The latest release of Altova desktop developer tools, server software, and regulatory solutions introduces a host of productivity-boosting features across the product line, as well as updated support for standards, databases, and integration with popular IDEs.
Let’s take a look at the highlights.
Altova Software Version 2022 is now available, with exciting new support for mapping and converting NoSQL databases in MapForce, pure text report output in StyleVision, and Windows 11 across the product line. The release also adds support for the exciting new OIM standard from XBRL International.
Here’s a look at the highlights.
Altova products have supported JSON for several years. Now, Version 2017 Release 3 of MissionKit and Server products, and MobileTogether Version 3.2 all include support for JSON5 across the product line.
The JSON data format was originally designed to be machine-written and consumed, promoting efficient communication between servers. Usage has expanded and JSON5 is a proposed extension intended to make JSON code easier for humans to write and read. JSON5 extends JSON by adding some ECMAScript 5 features and, like JSON, is a strict subset of JavaScript. Specifically, JSON5 permits inline and block comments, allows long strings to be split over several lines, and defines alternate legal syntax options for quotes and commas. These features are not permitted in standard JSON, so files containing the proposed enhancements are typically identified with the .json5 filename suffix.
This post details specific support for JSON5 in each Altova product.
September here at Altova means ramping up for a busy Autumn, beautiful cool crisp days in New England and… flying out to San Francisco for Oracle OpenWorld 2013! If you are planning on attending come by booth #535 in Moscone South and see Altova from September 23 – 25th for a demo of Altova’s tools for Oracle Users and to see our new line of cross-platform server software products: RaptorXML Server, FlowForce Server, MapForce Server and StyleVision Server. See first-hand how thes
e new products offer high-speed automaton for projects designed using familiar Altova MissionKit developer tools.
We would love to hear from you about your latest projects and challenges, collaborate on best practices or let us show you some of the new exciting things Altova has to offer. While you are at our booth mention this blog post to receive a special giveaway. Hope to see you next week in San Francisco!
Every time you receive data from an outside source, there is a chance it won’t arrive in the form you expect. This can require special accommodations for the rare and unlikely to make a real-world data mapping and transformation solution robust and reliable.
We processed literally dozens of .gpx files, containing hundreds of coordinates each, through the MapForce mapping we wrote about in the blog post Web Service as a Look-Up Table to Refine GPS Data. Then one day we ran a new file and encountered the error below, which caused the mapping to fail:
Reaching into the Altova MissionKit to combine features of MapForce and XMLSpy, we quickly diagnosed the issue and developed a solution we can also reuse in future mapping projects.
The Altova MissionKit 2013, empowers developers to integrate XMLSpy, MapForce, or StyleVision functionality seamlessly in custom Java applications for Windows. This frequently-requested capability adds to existing support for integrating these MissionKit tools in Visual Basic or C# applications, giving developers flexibility to add some or all XMLSpy, MapForce, or StyleVision views and functionality to their own custom apps.
Version 2013 of XMLSpy, MapForce, and StyleVision include a new API that allows each to run inside a window within a Java application developed using the Java Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) or Java Swing. This functionality allows MapForce 2013, for instance, to be embedded in larger applications where data mapping and transformation is only one requirement.
Altova provides sample applications with XMLSpy, MapForce, and StyleVision illustrating use of the Java API. You can access the sample applications from the command line or from within Eclipse.
Elevation data recorded by GPS devices is notoriously inaccurate, especially in hilly terrain like the Russian River Valley example from our earlier post.
The final elevation track plotted from the Russian River Valley GPX file is suspicious for several reasons. First, the graph shows we descended almost 50 feet below sea level. That’s hard to believe, since we were travelling along the bank of the river, only about 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean.
Secondly, we were headed mostly west, following the river downstream, but the track shows a predominantly uphill trend.
We can evaluate the recorded GPS elevation data by comparing it to information available from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS operates a Web service that accepts latitude and longitude coordinates, and returns elevation data measured by NASA and assessed for accuracy based on over 13,000 control points in the continental United States.
Using the elevation Web service in an Altova MapForce mapping will let us extract each point from the GPX file, send the coordinates to the USGS Web service, and build a new GPX file with corrected elevation data.
The Internet makes massive amounts of data available for lots of interesting applications. But whenever you design a unique analysis and presentation of information you don’t privately control, you risk that the owner will offer the same view at some point in the future, instantly making your application redundant.
That’s exactly what happened to the Groupon API data-mining project we originally wrote about in August, 2011. Fortunately, the core of our project is a MapForce graphical data mapping. We can quickly and easily tweak the mapping and repurpose it to present an entirely different data set that provides new value.
We’re excited to introduce our new XSLT Technology training as the latest Altova Online Training offering. As with all our trainings, XSLT Technology is released as a free, self-paced course, available online, so students can fit it into their busy schedules.
XSLT transforms XML data into other formats, and this course will transform a beginner XML student into an advanced user. Intermediate and advanced students will gain valuable techniques to add to their XML toolkits.
It’s an exciting week here at Altova! We have several new offerings to tell you about, including Release 2 of the Version 2012 Altova MissionKit and entire product line, a new Altova Online Training course on XSLT Technology, and a new service called Altova Product Consulting. 
Let’s start with what’s included in the latest product release. Version 2012 Release 2 delivers a host of the new features that have been most frequently requested by our customers, including support for EPUB 2.x, sorting of data mapping results, RichEdit functionality for Authentic eForms, code generation from UML sequence diagrams, and much more.
EPUB As the demand for e-books and other digital publications has exploded, so have the number of requests we’ve received from developers who need an easy way to create and edit these documents in XMLSpy 2012. In Release 2 we’ve added support for EPUB® (electronic publication), the open standard for e-books from the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). It’s easy to view and work with the various files that make up an EPUB document in XMLSpy’s Archive View, which supports creating, editing, validating, and previewing EPUB digital publications. 
