DataDirect Technologies, a leader in data connectivity and mainframe integration and an operating company of Progress Software Corp., has introduced a new version of the DataDirect Data Integration Suite featuring new versions of its XML-based component technologies for data integration in traditional and service-oriented environments. "We have focused in this release mostly on the feedback that we have received from our customers and we have followed the evolution of the standards that we are tracking especially the XQuery standards and the EDI standards," Dr. Carlo Innocenti, senior XML program manager for DataDirect Technologies, tells 5 Minute Briefing. The DataDirect Data Integration Suite contains the latest product releases of DataDirect XQuery, DataDirect XML Converters (Java and .NET) and Stylus Studio. New features and functionality in the suite are intended to help maximize developer productivity, reduce the need for manual coding, and accelerate the delivery of mission-critical information to enterprise applications and end users.
DataDirect XQuery is an XQuery processor that enables developers to access and query XML, relational data, Web services, EDI, legacy, or a combination of data sources. New to version 4.0 is full support for the XQuery Update Facility (XUF)-an extension of the XQuery language that allows making changes to data manipulated inside the XQuery. As a result, developers can more easily update individual XML documents, XML streams, and file collections from within their XQuery applications. It is much easier now for example to go through a large document describing a vast number of invoices and rename a specific address to be something different or change phone numbers to use a different area code, Innocenti said. "Now, it is a much faster and scalable operation." The product also includes the ability to update and create Zip files, supporting the OpenOffice XML format.
Additionally, the updated suite includes DataDirect XML Converters 4.0. "XML Converters is the component in Data Integration Suite that specializes in making data, which is not natively available as XML, available for processing inside XQuery or other XML-based processing engines," notes Innocenti. The latest release of the DataDirect XML Converters are fully compatible with Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 and are integrated in the Microsoft BizTalk development environment for the streamlined use of XML Converters in the .NET environment. For healthcare organizations that must comply with the X12 electronic data interchange (EDI) standards and the latest HIPAA 5010 transaction definitions, the DataDirect XML Converters now include support for the HIPAA EDI dialects including 004010A1, 005010 and 005010A1 messages. Version 4.0 also includes the ability to handle Standard Exchange Format (SEF) extensions and EDI customizations.
Finally, the latest release of Stylus Studio, an XML IDE, features new XML productivity tools to further simplify and automate common programming and data integration tasks. In addition to increased support for several popular databases and industry standards, Stylus Studio 2009 offers a new EDI-to-XML module that works with DataDirect XML Converters in an interactive way to improve ease-of-use. Users can now load EDI documents to view contents, test conversions, create customizations and preview XML. The IDE also features a new EDI-to-XQuery document wizard and EDI-to-XSD document wizard, allowing users to create XQuery and generate XML schema based on any of the EDI dialects supported by the DataDirect XML Converters that are bundled with Stylus Studio. For more details, go here.