|
| | | What's New in the Altova Product Line?Altova is constantly updating and improving its diverse product line of XML, data management, UML, and Web services tools. Read below to learn about the most recent features, and be sure to follow the links under each product to view a list of enhancements made since the last time you updated. Version 2008 Release 2 Service Pack 2On September 3, 2008, Altova introduced Version 2008 Release 2 Service Pack 2 (v2008r2sp2) of its entire product line. Service Pack 2 provides Version 2008 Release 2 users with a range of bug fixes and other useful enhancements. V2008r2sp2 is a free update for current Version 2008 Release 2 software license holders and other customers with valid Support and Maintenance Packages. Click here to visit the Altova download page for all the product updates included in v2008r2sp2. Version 2008 Release 2On April 29, 2008, Altova released Version 2008 Release 2 (v2008r2) of its complete software tools product line. Altova software v2008r2 provides product enhancements including access to Global Resources within XMLSpy, MapForce, StyleVision, and DatabaseSpy, very large file support and XSLT enhancements in XMLSpy, native support for Excel 2007 (OOXML) files in MapForce, support for Word 2007 (OOXML) output in StyleVision, support for business process modeling in UModel, SQL formatting in DatabaseSpy, support for Office 2007 (OOXML) files in DiffDog, and many more important new features and helpful bug fixes. Version 2008 Release 2 is a free enhancement for current customers with valid Support and Maintenance Packages. Visit the Altova download page to get Altova software v2008r2 now. Select a link below to find out details about what's new in each of the following Altova software products:
The Altova MissionKit 2008 Release 2The MissionKit is Altova's product bundle. Available in multiple configurations, the MissionKit allows you to bundle the Altova tools you need at substantial savings. All MissionKits include XMLSpy, MapForce, and StyleVision at substantial savings, plus options are available that add up to five additional Altova application development and data management tools. You'll get up to eight products for less than the price of two!* New features in Altova products included in Release 2 of the MissionKit 2008 are detailed in the sections below. One feature that will be of particular benefit to MissionKit users is Global Resources, which has been added to multiple MissionKit products: XMLSpy, MapForce, StyleVision, and DatabaseSpy. Global ResourcesThis feature is a powerful productivity enhancer for developers, especially those who use the MissionKit. You'll be able to define and access Global Resources directly within XMLSpy, MapForce, StyleVision, and DatabaseSpy, and these tools - and their respective data output - are more seamlessly integrated. Two immediate benefits from this new functionality are: 1.) You can use the Global Resources dialog to define a target deployment environment on-the-fly within your XMLSpy, MapForce, and StyleVision projects, specifying ancillary files, directories, data sources, databases, etc. This means that the project will not have to be redesigned before it goes live. During the development and testing phase, developers generally design their applications using different resources than they do during deployment (e.g.., a development server for testing and running Web sites) – now, rather than redefining the locations of these resources, they can be added as Global Resources at the beginning of the project so that there is a smoother, faster transition to the deployment phase. A screenshot of the Global Resources configuration dialog appears below:
It's easy to create a new configuration by specifying included files, folders, and databases, or you can copy an existing configuration and just change a few details. The ability to use databases as Global Resources is particulary useful when working with databases in DatabaseSpy, XMLSpy, MapForce, and StyleVision. When you define a database as a Global Resource, all the connection settings including user name and password are saved in the Global Resources file, easing connection to the database from a different application. Switching between different configurations is equally straightforward.
2.) XMLSpy, MapForce, StyleVision, and DatabaseSpy are now integrated to the point that licensed users of multiple Altova tools such as MissionKit customers will be able to work with related files and databases – and even output produced dynamically through mappings, transformations, etc. – seamlessly. Just one of many possible scenarios enabled by this functionality is working with the output of a MapForce mapping. Rather than having to save MapForce output and then open it in another tool, you can now simply add your MapForce mapping project as a global resource, and you can access the output – as it is produced on-the-fly by the MapForce engine – in XMLSpy and/or StyleVision, where you can work with it further as necessary. A specific example is shown in the screenshot below. A StyleVision design based on an XML Schema has been included in this XMLSpy project. Now, whenever a change is made to the source XML data in the XMLSpy XML editor, you can automatically generate the resulting HTML, RTF, PDF, and Word 2007 output - directly within XMLSpy.