XMLSpy already provides validation and support for editing XML, XHTML, CSS, and other standards-based files that comprise EPUB documents, making it a natural choice for creating and working with EPUB content. Check out all the new features in XMLSpy. Sorting for Data Mapping Projects Another frequently requested feature is the ability to sort data in mapping projects where the final output format needs to be ordered differently than it was in the input. MapForce 2012r2 includes two powerful new sorting features that you can apply in a variety of ways. The screenshot below shows a new function that performs a multi-level sort on the source data before writing the output file: 
Another option is available for sorting relational input. MapForce users have long been able to sort database data through ORDER BY statements in SQL queries. However, SQL queries that operate inside the database are not always sufficient for complex data mapping tasks. MapForce 2012r2 adds additional database sorting functionality to the existing MapForce SQL-WHERE component to become SQL-WHERE/ORDER, which is especially useful when database input requires additional processing that cannot be accomplished in a SQL query, or other data or conditions can impact the sorted order of data rows. 
Read more about new MapForce features. Other important features added in R2 include RichEdit functionality for Authentic eForms created in StyleVision, code generation from UML sequence diagrams in UModel, support for logical files in IBM® iSeries® databases across the product line, and much more.
Check out the rest of the features added in Release 2. This new version is free to download and install for customers with Support and Maintenance. If you’re not already an Altova customer, you can download a free, fully functional 30-day trial.
We are thrilled to announce the latest Altova Online Training course, XSLT Technology. This free, online, self-paced class introduces students to the concepts of XSL, XSLT, XPath, XSL-FO, and more, through guided tutorials and videos. You can practice working with these technologies using the tools of the Altova MissionKit to transform XML to XML, to HTML, and to PDF. 
Have you ever wished you could purchase a few hours of a product expert’s time – whether you need to determine if a particular tool could solve your problem, or need help creating a schema or mapping project, or simply require in-depth product support? We’ve heard from a lot of customers with this very requirement – and in response we have created Altova Product Consulting. Altova’s Product Consulting engineers are experts on Altova software and related technologies. Services include determining if an Altova product meet the needs of a particular project, creating a MapForce mapping file (.mfd), designing a StyleVision design (.sps), and so on. Unlike typical complicated consulting engagements, Altova Product Consulting services are sold per hour, the allotment of which is agreed upon in advance, so there are no surprises. Get more information on specific services provided, pricing, and how to get started.
Fall is bringing cooler temps, shorter days, and beautiful foliage to us here in the Eastern US and parts near and far. As we celebrate the changing season with fresh apple cider and warm sweaters, we’ve also been working hard to deliver Altova Software Version 2012. This year, Altova’s fall release brings support for HTML5 and CSS3, enhanced functionality for ETL applications, new Java-friendly options, Model Driven Architecture, and more, to the MissionKit software tool suite. 
Let’s take a look at the new features in detail here, starting with tools that help developers and designers take advantage of HTML5 to create more sophisticated Web pages and apps.
The latest version of the lingua franca for publishing content on the Web includes numerous improvements, from enhanced handling of multimedia content to increased interoperability. As Web developers transition to HTML5, they’ll need an intelligent HTML editor that can provide context-sensitive editing guidance and other time-saving features. XMLSpy 2012 adds support for HTML5 in its HTML editor with entry helpers and drop down menus that offer valid choices based on your cursor location, and an integrated Browser View. It’s also lightning fast to test your edits in multiple browsers directly from the HTML editor. Other features such as integrated project management and support for popular version/source control systems – as well as SharePoint® Server support – make XMLSpy a powerful tool for HTML development. 
For web designers and developers looking to create HTML5 pages from XML, database, or even XBRL content using a graphical, drag and drop design tool, StyleVision 2012 also supports HTML5 for creating stylesheets and reports. Both XMLSpy 2012 and StyleVision 2012 also support CSS3 styles to complement the new HTML5 functionality.
The MapForce 2012 data mapping tool now supports streaming reading of files, a crucial feature for ETL (Extract/Transform/Load) applications. When executing data mapping projects, the built-in MapForce engine can now read extremely large XML, CSV, and FLF files and create correspondingly large output streams. MapForce can even theoretically read an entire relational database in a single pass and generate an XML or other output file at once. This new support makes MapForce a highly effective, lightweight, and scalable tool for ETL. It’s also uniquely affordable, whether purchased as part of the MissionKit tool suite or individually.
The Altova MissionKit is designed to support users in their preferred development environment, whatever that may be. To that end we’ve added some new Java-friendly options, including support for JDBC database drivers in all database-enabled products. 
We’ve also introduced a completely redesigned, native Java API for automating the functionality of Altova MissionKit tools in custom applications. This revamped Java API joins the existing COM API, and the products also ship with code samples in various programming language to get you started using the APIs right away.
In response to requests from our UModel customers, we’ve added support for MDA in Version 2012 of our UML modeling tool. Utilizing a Model Driven Architecture approach to software engineering in UModel provides two primary advantages:
Model Transformation can even be applied to projects that are reverse engineered from existing source code. For instance, an existing Java application can be reverse-engineered by UModel to create a UML model that can be transformed to generate C# classes.
Check out the rest of the features added in the MissionKit 2012. This new version is free to download and install for customers with Support and Maintenance. If you’re not already a customer, you can download a free, fully functional 30-day trial.
Some people say early October brings the most enjoyable weather to San Francisco, and Oracle OpenWorld and JavaOne will make things even better this year from Oct. 2 – 6. If you’re traveling to the City by the Bay for either event, plan to visit the Altova team at booth 106 in the Moscone South Oracle OpenWorld exhibit hall. We’ll be demonstrating all the tools in the Altova MissionKit with special emphasis on multi-database support, tools for working with XML in databases, and solutions for compliance with XBRL, NIEM, HL7, EDI, QR codes, and many other industry standards. Here’s your chance for a personal tour of that Altova tool or feature you’ve been curious to see – whether it’s advanced charting in StyleVision, Java code generation from UML in UModel, or refactoring XML Schemas in XMLSpy. We always enjoy meeting users face to face and hearing about the projects you’re working on too! You can also enter our Altova product raffle for a chance to win a license for Altova MapForce 2011 Basic Edition. We hope to see you there! 
