MINT Communication Systems Inc., a subsidiary of Oshap Technologies Ltd. and a provider of Enterprise Application Integration solutions to the financial services industry, announced support for XML. Financial institutions are adopting XML as a new standard because its flexible structure can simplify and speed the process of integrating and transmitting complex financial information between banks, securities firms, and clearing networks. The MINT/Rule Manager Module allows users to import and export XML metadata, and to integrate the data with other financial applications and industry standards like FIX and SWIFT, avoiding the time and cost for manually re-defining and transforming message formats. www.mintech.com
Category: Web technologies & information standards (Page 57 of 58)
Here we include topics related to information exchange standards, markup languages, supporting technologies, and industry applications.
CAP Ventures Inc., announced the industry’s first market study on early adopters of XML. The formal announcement and study scope was unveiled at Documation ’99 West in Santa Clara, CA. The study is a project of CAP Ventures’ Dynamic Content Software Strategies Consulting Service (DSS). The research phase of the project is currently in progress. The study will provide vital market information to software vendors and service providers. In addition, it will prove useful for end-user companies who are evaluating the viability of XML projects. The research will uncover user motivations for employing XML, identify the corporate applications it will be used for most frequently by early adopters, and estimate spending on XML projects through 1999. It will also gauge the industry standards and vocabularies related to XML in which users are most interested. Data for the study will be collected through 250 telephone interviews with companies that have XML-based IT projects either planned or underway. www.capv.com/dss
POET Software, announced support for Commerce XML — or cXML, an open-standard subset of XML for electronic commerce designed to reduce online business costs by facilitating the exchange of content and transaction information between buyers and sellers. www.poet.com
SoftQuad Software Inc., announced new value-added tools for HoTMetaL Application Server, its low-cost solution for deploying e-commerce, customer service and personalized content applications. These tools–Quick Apps and Power Parts–are pre-built mini-applications that are ideal for end-users and developers alike, enabling them to increase the functionality of their sites with drag-and-drop ease. Quick Apps and Power Parts are available at no charge via SoftQuad Software’s new web site, www.hmfx.com. HoTMetaL users can access these sophisticated tools via the HoTMetaL Resource Manager. Once loaded into the Resource Manager, users just drag and drop to add the mini-applications to their web sites. Absolutely no programming or testing is required. Power Parts are building blocks that enhance a Web site’s productivity instantly. They are also developed using Miva scripts, and are accessed through the HoTMetaL Resource Manager. Power Parts include a Mail-to form, a banner ad rotator and statistical analysis tool, and a robust password protection system with the ability to add and delete users, create and change passwords, and more. To add Power Parts to a site, users just select one from the Resource Manager, define a few parameters and settings, and then insert it onto their site. www.softquad.com
Unisys, IBM, Oracle, Platinum, Fujitsu, Softeam, Rational, Sprint, Sybase, Xerox, MCI Systemhouse, Boeing, Ardent, ICONIX, Integrated Systems, Verilog, NCR, NTT and Daimler-Benz are some of the vendors who are collaborating on the Object Management Group’s new XMI (XML Metadata Interchange) specification. XMI is a new open industry standard that combines the benefits of the web-based XML standard for defining, validating, and sharing document formats on the web with the benefits of the object-oriented Unified Modeling Language (UML). It provides application developers with a common language for specifying, visualizing, constructing, and documenting distributed objects and business models. The XMI specification quickly moved through the OMG’s Technology Adoption process and is currently undergoing the formal technology adoption vote by the OMG membership. Market demand for XMI is encouraging vendors such as IBM, Unisys and Oracle to expedite implementations of the technology and products as early as mid-1999. www.omg.com
Daniel Green Company initiated a collaborative effort to develop new, open standards for data exchange among footwear suppliers, retailers, web sites, sourcing and distribution. These new standards are intended for use with XML. The working group will include representatives from a broad cross-section of the footwear industry, such as athletic, shoes, boots, women’s fashion, retail and Internet outlets. Initial plans call for the working group to define standard terms and design basic document object models that are expected to have a far-reaching impact on transaction productivity within the footwear industry. Ultimate goals include reduced inventories and waste as well as lower costs and greater variety for consumers. www.danielgreenco.com
Forte Software Inc. has announced XML-based application adapters for SAP R/2 and R/3 and Vantive Enterprise applications, the first in a line called the Forte Adapter Series. The company has also created an EAI business unit and will target its development and process-management tools for EAI tasks. Forte says its development tools are needed to link applications developed in-house. A software development kit specifically designed for integration tasks will be available in about 90 days, according to the company. Forte also said it will resell Iona Technologies’ Orbix middleware for building links to Corba-based software. www.forte.com
Optika Inc., a provider of Web commerce solutions for intranets and extranets, today announced that it has entered into a technology partnership with UWI.Com, a leading provider of secure XML forms solutions for the Internet. Under the agreement, the companies will integrate UWI.Com’s XML InternetForms system with Optika eMedia to enable businesses to engage in electronic commerce with their supply chain over Internet, intranet and extranet sites. The integration will enable companies to build forms accessible through standard browsers, providing capabilities that automate the completion and validation of the forms data. Because UWI.Com InternetForms are built on XML, they also include additional metadata used by Optika eMedia systems to automate form processing. For example, a company can use an InternetForm to order additional materials from a supplier simply by going to an extranet site. The supplier’s system will then automatically start up a workflow for processing the request, based upon order amount, shipment deadline and available inventory. www.optika.com, www.uwi.com.
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