These are a few of the many examples of the seamless workflow process enabled through Global Resources functionality. This feature will prove to be a huge productivity enhancer for MissionKit users. Details on specific Version 2008 Release 2 updates to all products included in the Altova MissionKit are available below. Save a bundle! Download a free trial or upgrade to the Altova® MissionKit™ 2008 now! * Pricing comparison is edition-specific and based on Altova MissionKit vs. any two individual licenses of the following included products: XMLSpy and MapForce.
New in XMLSpy 2008 Release 2Release 2 delivers several powerful enhancements to XMLSpy 2008, from support for very large files, to enhancements for working with XSLT 1.0 and 2.0, to detailed find-and-replace in the graphical XML Schema editor, and more. New features in XMLSpy v2008r2 include:
Very large file supportXMLSpy 2008r2 contains a number of advanced optimizations for working with very large files. These result in a reduction of memory consumption by up to 75-80% compared to the previous version when opening and validating XML documents in Text View. This means that you can now open and work with files that are about 4-5 times larger than those supported in the past.** Enhanced support for large files is especially helpful for developers working with large amounts of data in the context of database applications, financial services, data gathering, enterprise data integration, and so on. Detailed find & replace in the XML Schema editorThis new feature complements the already robust find-in-files capabilities of XMLSpy by adding functionality specialized for schema development. The new Find in Schemas window allows you to perform detailed find and replace operations within single schemas and across complex multi-file schemas with ease. Several options for find/replace are available, and multiple tabs in the Find in Schemas output window allow you to perform several searches without losing your previous results.
Enhanced XSLT details in Info WindowThere is now an XSLT tab in the XMLSpy Info Window that provides useful information for developers working with XSLT stylesheets. The XSLT tab allows you to view the associated schema and XML instance files as well as any included or imported XSLT documents, and mousing-over the file names reveals the complete file path. You can even configure the schema and XML instance relationships directly in this tab with just a few clicks. Handy toolbar buttons allow you to quickly organize some or all of the files into an XMLSpy project or even add all files to a ZIP archive in a user-defined location with just a few clicks. This new feature is complemented by the XSL Outline entry helper window described below.
XSL Outline entry helper windowThe new XSL Outline entry helper window in XMLSpy is another powerful feature for optimizing XSLT development. When you're working with an XSLT 1.0 or 2.0 stylesheet, it lists the templates and functions in the current XSLT file as well as those in any included or imported files. Color coded icons provide at-a-glance information on templates and functions, and selecting the Go to Item icon or double clicking a template or function highlights it in the current document. Functions are listed by name, while templates are displayed by name and/or XPath expression. You can view or edit each template's mode, priority, and associated comment directly in the XSL Outline window. You can search for, filter, and sort the templates and functions displayed in the outline by multiple criteria. The window also allows you to quickly insert calls to named templates and select a named template as the entry point for transformations.
The new XSLT Info window and XSL Outline entry helper add to the already robust XSLT editing, debugging, and profiling capabilities of XMLSpy, allowing you to more easily view, manage, and optimize reusable stylesheet components. Support for Java, C#, JavaScript, and VBScript in XSLT 1.0/2.0 enginesDevelopers often embed program code in Java, C#, JavaScript, or VBScript to add advanced functionality to their XSLT stylesheets. Support for these types of code in the XMLSpy XSLT engine means that you can not only take advantage of XMLSpy's powerful XSLT editing and transformation capabilities for stylesheets that contain program code – you can also test, perfect, and optimize them using the XSLT debugger and XSLT profiler. Example code snipets are shown below. An XSLT stylesheet containing VBScript: An XSLT stylesheet containing Java: Java, C#, JavaScript, and VB Script are also supported in the AltovaXML™ XSLT engine, which is available for developers to use in their own applications, royalty-free. See below for more on AltovaXML. Support for SOAP 1.2In addition to SOAP 1.1, XMLSpy Enterprise Edition now supports the latest version of the standard, 1.2. Support for SOAP 1.2 allows you to create and test Web services messages using SOAP 1.2 by checking the appropriate box in the SOAP request settings dialog.