Concluding the series in this post, we will apply a stylesheet to transform the XML data created from our mapping of the Groupon API into HTML. Here is an example of the XML output from the data mapping we created last time: 
Assign a Stylesheet to Transform XML The Component Settings dialog for the output component of the MapForce mapping allows us to assign a stylesheet created with Altova StyleVision.
Assigning a stylesheet to the data mapping output component integrates the operations of MapForce and StyleVision, and a new series of buttons appears at the bottom of the MapForce mapping window for HTML, RTF, PDF, and Microsoft Word formats. (You must have both MapForce and StyleVision installed on your computer.) 
When you click any of these output format buttons, MapForce executes the data mapping exactly as we saw in the previous post. MapForce seamlessly passes the XML output to StyleVision, where it is transformed to the selected format. MapForce then displays the formatted document in the Output window. Here is the MapForce Output window for HTML, based on the StyleVision Power Stylesheet assigned above: 
The MapForce Output menu lets you save the XML data mapping output or the HTML document formatted according to the stylesheet. How to Make a Stylesheet We designed a stylesheet for the Groupon API data mapping using Altova StyleVision, based on the XML Schema for the MapForce output component. The intuitive StyleVision interface and powerful data access and manipulation features make it easy to create attractive documents in HTML, RTF, PDF, and Microsoft Word formats from XML files. The screenshot below shows the StyleVision Design View of the Extreme Groupon stylesheet. The blue numbered circles identify the location of each design feature listed following the image. 
Features of the SPS file
StyleVision Power Stylesheets can combine multiple .xsd files, existing .css stylesheets, database schemas, XBRL taxonomies, and more to produce richly formatted reports that can even include automatically generated charts in various styles. You can also use StyleVision to define e-forms with data entry fields, drop down menus, radio buttons and other advanced features. Previewing Stylesheet Transformations StyleVision lets you assign a working XML file to preview your output as you design the stylesheet, and the buttons along the bottom of the Design window make it convenient to display the formatted working file as you refine your design. We saved the XML output of the MapForce mapping and assigned it as our working document. When the stylesheet was complete, the HTML Preview in StyleVision was identical to the MapForce HTML Output window shown above. To view the document on a mobile device you can either deploy the HTML as a page on a Web site or email it as an attachment. 
In addition to the stylesheet itself and formatted versions of the working document, StyleVision lets you save generated XSLT files to transform other XML files using your stylesheet design outside the StyleVision application. Automation Next Time In the future when you want to re-run a data mapping and refresh the HTML document with up to date data, there are two ways to automate the process:
XMLSpy, MapForce, and StyleVision are all available together in the specially priced Altova MissionKit. See for yourself how easy it is to use the MissionKit to convert data from a Web API — download a free 30-day trial!
Editor’s Note: Our original series on mapping data from the Groupon API ran in three parts you can see by clicking the links here: Part 1 of Processing the Groupon API with Altova MapForce describes how to create dynamic input by collecting data from multiple URLs. Processing the Groupon API with MapForce – Part 2 describes how we filtered data from the API and defined the output to extract only the most interesting details. Processing the Groupon API – Part 3 describes formatting the output as a single HTML document optimized for desktop and mobile devices, and reviews ways to automate repeat execution.
In Part 1 of this series we described how to connect Altova MapForce to the Groupon API. We queried the API for a list of Groupon divisions, then used the list to create API queries for all the current deals from every division. In this part, we will execute the /deals queries and filter the response for the most interesting data. The list of /deals queries we built previously looks like this: 
To process all the queries, we can connect the list as a dynamic file input to a new mapping component. When we needed a new component last time, we dropped an API /divisions query into the mapping, and let MapForce create an XML Schema automatically. We could do the same thing here by dropping in an API /deals query as an XML input file. There’s just one small issue — although the Groupon API online documentation clearly describes the queries we can make, it is vague about the information that will be returned. Before we send dozens of queries to the API for all the current deals, we probably want to know a little more about the data that will come back.
Let’s Make a Deal Like Yogi Berra said, you can observe a lot just by looking. Let’s start by running a /deals query in XMLSpy. That will let us examine the response to a query for one division before we pull in a potentially unwieldy volume of data. The XMLSpy File / Open menu includes the same Switch to URL option we used in MapForce in the earlier post. If we enter the /deals API query for a division that covers a large metro area – say Dallas – we are likely to get enough deals instances to extrapolate the characteristics of the entire data set. XMLSpy opens the response to the /deals API query in Text view just as if we opened a local file: 
As expected, we got quite a bit of data when we requested all the deals for a single division! A fast way to analyze the structure of this data is to use the XMLSpy DTD / Schema menu option to generate an .xsd file from the xml. Shown below is a reduced view of the entire generated .xsd file based on the response to the /deals query for Dallas: 
We can dig even deeper, following Yogi’s advice like déjà vu all over again. Expanding all the elements to review the XML Schema reveals some curious anomalies. For instance, there are two elements named redemptionLocation with different definitions. The first contains a sequence of child elements: 
And the second is defined as a simple string: 
Going back into the xml data for Dallas and searching for redemptionLocation displays these examples: 
And: 
And: 
Now this is really interesting, because redemptionLocation = ”online” identifies deals that can be redeemed from anywhere, instead of by a visit to a bricks and mortar location in the division where they are advertised. What if we ran the /deals API queries for all divisions and extracted a list of all the online deals? That would be one extreme Groupon! Only Ask for What You Need The Groupon /deals API query supports an optional parameter called &show= that allows users to limit the data returned. Applying this parameter can save bandwidth and reduce processing time for the data transformation by removing unwanted data from the API response. We can also simplify our final result by including only the most interesting information, including the link to the Groupon web page for each deal. After we remove unwanted elements from the generated Dallas schema, our final version for the summary of online deals looks like this: 
When we add the &show= parameter to our MapForce mapping to request only the elements included in the simplified XML Schema, the queries look like this: 
Now we can drop the revised .xsd file into the mapping and connect the list of API /deals queries as dynamic input. We don’t need to delete the text file we used to collect the list of queries — that might continue to be helpful for future debugging. 
