access data from database tables,views, or you can directly enter a SQL SELECT statement to query only for particular data from a database. This makes StyleVision ideal for flexible database reporting, too.

If you are interested in further details, you can read more about the new features of StyleVision 2008r2 here.

New BIG "minor" release of Altova tools

It's called Version 2008 Release 2, but in reality it should be a new major version. Our "problem" is that each year has 12 months whereas our talented engineers are practically cranking out a new major version every 5-6 months. So we have to call one of them the major release and the other one a minor release - but this one is BIG!

We've updated all the tools in the popular Altova MissionKit bundle with tons of new features and usability enhancements that our customers have asked for. I am most excited about the following, which provide big benefits to our users:

• Very Large File Support: XMLSpy 2008r2 contains a number of advanced optimizations for working with very large files. These result in a reduction of memory consumption by up to 75-80% compared to the previous version when opening and validating XML documents in Text View. This means that you can now open and work with files that are about 4-5 times larger than those supported in the past!!
• Extended Open XML (OOXML) Support: XMLSpy was the first XML Editor to directly support Open XML in April 2007 and today we are introducing more Open XML support in these products:
• MapForce 2008r2 now directly supports SpreadsheetML and allows the user to place any Excel 2007 document inside a mapping project to directly transform data from EDI, XML, databases, web services, and legacy text files to Excel 2007 and vice-versa. This new support for Open XML and Excel 2007 is, of course, also available in the automatic code-generation capabilities of MapForce, allowing developers to generate application code for recurring data transformation scenarios in Java, C# and C++.
• StyleVision 2008r2 now directly supports Open XML output in Word 2007 (WordprocessingML) to allow the user to generate multiple rich output formats from one single stylesheet design. StyleVision supports the generation of stylesheets via an easy-to-use drag&drop interface from XML documents as well as from databases and is the ultimate report designer that can produce output in HTML, PDF, RTF, and Open XML from one visual design. In addition, it allows developers the creation of Authentic forms from the same design to facilitate XML-based data entry across an organization with no deployment cost.
• DiffDog 2008r2 now supports detailed XML differencing between Open XML documents, including the ability to directly edit and merge changes across those files. In addition, the directory comparison feature now also supports ZIP file types so that directories and ZIP archives can be compared as well.
• Expanded Modeling Capabilities: UModel 2008r2 now supports the OMG's BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation) and is also the first UML tool to ship full support for C# 3.0 and Visual Basic 9.0 - including accurate parsing of new language constructs in these programming languages that directly support XML. UModel does, of course, also continue to fully support Java 6.0 and provides full reverse-engineering and round-tripping for all the above languages.
• Better Integration Through Global Resources: developers using multiple Altova tools - for example as parts of the MissionKit bundle - can now take advantage of increased integration between these tools. The new Global Resources feature lets a developer define directories, databases, and ancillary files in one central location and those are shared between all applications. In addition, a developer can define multiple deployment scenarios (e.g. test, staging, production) for their XML projects, and also directly connect the output of one application to become the input for another.

The above list has just a few of the highlights that I find most exciting. More details and all the other cool new features can be found on the "What's New" page on the Altova website. There is also a press release being issued today about the new version.

I will also be covering some of these features in more detail on this XML Aficionado blog in the next couple of days - stay tuned...

Pheasant Glass

I have previously thrown in a few restaurant reviews in this XML Aficionado blog, but after some careful consideration over a recent vacation trip to the west coast, I came to the conclusion that it makes more sense to collect those in a separate blog and to keep XML Aficionado focused on technology, XML, and the occasional update from the Red Sox.
For those of you interested in restaurant and hotel reviews, please take a look at our new Pheasant Glass blog and read about our recent trip through California with stops in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Carmel Valley, and San Francisco.

Open XML is now an ISO Standard

The official press-release came out of the ISO offices on April 2nd and Open XML (OOXML) is now an ISO Standard with the official designation IS 29500.

Microsoft issued a press release today, and states that 86% of all voting bodies and 75% of P-members approved the standard - both measures being above the needed thresholds of 75% and 66.7% respectively.

See also the following blog and media reactions today:

• Brian Jones: "The end of the file formats war"
• Jason Matusow: "Open XML is and international standard"
• Peter O'Kelly: "Ecma Office Open XML Document Format appears to win Approval as an ISO Standard"
• Computerworld: "Unofficial vote tallies show Open XML being ratified"
• CNet: "Unofficial document: Open XML passes ISO vote"
• ZDNet: "Microsoft wasting no time rejoicing in its OOXML win"

There is also an interesting story floating around that Norway allegedly seeks to reverse its Open XML vote to No - but that seems to be irrelevant given the high margins that the tallied outcome has over the minimum requirements for approval as a standard.