According to the W3C, benefits of version 1.2 are increased interoperability, better Web integration, increased versatility, and faster speed. Now that XMLSpy supports both SOAP 1.1 and 1.2, you have the choice of which version you wish to implement in your Web services applications. Project generation for Visual Studio® 2008Now that more and more developers are migrating to Visual Studio 2008, XMLSpy provides an option to generate a Visual Studio 2008 project file when generating C# or C++ code in XMLSpy. As shown in the screenshot below, code compatible with previous versions of Visual Studio can also be generated.
Visual Studio integration extended to include Visual Studio 2008Now, in addition to supporting seamless integration with previous versions of Visual Studio, XMLSpy can be integrated in Visual Studio 2008. Download a free trial of XMLSpy 2008r2 now. Or, if you’re already an XMLSpy user, learn more about all the new features that have been added since you last upgraded.
New in MapForce 2008 release 2Support for multiple new data formats, database mapping enhancements, and other usability features add power and flexibility to MapForce® 2008. New features in MapForce 2008r2 include:
Mapping Excel 2007 (OOXML) dataMapForce now includes support for the OOXML data format in Microsoft Excel 2007 (XLSX). This enables users to import speadsheet data directly from its native format for their mappings, rather than using the FlexText utility to parse the data beforehand. When you insert an Excel 2007 file (such as the one shown on the left below) into a MapForce mapping, it is displayed as a graphical mapping component. Useful buttons on your mapping structure allow you to select the worksheet(s) to be mapped. You can even select a specific range of cells from within the worksheet and specifiy the datatype for each, adding annotations that will be displayed in the mapping design.
You can now import any variety mapping components including XML schemas, database structures, EDI, flat files, other Excel 2007 workbooks etc. as target and/or source files to complete your transformation.
Support for data streams for code generationMapForce now supports data streams as input or output in generated Java and C# code. This enables you to apply your mapping code to Web servers and other data exchange scenarios where transmissions are conducted and processed in packets rather than files. Sample XML Schema generation based on an XML instanceMapForce now allows you to define XML mappings when there is no XML Schema available. Based on the structure of your XML instance document, MapForce will generate a sample XSD behind-the-scenes and display the result as a graphical mapping component in the design pane.
Support for SOAP 1.2MapForce now provides full support for SOAP 1.2 messages for mapping to and/or from Web services and creating new Web services. Support for SQL SELECT statementsMapForce now supports the use of any SELECT statement as input, to be used as the basis for mapping components. A useful right click menu allows you to autogenerate SELECT statements based on selections you make in the Insert Database Objects dialog.
The SQL SELECT statement dialog is available from the Insert Database Objects Dialog or by right-clicking a database component in your MapForce mapping and choosing Add/Remove Tables. This dialog has auto-completion support allowing you to choose tables, views, functions from a pre-populated list.
Inline Primary Key / Foreign Key creationMapForce now enables users to insert primary or foreign keys directly within a mapping when they are missing from the underlying database, making these useful relationship references available for your data transformation. MapForce refers to these references as Table Relations, and includes a set of easy-to-use dialogs where you can create these relationships for your mappings.
Project generation for Visual Studio 2008MapForce users generating C# or C++ code can now automatically generate a Visual Studio 2008 project file. Download a free trial of MapForce 2008 now. Or, if you’re already a MapForce user, learn more about all the new features that have been added since you last upgraded.