These changes complete the input side of the data mapping. Defining the Data Transformation Output Back in XMLSpy we can make a couple more revisions to the input XML Schema to design a new version for output: 
We discarded the response element since it doesn’t add any value, and eliminated the redemptionLocation element that we don’t intend to include in the output. We also added a date element for a timestamp, because our output file will be a snapshot of data that is constantly changing. After saving this version of the .xsd file in XMLSpy, we can drop it into the MapForce mapping. Shown below is the output side of the mapping with the output component partially connected. The filter at the top reads the redemptionLocation element to select only online deals and the now function inserts the date: 
The last revision we made in the output XML Schema was to change several element types from dateTime, Boolean, and integer to the string data type to allow more descriptive text Here is the complete definition of the mapping with the final connections to the output component: 
Now for the Payoff When we click the Output button MapForce processes the entire mapping from beginning to end using the MapForce Built-in execution engine. Here’s a breakdown of the steps:
MapForce takes only a few seconds to complete all those steps and generate an output file with a series of deals that look like this: 
In part 3 of this series we’ll design a stylesheet to automatically transform the XML output of our mapping into html for attractive presentation in a web browser and on mobile devices. See ya at the ballpark, Yogi! XMLSpy and MapForce are available together in the specially priced Altova MissionKit. See for yourself how easy it is to use the MissionKit to convert data from a Web API — download a free 30-day trial!
Editor’s Note: Our original series on mapping data from the Groupon API ran in three parts you can see by clicking the links here: Part 1 of Processing the Groupon API with Altova MapForce describes how to create dynamic input by collecting data from multiple URLs. Processing the Groupon API with MapForce – Part 2 describes how we filtered data from the API and defined the output to extract only the most interesting details. Processing the Groupon API – Part 3 describes formatting the output as a single HTML document optimized for desktop and mobile devices, and reviews ways to automate repeat execution.
We often think of a data integration project as a translation from one singular data input file to some other data set, but Altova MapForce lets you greatly expand the concept of an input file. For instance, the MergeMultipleFiles.mfd example installed with MapForce illustrates how you can use a filename with wildcard characters to merge multiple input files into a single output. 
A MapForce mapping input doesn’t even need to be a physical file – it can be a URL that returns predictable structured data, like the APIs for popular Web sites like Groupon and many others.
In this blog post we’ll describe how to use Altova tools to retrieve, filter, analyze, and present data available from a Web-based API, using Groupon as an example. If you want to follow along yourself, you will first need to visit http://www.groupon.com/pages/api to request your personal Groupon API client key. The Problem: All Deals Are Local The Groupon Web site and email subscriptions are great for finding deals in your local neighborhood, but what if you’re looking for a deal to use on an upcoming vacation, or for a gift for friends or family across the country? Sure, you could enter each location manually at the Groupon Web page, but that’s so last century. Let’s use the Altova MissionKit to automate things. The Groupon API offers two URL queries that return data in .json or .xml formats: the first returns a list of all Groupon localities (called divisions), and the second returns current deals information for one named division. If we want to see all the deals for more than one division, we need to resolve multiple URLs and aggregate the data into a single result. Yes, MapForce can do that! First We Need a Schema The Groupon API documentation describes the elements that will be returned by our requests, but doesn’t provide an XML Schema. That’s okay, we can use MapForce to generate one. All we have to do is open a new mapping design and choose Insert XML Schema/File, then click the Switch to URL button. Now we can enter the URL to retrieve the Groupon divisions list: 
When we click the Open button MapForce offers to generate the schema: 
When we click Yes, the File / Save dialog opens. I saved the schema as divisions.xsd, and the mapping with the new XML Schema inserted looks like this: 
And the Properties dialog for the XML Schema component automatically contains the API /divisions URL as the Input XML File: 
Check the Work We want to filter the Groupon divisions data to build a list of id names to use for deal queries for each locality. But before we go any further, now might be a good time to apply the text file trick from the Quick Solution for Complicated Functions blog post to look at the id values. When we insert the text file and connect the divisions and id schema elements, the mapping looks like this: 
We connected the division element to Rows in the text file in order to generate a new row in the text file for each unique division, so that Field1 in each row will hold the id. Clicking the Output button now generates this result: 
All we need to do is apply the concat string function to build the list of /deal URLs for all division IDs. The next step in the mapping looks like this: 
Rolling the cursor over the constant connected to value1 of the concat function displays its full definition: 
When we click the Output button to execute the mapping, the Output file now looks like this: 
As a further review, we can open the generated XML Schema in XMLSpy and display it in graphical Schema View: 
So far we have:
In the next post in this series we will process the list of deal queries as the input for a new mapping component and filter the output for some interesting information. Find out for yourself how easy it is to apply MapForce to convert data from a Web API! Download a free 30-day trial of MapForce.
Editor’s Note: Our original series on mapping data from the Groupon API ran in three parts you can see by clicking the links here: Part 1 of Processing the Groupon API with Altova MapForce describes how to create dynamic input by collecting data from multiple URLs. Processing the Groupon API with MapForce – Part 2 describes how we filtered data from the API and defined the output to extract only the most interesting details. Processing the Groupon API – Part 3 describes formatting the output as a single HTML document optimized for desktop and mobile devices, and reviews ways to automate repeat execution.
What is XBRL and how can it help your organization? Members of the Maryland Association of CPAs (MACPA) found out how using the interactive XBRL (Extensible Business Reporting Language) format can help not only larger, public companies, but also smaller, non-profit organizations like themselves.
MACPA invested in the Altova MissionKit tool suite to support their XBRL project. Using our XMLSpy XML editor; MapForce, our graphical data mapping, conversion, and integration tool; and the StyleVision visual stylesheet and report design tool, MACPA was able develop a comprehensive system that employs XBRL data for a variety of reporting functions, both internal and external.
