Enterprise XML Suite 2005

asp:review

Enterprise XML Suite2005

Altova Updates its Complete XML Toolset

By Mike Riley

Developers have grown a year older and so has Altova sflagship product, XMLSpy. Since the birth of asp.netPRO magazine, I have had the pleasure of reviewing a newrelease of the product, starting with XMLSpy 4.1, followed by XMLSpy 5 EnterpriseEdition, and, most recently, XMLSpy 2004 Enterprise Edition. Each release hasbuilt upon the successful features and formulas of previous versions, and XMLSuite 2005 is no exception. Because the 2005 edition incrementally builds onthe 2004 release, this review will focus primarily on the enhancements found inthis new version.

Figure 1: XMLSpy 2005 is quitepossibly the most sophisticated IDE for XML coding today. So complex, in fact,that Altova offers certification courses toward becoming an Altova CertifiedXMLSpy Engineer (ACXE).

What s New in 2005?

Beyond the delivery of promised features, such as C# codeexport support, XMLSpy 2005 has made moderate improvements in its toolset. Ithas also added a few new features to entice those satisfied with the 2004edition to consider upgrading to this release. The mother ship of theEnterprise XML Suite, XMLSpy 2005, embodies the latest in XML technologicalimplementations with its support for the latest XML standards. It also nowincludes an editor for one of the newest arrivals on the XML scene, XQuery. Althoughnot yet supported in many of the SQL databases, XQuery nonetheless promises tobe an amazing catalyst for extending the dynamic flexibility of XML transformsfrom a structured data source. Developers who know they ll be moving toXQuery-supported databases in the future can get a head start on thisinteresting addition to the XML family today. As XQuery becomes nativelysupported in SQL powerhouses, it will be an effective tool in future dataintegration and distribution efforts.

XMLSpy 2004 had a jump on the competition with its supportfor the beta implementation of XPath 2.0 support. Now that XPath and XSLT haveachieved their official 2.0 final drafting stages along with XQuery 1.0, XMLSuite 2005 is one of the only tools to trust for accurate, working support forthese latest XML specifications. These standards have been incorporated intoall the tools within the suite, with the XPath and XQuery updates being themost useful in Altova s XML integration tool, MapForce 2005.

The slickest new feature I found in the latest MapForcerelease is its Visual Function Builder, which allows encapsulation oftremendously complex data processing by drag and drop assembly from MapForce sfunction libraries.

Figure 2: MapForce 2005 nowgenerates code stubs in C# and C++ as well as Java or XSLT 1.0 and 2.0 format.

Another welcomed addition in MapForce 2005 is theinclusion of C# and C++ code generators. These languages were absent in the2004 edition and, as a result, limited the program s leverage with VS.NETdevelopers. In addition to these languages, MapForce can generate code for XSLT1.0 and 2.0, XQuery, and Java, providing tremendous flexibility in the way suchmappings will manifest themselves in a diverse enterprise.

XSLT 2.0 support is most apparent in the suite sstylesheet designer, StyleVision 2005. In addition to the tool s ability togenerate output to HTML and PDF (using XSL:FO), StyleVision 2005 has also addedthe ability to output to standard RTF files for consumption by popular wordprocessors such as Microsoft Word.

Figure 3: StyleVision 2005 continuesits focus on tag-centric visualization, making it a developer-only tool, eventhough Altova has tried to make this a more general XML stylesheet editor forthe general presentation designer.

Schemas have become the foundation of XML development, yetthe management of these backbones and ensuring the latest versions of theseamong teams of developers has become a cumbersome task. Altova obviouslyrecognized this annoyance and released a free SchemaAgent server thatintegrates with the XMLSpy IDE to allow the sharing of schemas amongdevelopers. This also promotes the use of interdependencies among schemaowners, allowing XML developers to combine shared schemas across the enterpriseto create even grander meta-schemas of sophisticated contextual datarepresentations.

Figure 4: In addition to livingwithin the Visual Studio.NET IDE, XMLSpy can now also manifest itself withinthe popular Eclipse IDE with the appropriate plug-in.

Figure 5: The free SchemaAgentServer provides an easy way to share XML schemas across a group of developers.

Conclusion

It continues to amaze me how something so conceptuallysimple as XML has mushroomed into something so complex. Consequently,developers require a complex suite of tools to elevate XML to its intendedpotential.

Altova offered a solution the moment XML became too difficultto construct within Notepad. It has since prided itself by staying neck andneck with XML s advances. While the latest evolution of the product has metthis objective, it is far outside the realm of a simple text editor. If it hadn tbeen for the fact that I was already deeply familiar with previous versions,XMLSpy 2005 and its associated applications would be a daunting task to learn,even for the seasoned developer. And yet, for those developers who also pridethemselves on living on the edge, Altova s Enterprise XML Suite 2005 continuesto provide a trustworthy safety harness that is second to none.

MikeRiley is anadvanced computing professional specializing in emerging technologies and newdevelopment trends. Readers may contact him at mailto:[email protected].

Rating:

Web Site: http://www.altova.com/suite.html

Price: US$1,499