New in StyleVision 2008 release 2A new output specification, added database reporting functionality, and advanced usability features in StyleVision® 2008 add even more power to this versatile visual stylesheet design and single source publishing tool. New features in StyleVision 2008r2 include:
Support for Word 2007 (OOXML)Support for the DOCX file format in the new OOXML specification used in Microsoft Office 2007, provides early adopters with all of the power and versatility that StyleVision stylesheet design has to offer. StyleVision will now generate the corresponding XSLT 2.0 code for output in a zipped DOCX archive in addition to HTML, RTF, and XSL:FO for PDF (please note that XSLT 2.0 is a required selection for Word 2007 output). This allows you to design stylesheets for an even larger network of users, and to prepare your designs for the growing number of users converting to OOXML now and in the future. The OOXML specification stores presentation information and media assets separately from the WordprocessingML (WordML) file where it stores document text. StyleVision's unique graphical interface allows you to create a stylesheet design based on an XML Schema, DTD, or database schema. This design produces simultaneous output in Word 2007 as well as HTML, RTF, PDF, and Authentic e-Forms. Grouping support based on the XSLT 2.0 standardStyleVision 2008r2 now includes support for the grouping functionality in XSLT 2.0. Grouping allows you to isolate node sets based on XPath 2.0 expressions, and then apply any variety of processing instructions to that group. You simply use the right-click menu to access the Group by menu, and then use the dialog box to insert your XPath expression and access the relevant data.
StyleVision also includes a built-in XPath Editor to help you ensure the validity of your complex XPath statements. Grouping support in StyleVision enables you to easily increase the efficiency and accuracy of your database reports and other data output by associating elements that are conceptually related but not expressly wrapped together in your source data. Creating Global Templates based on Complex and Simple typesStyleVision now allows users to create global templates based on the complex and simple types defined in the XML Schema specification. This allows you to extend the reusability of styles within your design. Styles applied to these templates will be reflected in all elements of the same type.
Support for creating Database ViewsSupport for Database Views makes it possible for you to create and render custom virtual tables based on the result set of a query. This feature provides a significant advantage for database reporting, enabling you to see your database assets in the configuration of your choice, without taking the time and storage space to rework the source. Inline Primary Key / Foreign Key creationInline Primary and Foreign Key creation in StyleVision allows you to create relationships between database records. This new feature enables you to add complexity to your database reporting designs by creating keys on-the-fly when they are missing in your source content.
Support for SQL SELECT statementsStyleVision now supports any SQL SELECT statement as input for rendering.
Sample XML Schema generation based on an XML instanceStyleVision now allows you to create stylesheets based on XML input when there is no XML Schema available. Based on the structure of your XML instance document, StyleVision will generate a sample XSD behind-the-scenes and display the available source nodes as design options in the Schema Tree window. Support for embedded images and setting image sizes in RTF and Word 2007 (OOXML)Images can be embedded directly into RTF and Word 2007, rather than being referenced to externally. Users will also be able to set image sizes with the StyleVision design pane. Native support for XSL:FO styles for page processingStyleVision now incorporates XSL:FO styles for page processing in the Styles tab so that you can apply advanced layout features to your PDF designs directly from within the design interface.
Project management supportProject management support in StyleVision allows you to easily store and manage related stylesheets and their components in a project.
And much more . . . Download a free trial of StyleVision 2008 now. Or, if you’re already a StyleVision user, learn more about all the new features that have been added since you last upgraded.