For example, MACPA used the generated instance document from MapForce to populate their financial Key Performance Indicator (KPI) system, significantly reducing the amount of time and effort required to prepare the KPI documentation. XMLSpy was used to extend the US-GAAP taxonomy to accommodate entries specific to MACPA. 
MapForce also came in handy for mapping the Global Ledger (GL) Taxonomy to the extended GAAP taxonomy. 
As a result, MACPA has increased its working knowledge of XBRL, automated previously burdensome data collection and transformation tasks, and have gained more insight into their financial data. To read more about how MACPA utilized the Altova MissionKit to convert all their financial data to XBRL and create a model for public and private business of any size to leverage the powers of XBRL, the latest case study from Altova is a must read! Do you have a story to tell about your use of Altova tools? If so, we want to hear from you. Case studies generate great publicity. Check out recent press coverage from the MACPA case study. Plus, if we choose to use your story you will receive a $200 Amazon gift card!
The industry is abuzz with the latest news announcing our release of the MissionKit Version 2011 Release 2. The release is loaded with new features for chart and report creation, enhanced data mapping capabilities, new XML Schema editing functionality, support for the latest version of BPMN, and a really cool new feature for comparing and merging Microsoft® Word documents. 
Dr Dobb’s and SQL Server magazine are just a few of the industry publications and blogs that covered the launch. 
Read what the industry is buzzing about and then download a free 30-day trial of the MissionKit and check out for yourself all the powerful new features now available in our suite of XML, database, and UML tools!
Altova first added support for charts and reporting the Altova MissionKit with the launch of Version 2011 last September. The v2011 reporting functionality includes options for line charts, 2D and 3D bar charts, 2D and 3D pie charts, round gauge and bar gauge charts. Here are a few examples: 
Version 2011 Release 2 of the Altova MissionKit, introduced on February 16, adds an exciting group of enhancements to the chart and reporting features in XMLSpy, StyleVision, and DatabaseSpy. The chart design options and user interface work the same way in all three applications, so MissionKit users can work intuitively and productively as they move from processing XML data in XMLSpy, to preparing charts for a business intelligence report with StyleVision, and even when they create graphical displays directly from SQL query results in DatabaseSpy. The wide range of new customizable charting features introduced in version 2011 release 2 includes:
Now you can create attractive and informative charts to represent a wide variety of data sets without exporting data to a dedicated charting application. Charts created using the Altova MissionKit are not limited to any specific presentation technology – for instance you can use StyleVision to include charts in HTML, Microsoft Word, RTF, or PDF documents, or you can save charts created in DatabaseSpy in a variety of image formats at the custom resolution you specify. In this post we will show some examples of the new charts and features available in all three MissionKit reporting and charting applications – XMLSpy, StyleVision, and DatabaseSpy.
Stacked bar charts are a variation on bar chart presentation and are especially useful when multiple ranges of data need to be illustrated. Stacked bar charts are also useful to more clearly illustrate data in a smaller area. The image below shows a stacked bar chart to illustrate the performance of a sales team by region over two years 
Note that the combined height of each stack in the Stacked Bar Chart represents the total sales over the two-year period for each Territory, since the sales for Last Year are added above the Year To Date numbers. Stacked bar charts complement regular bar charts and 3-D bar charts to offer users the greatest flexibility in illustrating SQL query results. If the user prefers horizontal bars, a checkbox labeled Draw X and Y exchanged in the Change Appearance tab selects that orientation. 
This orientation option is also available for other 2-D bar charts, line charts, area charts, and candlestick charts.
Area charts are similar to line charts, with shading applied to make a more graphically appealing display. The area chart below shows a record of temperature and humidity changes by hour over the course of one day. Creative application of color can emphasize the point! 
To successfully build an area chart, the analyst must consider the values in each data category. As the area chart is constructed, each category forms an opaque layer on top of the layers for data retrieved previously. In the case illustrated above, Temperature was always a larger number than Humidity, so a SQL query was constructed in DatabaseSpy to retrieve the Temperature value before Humidity to prevent Temperature from acting like a curtain to hide the Humidity data. However, if the data columns appear in a sequence with values in increasing order, the last layer would overlap and hide all the preceding layers. In that case, the chart tab heading titled Select Data lets the user add and delete columns from the results to re-sequence the data correctly. The Select Data column also lets the user edit the names assigned to each column on the X-axis label. 
As alternative solution, the Transparency option in the Change Appearance tab lets the user adjust color levels to allow hidden layers to show through.
 |
As implied by their name, Stacked Area charts layer the columns of a data set to illustrate the overall sum of a data series. Stacked Area charts also eliminate the potential overlapping data problem that can occur with regular area charts. The chart below shows a table of air passenger revenue miles traveled by month, with individual regions for domestic and international travel. 
The Stacked Area chart creates a graphical representation of the total of Domestic and International miles, even though the total miles value was not part of the provided data. This is apparent at the top of the January entry, where the International region intersects the Y axis just below 600 (the original data showed 392 million Domestic miles and 181 million International miles, for a total of 573). A strategic data analyst will always consider the nature of the data to be reported when choosing any particular chart type. For instance in the weather example we used above, adding temperature and humidity values in a stacked bar chart would not be logical!
Candlestick charts were originally developed by a wealthy Japanese businessman who began trading at the local rice exchange around the year 1750. He kept records of the local market psychology, learning to boost his profits by carefully monitoring prices and not rushing into trades. Today, charts are used to represent financial data such as stock prices over a period of time. Every day the market is open, each stock has four relevant data points that can be rendered in a candlestick chart: the price at market opening, the price when the market closed, the high price during the day, and the low price during the day. Investors and financial analysts like to view these indicators to gauge the stock’s performance over a period of time. In the candlestick chart below, each solid bar represents the range between the opening and closing price and the thin vertical line through each bar shows the extent of the high and low prices for the day. 
