Category: Content technology news (Page 346 of 637)

Veridocs announced the upcoming availability of XMLdocs Beta Release. XMLdocs is a Web-based system for creating user-friendly XML content management solutions. The Beta Release will be available free. XMLdocs Version 1, slated for release in February 2003, will be available on a hosted basis. With XMLdocs, organizations can create XML document templates for everything from press releases and product descriptions to knowledge-based articles and help documents. Using these templates, non-technical users write and edit XML documents in XMLdocs XML word processor. Documents can then be exported for publication on a Web site or elsewhere through a simple Web Service. www.xmldocs.com

FileNET Corporation and NS Solutions Corporation announced a new strategic partnership to penetrate the Japanese ECM market. The partnership will have a strategic focus on developing and marketing solutions for the Financial Services, Insurance, Pharmaceutical, Government, Manufacturing and Utilities markets in Japan. NS Solutions, which has been involved in the technical drawing and content management business for more than 15 years, has more than 400 customers in Japan. www.ns-sol.co.jp/e/index.html, www.filenet.com

The Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC) announced the release of the Workflow Standard – XML Process Definition Language – XPDL 1.0. Together with other WfMC standards, XPDL provides a framework for implementing business process management and workflow engines, and for designing, analyzing, and exchanging business processes. XPDL is the culmination of a 15-month effort by multiple vendors and users to provide a standard that satisfies the needs of diverse organizations. One of the key elements of the XPDL is its extensibility to handle information used by a variety of different tools. Based upon a limited number of entities that describe a workflow process definition (the “Minimum Meta Model”), XPDL supports a number of differing approaches. A process defined in XPDL (a set of XML statements) can be imported into any workflow engine that supports XPDL. The related objects and attributes (data associated with the process) are now also included in the XPDL process definition. The XPDL process definition can be generated by workflow modeling and simulation tools, or can be manually coded, or can be exported from another XPDL-compliant workflow engine. Described as Document WfMC-TC-1025, it may be downloaded at www.wfmc.org/standards/docs.htm

DataPower Technology, Inc. announced a joint marketing and development agreement with Contivo, Inc., to integrate the Contivo Enterprise Integration Modeling (EIM) solution with the DataPower XA35 XML Accelerator. The joint solution provides enterprise customers with an XML integration solution providing data modeling and XML data transformation technology to reduce time and money spent on integration services. Contivo’s platform-independent model-based semantic server automates the design and management of data integration. DataPower’s XA35 – based on its XG3 XML processing technology – provides a fast XML data transformation engine. In a jointly conducted test, the “XA35 was able to execute Contivo transaction mappings over 15 times faster than transactions attempted in general-purpose software.” DataPower XA35 XML Accelerator and Contivo EIM Solution 3.0 are available immediately. www.datapower.com, www.contivo.com

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has issued the XML Encryption Syntax and Processing specification and the Decryption Transform for XML Signature as W3C Recommendations, representing cross-industry agreement on an XML-based approach for securing XML data in a document. When exchanging sensitive data (e.g., financial or personal information) over the Internet, senders and receivers require secure communications. Although there are deployed technologies that allow senders and receivers to secure a complete data object or communication session, only W3C XML Signature (together with the new W3C XML Encryption Recommendation) permits users to selectively sign and encrypt portions of XML data. For example, a user of a Web services protocol such as SOAP may want to encrypt the payload part of the XML message but not the information necessary to route the payload to its recipient. Or, an XForms application might require that the payment authorization being digitally signed, and the actual payment method, such as a credit card number, be encrypted. And, of course, XML Encryption can be used to secure complete data objects as well such as such as an image or sound file. The associated “Decryption Transform for XML Signature” Recommendation permits one to use encryption with XML Signature. One feature of XML Signature is to ensure a document’s integrity: to detect if the document is altered. However, many applications require the ability to first sign an XML document and then encrypt parts of it, altering the document. The Decryption Transform lets the receiver know which portions of the document to decrypt, restoring the document to its unaltered state, before it can check the signature. XML Encryption was developed by the W3C XML Encryption Working Group, consisting of both individuals and the following W3C Members: Baltimore Technologies; BEA Systems; DataPower; IBM; Microsoft; Motorola; University of Siegen; Sun Microsystems; and VeriSign. www.w3.org

Corel Corporation unveiled Corel Smart Graphics Studio, a development platform designed to speed and simplify the creation of SVG-based smart graphics. These solutions transform XML and legacy data into dynamic and interactive graphics. Based on SVG, solutions built with Corel Smart Graphics Studio are not dependent on proprietary technology and are interoperable with existing tools and infrastructure. Corel Smart Graphics Studio enables enterprise Web designers and developers to produce extensible solutions by maintaining a separation between the graphical, functional and data components of an application. Corel Smart Graphics Studio will be available in mid-2003. www.corel.com/smartgraphics

eMotion, Inc. announced the launch of CreativePartner Project, a service that allows customers to engage eMotion’s digital media management software solution and hosting services on a project-by-project basis. The new offering enables eMotion to target a much broader range of customers seeking a digital media management and collaboration solution for creative projects, but not necessarily on a continuous basis. The CreativePartner Project service includes set-up, hosting, operation and administration of a web-based digital media management solution for as little as two weeks to as long as six months or more. Clients can establish a project workspace for their assets (graphics, photos, video and audio files). In addition to CreativePartner Project, eMotion offers licensed software solutions MediaPartner Enterprise, CreativePartner and ArchivePartner. www.emotion.com

Microsoft Corp. announced a new set of technologies designed to enable developers to build business solutions based on the next version of Microsoft Office, code-named “Office 11.” A new set of tools, code-named “Visual Studio Tools for Office,” enables Visual Studio .NET developers to use Microsoft’s application development tool to build solutions based on Word and Excel documents, as well as several new XML development experiences. Microsoft will continue to support Visual Basic for Applications. Using “Visual Studio Tools for Office,” developers can create applications written in Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual C# .NET that run in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. “Visual Studio Tools for Office” will be available in conjunction with “Office 11” in mid-2003. “Office 11,” features enhanced support for XML, including improved object model programmability, the ability to use XML schemas, built-in support for XML Web services and a new smart document solution model. Word and Excel templates can be designed with an underlying customer-defined XML structure. Integrated support for XML Web services in “Office 11,” along with support for XSL and XPath, leverages existing Office and Web development skills. www.microsoft.com/office/developer/preview