To get an early start working with Open XML (IS 29500), check out Altova's support for Open XML in our XMLSpy XML Editor.

You are also invited to read all previous articles on Open XML on this XML Aficionado blog - especially my January 30 tutorial post on Content reuse with Open XML and XSLT.

Phonautograph recording of the oldest sound

Most gadgets that I write about are at the fore-front of technology. This Phonautograph, arguably, doesn't look like such a device at first glance:

But in 1860, when Parisian inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville used his device to record Au Claire de la Lune, it was definitely cutting-edge technology, as his device predates Thomas Edison's work by 17 years. One recording from the above device has now been recovered and can be downloaded as an MP3 file almost 150 years later, and subsequently be played on your computer, or even your iPod or iPhone.

See the related press release and also the First Sounds website and this article on MSNBC for more details...

LANSA middle-ware integration builds on MapForce

Here is a cool story about an Altova partner, who recently integrated the MapForce mapping and data transformation user interface into their product.

LANSA is a development environment and suite of eBusiness solutions that organizations use to rapidly implement business systems that make effective use of new technologies. From its beginnings as a 4th generation language and repository-based development environment, LANSA has evolved to a family of products and solutions that support IBM iSeries (AS/400), Windows, UNIX and Linux platforms.

LANSA Composer is built on top of LANSA Integrator, the company’s integration toolkit that offers bi-directional data integration through XML, SOAP, and Java services, on IBM System i and other middle-ware platforms.

At its core, LANSA Composer utilizes the MapForce application as its transformation component:

For more details, see the LANSA Case Study on the Altova website for further information. Also, this integration is getting great reviews in the press. For an example, read this article in Database Trends and Applications.

Whitepaper on using Altova Tools with IBM DB2

Altova and IBM jointly published a whitepaper that shows how the integration of Altova tools with DB2 allows users to:

• Design and perfect XQuery statements faster, with real-time validation for a faster and more robust design time experience
• Preview, edit, and validate XML data stored in the database with just a few clicks
• Easily manage XML Schemas in the DB2 9 Schema Repository
• Map XML data from the database to a CSV file or convert it to an HTML table or other format

The solutions to the business problems presented in the whitepaper show how DBAs and developers working with real-world XML applications can benefit from the integration of Altova tools with IBM DB2.

Click here to download the whitepaper (PDF).

New York International Autoshow

I spent a day at the NY Autoshow this weekend with my son to take a look at the latest concept cars and the newest production cars from the world's largest and most exclusive automobile brands, and to check in on the progress of UIMA, an XML standard that has the potential to one day be used by cars to communicate with the road and with other cars around them.

Being a technology aficionado, I was very impressed to find more evidence of a move to carbon-fiber and aluminum construction evident with many manufacturers this year. Similarly there was are a lot of new developments with respect to electric and hybrid vehicles that could be seen in New York.

Here is a quick gallery of some of my favorite cars at the show:

Mazda Furai Concept Car

Saleen Raptor

Audi R8

BMW Concept Car

And my favorite of the entire show - and a great example of the use of carbon-fiber and aluminum in a high-end production vehicle - is the Aston Martin DBS:

Aston Martin DBS

Sadly, a few revolutionary cars that I would have liked to see were absent from the show, such as the Tesla or the Gibbs Aquada. And a few other high-end car manufacturers were also missing, for example the Koenigsegg or the Pagani Zonda.

But there was a flying car on display. Well, at least a prototype of one. You just can't have a car show without a flying car:

I was also looking in vain for evidence of any production applications of UIMA or other similar software approaches that would allow XML to be used by cars to communicate with the road and other cars around them. But that technology still seems to be a few years in the future before it reaches production vehicles, as UIMA is presently being standardized by and OASIS TC.

The exciting thing about UIMA is, of course, that it is not only based on XML, but being described by a specific domain model in XMI (which can be used in the UModel UML Modeling Tool), and contains specific Web Services descriptions in WSDL (which can be viewed in the XMLSpy XML Editor and utilized in our MapForce data integration tool). Last, but not least, there are semantic web implications with respect to knowledge integration in UIMA (which result in RDF and OWL information that can be viewed and processed in our SemanticWorks RDF and OWL editor). I will be following UIMA closely and will report on any progress in this XML Aficionado blog.

More photos can be found in this gallery on my photo website. And for more news from the New York Autoshow, please refer to the various in-depth reviews on Popular Mechanics...