In this version of the chart, following common convention, the color of each bar signals whether the stock was up or down for the day. If the bar is green, the stock was up for the day– it opened at the price indicated by the bottom of the bar and closed at the price indicated by the top. If the stock was down for the day, the bar is red and the symbolism is reversed – the stock opened at the price indicated at the top of the bar and closed at the price shown by the bottom. Numerous options are available to set line and fill colors, the Y-axis range and values, and more. Because they were intended to be printed in black and white, the original candlestick charts used empty bars to indicate the price increased and solid bars to indicate price decreases. The Altova MissionKit offers this option: 
Another candlestick chart variation omits the opening price and simply illustrates the range by a vertical line and the closing price by a horizontal line. This option is automatically supported when a data set only includes the high, low, and closing prices. 
The Overlays feature lets you combine multiple charts in a single image. Each overlay chart has unique settings and can even be generated from a separate data file. The image below shows a candlestick chart of a stock’s daily prices with the daily sales volume in a bar chart overlay. 
The ability to specify background color gradients and background images gives you even more flexibility for creating customized, eye-catching charts. Overlaying one chart on another lets you visualize multiple data sets with different Y-axes and types. 
The Change Appearance dialog lets users select a background image, as in the Winter Games chart above, or apply a background color gradient, as in the Summer 2010 chart below. 
If you’d like to see for yourself how easy it is to use Altova tools to create attractive charts from XML and database data, download a free trial of the Altova MissionKit.
We’re pleased to announce the availability of Release 2 of Altova’s 2011 product line, which adds numerous new features to our entire MissionKit tool suite, as well as all standalone products. Even though it’s been just five short months since Version 2011 was announced, Release 2 packs a formidable punch, delivering innovative new features to meet customer requests and provide the unique, advanced functionality you’ve come to expect in the award winning MissionKit. Below are a few details on Release 2 of the Altova MissionKit 2011. For complete information and screenshots, click over to the Altova What’s New page. Subsequent posts over the next few weeks will cover each product and each feature in more detail. Advanced Chart and Report Creation The new functionality added in the MissionKit 2011 for creating charts and reports to analyze database, XML, XBRL, and other types of data received some important updates in Release 2, including new chart types, new formatting options, and more. New chart types add to the long list already available and include area charts, stacked area charts, candlestick charts, and more. You can add even more advanced formatting options to your charts now, using background images, color gradients, and variable axis label positions, as shown in the stacked area chart below. 
R2 also adds support for chart overlays, which combine two disparate sets of data in one chart, as shown below. This example combines a candlestick chart of a stock’s daily prices with the daily sales volume indicted using a bar chart. 
These new charting and reporting tools add to those already available in XMLSpy, StyleVision, and DatabaseSpy, providing multiple opportunities to visualize, analyze, and report business data in innovative ways. Other v2011r2 Highlights R2 includes a lot more than just new chart and report creation features. We’ve got some great new tools for XML Schema editing in XMLSpy, as well as fully customizable documentation generation for XML Schema, WSDL, and XBRL via StyleVision integration. MapForce provides several enhancements for data mapping, such as enhanced ETL performance through data streaming, support for the IATA PADIS EDI format, and more. StyleVision now supports barcodes and other new tools for advanced report creation and publishing. BPMN support in UModel has been updated to the latest version, 2.0, and you can also now generate code from State Machine UML diagrams. And finally, just when you thought the DiffDog diff/merge tool couldn’t be any cooler, we’ve added full support for comparing and merging Microsoft® Word docs (yes, it’s actually easy to use). 
All these new features are expanded on here and will also be covered at length in upcoming blog posts. Make sure you are subscribed to the blog or our Facebook page, and do check back often for updates!
Authors of various industry reference books ranging from SOA and Web services to XML continue to use and recommended Altova tools. The latest update to the Cold Fusion book series – “ColdFusion 9 Developer Tutorial” is an update to John Farrar’s “ColdFusion 8 Developer Tutorial”. In this latest update, Farrar uses the Altova MissionKit, our suite of XML, database, and UML tools to do all his XML work for the book. According to Farrar, “I have a suite of tools from Altova and find they do what I want. I can create XPath, XML Schemas, and more from their tools and don’t ever feel the need to look for a new tool.” 
Farrar, a ColdFusion expert, teaches the basics of ColdFusion programming, application architecture, and object reuse. He then shows off a range of topics including AJAX library integration, RESTful Web Services, PDF creation and manipulation, and dynamically generated presentation files. So whether you need an overview of XML technologies, the latest information on working with ColdFusion, or want to delve into Web services, you’ll want to check out the Altova Reference Books page on our Web site.
