Hewlett-Packard Company unveiled its roadmap for unifying information exchange in the new Internet economy. HP’s support of Object Management Group’s (OMG) Common Warehouse Metamodel Interchange (CWMI) specification will help customers share information with customers and partners, creating customer intimacy and streamlining the supply chain. The CWMI standard follows XML Metadata Interchange (XMI) by the OMG. Marking the next step in the establishment of a metadata interchange among all data warehousing, business intelligence, knowledge management and portal technologies, the proposed CWMI provides a powerful object model with a set of APIs, interchange formats and services that span the spectrum of metadata relating to the extraction, transformation, transportation, loading, integration and analysis phases within data warehousing. CWMI resolves potential integration issues by enabling users to extend the model to meet their specific needs. HP support of CWMI will help customers with: Simplified Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) processing, automated change data management, more useful Online Analytical Processing, real-time data collection from the Internet, and streamlined administration. Additional information from OMG regarding the CWMI specification is available at www.omg.org/news/pr2000/3_20.htm. www.hp.com
Month: March 2000 (Page 1 of 6)
IBM announced the worldwide availability of IBM WebSphere Transcoding Publisher, software that dynamically translates Web information — including text and images — to a format readable on a variety of Internet appliances. WebSphere Transcoding Publisher extends the reach of Web data and applications to information appliances, including smart phones, car browsers and PDAs. Because Transcoding Publisher customizes the content to match the capabilities of the receiving device, applications do not have to be rewritten. Built on a Java-based architecture, WebSphere Transcoding Publisher converts data and applications written in HTML and XML to other formats such as Wireless Markup Language (WML). It can also convert graphics to a format that can be viewed on a wireless device. The software is available for AIX, Linux, Solaris and Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 2000 operating systems. WebSphere Transcoding Publisher is available in ten languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese). www.ibm.com/software/websphere/transcoding
Open Text Corporation and KPNQwest announced a joint services agreement to offer Application Service Provider (ASP) services for European businesses. The signed joint services agreement (JSA) provides Open Text’s Livelink collaborative software through KPNQwest’s pan-European macro-capacity fibre-optic network and European CyberCentres. KPNQwest has twelve European CyberCentres and is in the process of constructing mega-CyberCentres of over 10,000 square metres close to key business centres in Europe. These CyberCentres are built on KPNQwest’s high-capacity fibre-optic EuroRings network, which delivers the high-speed broadband bandwidth required to run sophisticated business-to-business applications. KPNQwest and Open Text will jointly market and brand the hosted Livelink solution to KPNQwest’s installed customer base of more than 100,000 businesses. This service will also be offered to the Open Text installed customer base in Europe. KPNQwest customers will also have access to use myLivelink, the customizable interface to Livelink which provides a collaborative information portal that can unite its hosted application services. This will give KPNQwest customers a view into multiple information sources including Livelink, and will allow them to personalize the interface to meet their individual requirements. www.kpnqwest.com, www.opentext.com
OnDisplay, Inc. announced the general availability of XML Connect. XML Connect is a free, business-to-business, XML-based server for organizations that need to establish secure, guaranteed exchange of critical business transactions with trading partners. This new product enables the exchange of XML business documents — such as purchase orders, invoices, and order confirmations — seamlessly and securely with any other XML Connect user, as well as with users of OnDisplay’s CenterStage eBizXchange product. The new product can be downloaded from the XML Connect Web site and supports all of the XML schemas on the market and allows B2B e-commerce participants to set up secure connections with trading partners without the need to purchase and install proprietary software on both ends of the trading partner connection. In conjunction with the availability of this product, OnDisplay is also launching XMLConnect.net, a B2B community portal found at www.xmlconnect.net. This portal was specifically created to become a destination site for the convergence of the B2B and XML Connect community. The community portal will offer a place to interact with trading partners, exchange ideas and access resources for learning more about the power of Internet ubiquity and the mass adoption of XML and XML Connect. OnDisplay offers free online support for XML Connect; for an additional charge a company can upgrade to a traditional phone support model. www.ondisplay.com
Commerce One, Inc. announced the execution of memoranda of understanding with Documentum, POET Software, and SAQQARA Systems to deliver integrated e-catalog solutions that will enable suppliers to rapidly participate in business-to-business e-marketplaces powered by the Commerce One MarketSite Portal Solution. Documentum 4i eBusiness Edition, POET eCatalog Suite and SAQQARA Commerce Suite now support the XML Common Business Library (xCBL) that enables the exchange of e-catalogs. Under the terms of the definitive agreements which the parties expect to sign shortly, Documentum, POET, and SAQQARA are the newest three companies to endorse xCBL, created by Commerce One, that allows any company to trade with any other through end-to-end system integration and open XML document exchange. The new partnerships enable suppliers and manufacturers to automate the selling process and make product catalogs available to Commerce One MarketSite Portal Solution based business-to-business trading communities. Suppliers can choose a solution that best suits their unique requirements, providing them with seamless access to a global e-marketplace. www.documentum.com, www.poet.com, www.saqqara.com, www.commercone.com