New in UModel 2008 Release 2UModel 2008 Release 2 includes these new productivity-enhancing features:
Support for OMG Business Process Modeling NotationThe Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) is a graphical notation for drawing business processes in a workflow. BPMN diagrams are readily understandable by all business stakeholders including business analysts, technical developers, and business managers. The BPMN standard is maintained by the OMG, the same organization that administers UML. Describing business processes using BPMN is especially useful for developing, documenting, and implementing standards in large organizations or in complex industries with many interacting business entities. The elements and rules for BPMN diagrams are very similar to UML activity diagrams, providing a natural transition of the easy to use drawing tools of UModel 2008 between UML and BPMN. Developing BPMN diagrams to describe a business process is often a requirements definition step leading directly to a software development. Diagram LayersUModel 2008 Release 2 Enterprise Edition adds a new diagram layers feature, similar to layers functionality in dedicated graphics applications, supported by a new Layers helper window. The UModel Layers window allows UML modelers to create and control layers in any diagram type. Each element in a diagram can be assigned to a specific layer, and layers can be made invisible or locked to prevent changes. Layers will permit users to group elements logically within diagrams, for instance, comments added during a review cycle could be recorded in notes placed on a dedicated layer. Later, the comments layer might be made invisible for diagram printing or generation of project documentation. Enhanced Autocompletion capabilitiesUModel 2008 Release 2 features enhanced autocompletion functionality to assist during creation of operations and properties for classes. A new autocompletion window automatically pops open after the user types an operation or property name within a class. Selections within the window can be filtered to include primitive types, data types, enumerations, or class, interface, or datatype templates.
Merge Multiple ProjectsThis new feature in UModel allows you to merge changes made by different developers to individual copies of a UModel project file back to a single project. A new entry in the UModel Project menu complements the existing Subproject capabilities by allowing an entire external project to be merged, rather than previously-defined shared subprojects. This feature also enhances reusability of existing work by allowing an entire reverse-engineered project to be merged with another project initiated separately. Support for Java 6.0, C# 3.0, and Visual Basic 9.0UModel 2008 Release 2 includes updated code generation and reverse engineering support for the latest versions of these popular languages, including accurate parsing of new language constructs introduced in C# 3.0 and VB9.0 that directly support XML. Support for MS Visual Studio .NET 2008The UModel 2008 Enterprise Edition integration component is updated to support the latest release of Microsoft Visual Studio. Import Multiple XML Schemas from a DirectoryA new feature in UModel 2008 Release 2 lets you conveniently create UML-style XML Schema diagrams for multiple XML Schemas stored in a directory, rather than importing each schema individually. This will be especially useful for modeling advanced, complex schemas that are frequently constructed by combining smaller schemas through xs:include, xs:import, and other techniques. Additionally UModel adds several convenient new diagramming refinements:
Download a free trial of UModel 2008 now! Or, if you’re already a UModel user, learn more about all the new features that have been added since you last upgraded. UML®, OMG™, Object Management Group™, and Unified Modeling Language™ are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Object Management Group, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
New in DatabaseSpy 2008 Release 2As Altova’s youngest application, DatabaseSpy continues to gain significant functionality with each release. DatabaseSpy 2008 Release 2 adds these new features:
SQL Refactoring MenuThe new SQL Editor Refactoring menu lets you reformat existing SQL statements and scripts. Some formatting options reflect dialect variations between relation database vendors and facilitate moving SQL scripts between database types, while other style settings improve clarity through consistency within a department or enterprise.
SQL Formatting DialogThe SQL formatting dialog allows users to define personal preferences for formatting as new SQL statements are entered. Graphical Design Editor Enhancements
More User-Selectable OptionsThe Options Menu now gives users more extensive control over SQL auto-completion, and adds a closing character auto-insertion feature to automatically create well-formed SQL statements. Many additional user-interface enhancementsThe SQL Editor now includes a Show Execution Regions button to highlight execution blocks, and new more intuitive buttons have been created for various SQL editor tools, a new favorites button has been added to the database tree in the Online Browser window, and the Properties window features a button to hide empty properties. Download a free trial of DatabaseSpy 2008 now! Or, if you’re already a DatabaseSpy user, learn more about all the new features that have been added since you last upgraded.