More and more enterprises are discovering the advantages of implementing database applications in the cloud:
In this blog post we demonstrate how to connect to the Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) and build a small database using Altova DatabaseSpy. Since the database Connection Wizard is consistent across the Altova MissionKit, you can connect the same way using XMLSpy, MapForce, or StyleVision. If you would like to follow the steps described below for yourself, you will need to sign up for an Amazon Web Services (AWS) account at: http://aws.amazon.com/rds/ You can also download a fully-functional free trial of the Altova MissionKit or any individual Altova application at: https://www.altova.com/download-trial/
The Amazon RDS is based on MySQL, so we will build a small local database in the MySQL Community Edition, then migrate to the Amazon RDS and test our database in the cloud. Although MySQL does not support XML as a data type for database columns, MySQL 5.1 and 6.0 do support some operations for XML data stored as text. For this exercise we will adapt and extend some of the MySQL XML examples at the MySQL reference resources listed here: http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/xml-functions.html http://dev.mysql.com/tech-resources/articles/xml-in-mysql5.1-6.0.html http://dev.mysql.com/tech-resources/articles/mysql-5.1-xml.html First, we launched DatabaseSpy and connected to our local MySQL Community Edition. We created a new data source named LocalPrototype, and created a new database schema that we named XMLtest. The DatabaseSpy Online Browser and Properties windows are shown here: 
Next, we created two tables called books and cities and inserted data by following the examples in the MySQL documentation. Here is a DatabaseSpy Design View of our tables: 
We can run select queries and display the contents of our tables in stacked results windows: 
Note that the doc column of the books table contains XML data, although it was defined as varchar(150). MySQL supports two functions for working with XML in text fields, ExtractValue() and UpdateXML() that can operate on individual elements via XPath expressions. Below is a simple ExtractValue() query to return only the author initials from every row in the books table: 
The UpdateXML() function can be used to modify the contents of individual XML elements using a SQL expression. In the screen shot below, the query on line 1 updates the every row of our books table, and the query on line 2 returns the new values: 
We can also use the Concat( ) function to add XML elements to non-XML data such as the cities table, as shown below: 
So far, our XML queries have operated on all rows of each table. To facilitate queries for a single row, it’s handy to add a column top the table to hold a unique row index. We can make a copy of our books table and add a column called id to hold the row index. The id column also makes a convenient foreign key to reference an individual XML document in our table from a row in another table. For instance, you might define one table to contain names of job candidates, with a foreign key to reference the XML-formatted resume for each candidate, stored in a separate table. You can use the SQL Editor in DatabaseSpy to generate a CREATE statement for the existing books table and edit it directly, or you can use the DatabaseSpy Design Editor to build the table graphically. (For more information, see the DatabaseSpy section of the Altova Web site.) Since we are planning to run the same queries later in the Amazon RDS, we combined a SQL CREATE statement and SQL INSERT statements into one script for the books2 table. The screen shot below shows part of the script for books2: 
We can run a query of the books2 table that shows the unique id column for each row: 
Now we can enhance our UpdateXML() and ExtractValue() queries to act on an individual row: 
This gives us a good baseline set of examples to take to the cloud and test in an Amazon RDS.
After you follow the instructions at the AWS Management Console to create a database instance on Amazon RDS, the Connection Wizard makes it easy to get started with DatabaseSpy. Simply choose the MySQL option as shown here: 
The first time you connect, you will need to create a new DSN. After the first time, you will be able to select the DSN from a list by choosing the “Use an existing Data Source Name” option. You can even use the original DSN when you go back to connect from XMLSpy, MapForce, or StyleVision. 
In the connector dialog, fill in the following information:
We connected to our Amazon RDS cloud database in the same DatabaseSpy project we built for the local prototype. Here is a screen shot of the project window showing both Data Source Names and the working SQL files we added to our project: 
Before we build our tables and run the queries, it will be interesting to check the versions of each system. The screen shots below show a query that requests version information for each system. Note that the gray bar directly above each query indicates which data connection the SQKL statement is assigned to. 
The Amazon RDS reports it is running version 5.1 of the MySQL Community Server, the same as our local prototype – a promising omen!
We can open each of our original table creation scripts and run them in the cloud database by re-assigning the execution target in the Properties window: 
The gray Execution Target bar near the top of the SQL Editor window identifies the cloud Amazon RDS database as the query target: 
After similarly creating the books and books2 tables, we can run each of the SQL queries in the cloud database. ExtractValue() function for all rows example: 
Concat() query to create XML output from non-XML data in a table: 
UpdateXML() example for a single row in a table. 
ExtractValue() for a single row: 
In every test we performed, Amazon RDS behaved exactly like the local MySQL community edition. This behavior it much more efficient for developers to build and test new cloud database applications, or enhancements to existing applications, without incurring the cost of cloud resources for development iterations. We also verified the operation of MySQL XML functions for XML data stored in text columns in the cloud databases. Our XML data was very limited – the text column in our books table was limited to 150 characters. However, MySQL lets you store much larger XML documents in a single column. Every table has a maximum row size of 65,535 bytes. Even if your table uses an index column, this means a varchar column for one XML entry could be over 64k bytes. If you need to store even larger XML documents, MySQL offers MediumText and LongText data types, similar to BLOBs. MediumText can hold over 16 million single-byte characters and LongText can hold up to 4 GB. Although not illustrated in this blog post, we have successfully tested ExtractValue() and UpdateXML() functions with MediumText and LongText data types. When you need to store XML data files that large, writing XPath expressions to resolve individual elements can become a development challenge. The XPath Analyzer included with XMLSpy is an invaluable tool that facilitates the testing and debugging of XPath 1.0 and 2.0 expressions. As you type an XPath expression into the analyzer, XMLSpy evaluates it and returns the resulting node set in real time. This can save hours of debugging time spent trying to understand and track down XPath problems. In future blog posts we’ll explore other ways XMLSpy, MapForce, DiffDog, and DatabaseSpy can help developers accelerate creation of cloud application with Amazon RDS. We look forward to seeing you back soon! If you’d like to see for yourself how well Altova tools work with Amazon RDS, download a free trial of the Altova MissionKit.
With the release of Version 2011 we are thrilled to bring you the Altova MissionKit in Japanese. Now all the Altova tools available in the MissionKit have been fully translated into Japanese. Like the English and German versions of the tool suite, the fully translated Japanese language version provides users with powerful functionality for XML and Web development, data mapping and integration, rendering and publishing of XML, XBRL, and database data, UML modeling, and more. All the tools available in the new Japanese language version of The MissionKit are available at the same cost as the English versions, and current Version 2011 users can now unlock any language version using their existing key code. 
If you haven’t checked out our latest release – Version 2011, download a free, 30-day trial today! The Japanese language version of all the MissionKit tools can be purchased from the Altova Online Shop or through your preferred reseller.
We are proud to announce that Altova was selected for the “2010 Best of Beverly” award in the Computer Software Development category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA)! The USCA “Best of Local Business” award program recognizes outstanding local business throughout the country and each year identifies companies they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. We are proud to be recognized by our local community for our success in the software industry as well as for the contributions we’ve made to the local area, such as committing to use renewable energy. And be sure to check back often to learn more about what we’ve been up to, including the most recent software release – Altova MissionKit Version 2011 – to helpful Tech Notes, the latest industry buzz, and other Altova awards. 