Oracle Corp. announced the latest release of Oracle JDeveloper with Business Components for Java. This latest version offers end-to-end support for XML. With JDeveloper Version 3.1, Oracle delivers an integrated, full-featured application development tool for building and deploying applications in Java and XML. Developers will be able to use JDeveloper to build, debug and deploy Internet applications that create and process XML data and documents. Oracle JDeveloper 3.1 simplifies the task of working with Java application code and XML data and documents at the same time. It features color-coded syntax highlighting for XML and built-in syntax checking for XML and Extensible Style Sheet Language (XSL). With the included XML Structured Query Language (XSQL) Pages support, developers will be able to edit and debug Oracle XSQL Pages, Java programs that can query the database and return formatted XML, or insert XML into the database without writing code. The integrated servlet engine will allow developers to view the XML output generated by their Java code in the same environment as their program source, making it easy to do rapid, iterative development and testing. JDeveloper’s integration with Oracle8i and Oracle Application Server will also help improve productivity by allowing developers to remotely debug Java/XML programs running on either server. JDeveloper will also allow Java developers to produce, develop and debug multi-tier Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) applications and remotely debug Java components in any web server or application server through its support of the J2EE Platform Debugging Interface (JDI). The tool also includes Oracle’s XML Parser for Java Extensible Style Sheet Language Transformation (XSLT) Processor, and related JavaBeans components that make it easy to do drag-and-drop XML development. Oracle Business Components for Java, which ships with Oracle JDeveloper, is a server-side framework for creating scalable, high-performance Internet applications. The framework helps developers build reusable components for all types of Web-based business applications. The same server-side business component can be deployed without modification as either a JavaServer Pages/Servlet application or Enterprise JavaBeans component. This deployment flexibility enables developers to reuse the same business logic and data models to deliver applications to a variety of clients, browsers, and wireless Internet devices without having to rewrite code. In JDeveloper 3.1, programmers will be able to customize the functionality of existing Business Components by using the new visual wizards to modify their XML metadata descriptions. Business rules can be changed on site without needing access to the underlying component source code. JDeveloper 3.1 is scheduled to ship and be made available online starting in April. Developers can download JDeveloper from the Oracle technology Network at http://technet.oracle.com.
Mercator Software announced it has joined the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Forum, and is supporting integration with WAP applications and devices through the Wireless Markup Language (WML) standard. Support for WML within Mercator E-Business Integration Broker products gives end user customers the ability to integrate information from existing business systems with WML formats, accelerating the integration of wireless applications into their e-business infrastructure. In addition, Mercator’s WML transformation support allows third party solution providers to deploy wireless applications that can be integrated with the diverse applications of their enterprise customers. In supporting wireless applications, for example, Mercator E-Business Integration Broker software can enable a telecommunications company service representative to receive information regarding a service outage through a WML transaction sent from a computer system in the home office directly to the rep’s mobile device. In the same exchange, the service rep can use the mobile device to check the history of service problems in the area where the problem occurred. All data required to complete this exchange, including information from the home office applications and databases, can be transformed into and out of WML using Mercator E-Business Integration Broker technology. www.mercator.com
Arbortext, Inc. announced the release of Extend, a set of software and services that support Application Service Provider (ASP) deployment of its XML-based e-Content management system. Arbortext has identified FutureLink to help implement the rollout of Extend. Server-based computing services offer customers reduced cost of ownership and deployment time, faster scale-up, increased flexibility, more widespread access and tighter security. Additionally, companies who have people located throughout the organization or in multiple locations now have the ability to collaborate as if they were working in the same office. Extend enables companies to utilize Arbortext software who might otherwise be unable to do so because of out-dated equipment, lack of technical support, or cost of ownership. Arbortext’s software can either be hosted on its customer’s servers or on a third-party Web hosting service, and is accessible using a standard browser or a thin client. The software runs on a variety of desktops, including Windows, Macintosh, DOS, UNIX, Java and OS/2 Warp. www.arbortext.com, www.futurelink.net
