Day: May 31, 2000

InfoGlide Corporation announced the availability of its XML Similarity Engine for cross-consortia and industry data exchange. The patented XML Similarity Engine is technology that offers cross-industry, B2B integration of software solutions. In the recent past, B2B firms have been forced to choose between BizTalk, OASIS, RosettaNet, ACORD and other leading industry consortia to enable interoperable XML applications. According to InfoGlide, XML was intended to solve many of these interoperability issues for data. However, XML has not been able, until today, to solve two critical data problems left over from the 1970’s: schemas in unlike formats and “dirty” or imperfect data. Neither XML nor the standards imposed by these consortia can bridge the two key barriers to applications working together. While XML enables data segments across different databases to be shared, what the XML Similarity Engine does differently is share entire databases for all common data segments, presented in an untransformed data model. Because the databases do not have to undergo any transformation, they retain all their richness and context. The XML Similarity Engine does not alter the source database or database structures. The XML Similarity Engine gives immediate results while consortia-imposed standards focus only on exchanging data in a very painful and limiting manner. For example, B2B applications must use XML documents with virtually identical schemas or file layouts, or they will not interoperate. For instance, a purchase order from one firm cannot “talk to” a bill-of-materials from another because they have completely different formats. XML cannot solve this problem so the industry has been looking to consortia to develop models and rules as standards, or worse, a rigid transformation technology is required. With InfoGlide’s XML Similarity Engine, companies are freed from the need to painfully model their data independently, or through a consortium. Now they can just use the data and schemas as they exist in their industries-and these can easily communicate with any other XML schema in any other industry. InfoGlide’s patented XML Similarity Engine also enables legacy databases to be fully accessible to XML applications without any data conversion. Any relational, flat file, or hierarchical structure becomes XML enabled through use of the XML Similarity Engine. www.infoglide.com

Quark Inc. and Quill Communications announced an alliance intended to increase efficiency and margins for companies that produce and publish advertising, direct marketing, and manufacturing product catalogs in print and Web formats. Quill will integrate Quark Digital Media System with CATPUB (Content, Approval, Tracking, Publishing), Quill’s Web application for managing workflow, content approval, tracking, and publishing. Quill’s integration of the two systems will result in a Content Intensive Media Management solution that hopes to eliminate the challenges of managing and publishing large amounts of content. QuarkDMS is a solution that lets customers manage a virtually unlimited number of text files, images, and other digital resources. It combines an Oracle8 relational database with a scalable three-tiered architecture capable of serving hundreds of concurrent users. The QuarkDMS clients offer secure access to assets from both Windows and Mac OS platforms, as well as from standard Web browsers. www.quillcom.com, www.quark.com

WebXi, Inc. introduced Symmetry Xchange integration Suite (SymmetryXi), a B2B integration solution to integrate corporate data sources and legacy systems with a cost-effective, scaleable and flexible open standards architecture. SymmetryXi is a solution for portals and application server vendors. SymmetryXi provides reliable, commercial-grade XML messaging – critical for emerging XML-based e-markets and trading exchanges. Using SymmetryXi, companies can integrate the business processes of customers, suppliers and distributors, reducing development and implementation costs and speeding time-to-market. SymmetryXi is a Java-based solution that uses XML technology as a backbone to deliver a scaleable B2B integration solution. SymmetryXi provides a flexible architecture utilizing XML adapters and also provides a software development kit so that companies can create custom XML adapters to integrate in-house systems and to incorporate emerging standards. Symmetry Xchange integration Suite is available now. Pricing varies depending on components and configurations purchased. Volume discounts may apply. www.webxi.com

Art Technology Group, Inc. announced the acquisition of Boston-based Petronio Technology Group, a provider of educational training and consulting services. ATG’s acquisition of Petronio provides it with Java, J2EE, and XML courseware, as well as other enhanced technology training capabilities. Additionally, it was announced that John Petronio, the founder and President of Petronio Technology Group will serve as ATG’s new director of customer education. ATG currently provides a broad selection of training for customers and partners, including programming classes to accelerate productivity and ensure maximum benefit from its Dynamo Product Suite. The addition of Petronio Technology Group will serve to meet increasing market demand for dedicated, customized training services required to develop personalized eBusiness applications on Dynamo and will strengthen ATG’s existing worldwide curriculum development and delivery capabilities through the addition of both seasoned trainers and curriculum developers. www.atg.com