New in DiffDog 2008 Release 2Version 2008 Release 2 adds several exciting new features to DiffDog:
Enhanced Support for Office 2007 (OOXML) Files and ZIP ArchivesNow DiffDog 2008 Release 2 lets you perform extensive comparisons of Office 2007 (OOXML) files and ZIP archives, identify differences, and even merge changes with unprecedented accuracy, efficiency, and convenience. OOXML files are a specialized compressed format created by Microsoft for Office 2007 applications that contain multiple individual XML files. DiffDog 2008 Release 2 allows you to examine file pairs within two OOXML documents and even merge differences in either direction, with full support for all the advanced XML-aware differencing options DiffDog offers during XML file comparisons. This new functionality complements the OOXML capabilities of Altova XMLSpy, MapForce, and StyleVision, giving developers a comprehensive set of tools to work with the OOXML file format. DiffDog 2008 Release 2 also lets you open file pairs stored in two ZIP archives and examine them with the same functionality that is available when comparing the uncompressed originals. Text or source code files stored in ZIP archives can be compared and merged like uncompressed text files, XML files stored in ZIP format can be compared and edited with DiffDog advanced XML-aware functionality, and binary files stored inside ZIP archives are recognized as identical or different. Enhanced Directory Comparison FiltersDiffDog 2008 Release 2 adds new file and folder filters to give you ultimate control over directory comparison options. By specifying which files, folders, and subdirectories are processed, you can perform accurate side by side comparisons on directories containing hundreds of large files without enduring long delays. DiffDog 2008 Release 2 even includes popular pre-defined filter sets that can be used as-is or further customized. Pre-defined filters are set up to select XML-conformant files (shown below), text files, non-binary files or non-CVS files.
The new DiffDog 2008 Release 2 Edit Filter dialog provides access to all the filter options in a single convenient location. Filter sets are saved with user-defined names and can be applied to files or directories by either including or excluding entries that match the filter. Check boxes control processing of system folders or hidden files, and filters can even be activated based on modification date or file sizes. Some users will want to create different filter sets for various comparison, merging, and updating tasks. DiffDog 2008 Release 2 supports this requirement by permitting multiple filter sets to be saved with descriptive names. Whenever a previously-defined filter set is needed again later, it can be selected by name from a convenient pull-down menu in the directory comparison toolbar. Download a free trial of DiffDog 2008 now! Or, if you’re already a DiffDog user, learn more about all the new features that have been added since you last upgraded.
New in Authentic 2008 release 2Authentic 2008r2 includes support for the new stylesheet functionality described above in the StyleVision 2008r2 section. Additionally, in v2008r2 Authentic has been given a boost with a significant speed increase in almost all situations. Download a free copy of Authentic 2008r2 now. Or, check out the Authentic 2008r2 product pages to compare the features in the Desktop and Browser editions.
New in AltovaXML 2008r2AltovaXML is a free XML standards processor that packages the same XSLT 1.0 and schema-aware XSLT 2.0 engine, schema-aware XQuery engine, and XML validating parser that drive Altova’s industry-leading XML software for royalty-free use in your applications. Starting with Release 2, the XSLT engine in AltovaXML 2008 includes support for processing Java, C#, JavaScript, and VBScript in XSLT stylesheets, making it an even more powerful asset for your XML applications. (See more details in in the XMLSpy section above.) Learn more and download AltovaXML™ 2008 for free now! **Reduced memory-consumption of up to 75-80% measured in internal tests at Altova with XML files ranging from 10MB to 200MB in size, comparing XMLSpy 2008r2 with XMLSpy 2008sp1. Your results may differ. Microsoft® and Visual Studio® registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. | |
| | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Company | Legal | Press | Partners | Careers | Sitemap | Contact Us | Altova Blog | |||||
|
View a 
Get the latest Altova announcements, learn about new product features, read tech tips and industry info at the 
The Altova XML Suite is now the Altova MissionKit for XML Developers. 