A colorful, eye-catching chart is much more vivid and communicates meaning more quickly than a table of numeric data. As part of the v2011 launch of the Altova Missionkit on September 8, 2010, DatabaseSpy 2011 includes a new SQL charts tool that provides a wide variety of charting features to graphically represent SQL query results. DatabaseSpy 2011 supports the following chart types to provide the most appropriate representation of various data sets:
DatabaseSpy SQL Charts Tool Supported Databases DatabaseSpy 2011 supports multiple database types and can generate charts from the results of SQL queries to the following databases:
Charting SQL Query Results A link in the Altova DatabaseSpy 2011 SQL Editor Results window toolbar opens the Chart Selection dialog to initiate data charting. 
The chart tool icon opens the Select columns dialog, where users can specify which column of the Results table to use for the X-axis. Users can also change the order of value columns, or even leave one or more results column uncharted. This feature permits multiple charts to be generated for subsets of data from a single query that retrieves many table columns. 
The data is initially plotted using the default chart type and settings in a new Charts window. Like other DatabaseSpy helper windows, the Charts window can be unpinned, moved, and resized, as a floating window. The Charts window has nine tabs that permit users to specify properties of nine different charts that can even be assigned to different query results. 
The Change Type dialog gives users instant access to a wide variety of other chart styles. 
Within each chart type, sub-menus specify all the details of the chart appearance. Numerous customization options are available for each chart type, including chart titles, foreground and background colors, definition of axis ranges and labels, control of fonts, text colors and sizes, and more. A pull-down menu also lets users save and reload customized chart settings in files, for instance to store standardized chart styles and reuse them with multiple query results. The screenshot below shows a few of the settings for the line chart at the top of this page, which illustrates the same temperature and humidity data shown in the SQL query screenshot. 
The screenshot below shows a bar chart reporting total sales for the year to date by sales territory. This is a typical example of a chart style that can be reused in a report that is frequently updated with the latest sales data. 
Multiple Charts from a Single SQL Query Results Table Generating multiple charts from the same SQL query is simple and straightforward by selecting different columns of data in the Results table. The SQL query in the screenshot below returns the population and land area of the boroughs that make up New York City: 
Users can choose any tab in the Charts window, then assign data by clicking the Select Data menu option in the Charts window menu bar. 
Here are examples of an ordinary pie chart and a 3-D pie chart generated individually from the population and square miles data columns of the Results table: 
DatabaseSpy 2011 lets users change the chart colors by selecting an alternate palette or any custom colors. 
Gauge Charts from a Single Value or Calculated Results Gauge charts are used to illustrate a single value and show its relation to a minimum and a maximum value. For a round gauge chart, users can specify the beginning and ending values of the range, and the starting and ending locations on the gauge. DatabaseSpy 2011 enables complete gauge customization through selection of the background color, border color, needle color, text font, size, and color, and more. 
DatabaseSpy 2011 can generate charts from results tables that contain relational data, or from results of calculations performed by SQL queries. Gauge charts are a good fit for illustrating a single calculated value. The screenshot below shows a percent of quota calculation in a DatabaseSpy 2011 SQL Editor window, based on a table of stored daily sales and sales quota data. 
The calculated value can be more dramatic when represented in a bar gauge chart, where DatabaseSpy 2011 permits multiple background colors defined by ranges along the axis, as shown below. 
Export Charts for Reports DatabaseSpy 2011 exports charts to image files in .png, .bmp, .gif, or .jpg files in customized sizes, independent of the size of the chart window on the screen to create eye-catching visual elements in reports of all types. 
Whether you are a developer, business analyst, research professional, or other database user, DatabaseSpy 2011 can generate elegant charts from SQL query results to illustrate your data reports – download a free 30-day trial today!
If you’d like to find out for yourself how well DatabaseSpy works with other Altova tools, download a free trial of the Altova MissionKit.
As software applications interact with growing amounts of data, database designs and structures become critical to development of successful projects. UModel® 2011, just launched on September 8, 2010, adds a new feature that empowers users to extend software modeling functionality by modeling relational databases along with Java, C#, and Visual Basic software applications. UModel 2011 accelerates database modeling with features that permits users to:
UModel Database Diagram Supported Databases The UModel 2011 database diagram functionality supports multiple databases and automatically adjusts SQL dialects, data types, and other specialized features for the following databases:
UModel Database Diagram Elements UModel 2011 database diagrams support all the following database elements:
Import Existing Database Structures Users can import an existing relational database via a selection in the UModel 2011 Project menu. 
The Import SQL Database option opens the UModel 2011 Database Connection dialog, with the Database Connection Wizard and all the additional connection options available in DatabaseSpy and other Altova MissionKit tools that interact with popular relational databases. 
When importing a database, UModel 2011 also automatically adds a database profile to the project. UModel 2011 database diagrams are displayed in a special category in the Diagram Tree Helper window. 
Modifying Databases in the Model UModel 2011 database diagrams use a dedicated toolbar with icons indicating database elements that are shared with DatabaseSpy, easing the learning curve between tools. 
As editing proceeds in UModel 2011, the SQL Auto-completion helper window assists with creation of diagrams valid for the SQL database type. 
As an alternative to working directly in the diagram, users can also edit database elements in the Properties helper window. 
Database Change Scripts When a developer synchronizes program code from the UModel project, changes in any database diagram generate a Database Change Script with SQL commands to implement the revisions. Database Change Scripts created in UModel can be saved as SQL files, executed directly in the database, or opened in a DatabaseSpy SQL Editor window via a convenient button in the UModel Database Change Script dialog. 
Conversely, if another team member modifies a table directly in the database, a developer can update the UML model by merging the database changes. 
After synchronization of the UML model with the latest version of the database, the database diagram shows a new column in the Teachers table. 
Like all other UModel diagram types, UModel 2011 lets users save database diagrams as image files and include them in automatically-generated project documentation. Visit the Altova What’s New page to learn more about all the new features in the Altova MissionKit 2011. Model databases along with system requirements, business rules, and application code for your next development project – click here to download a free 30-day trial of UModel 2011 today!
Get one year SMP FREE when you upgrade to the Altova MissionKit! 
For a limited time*, we are offering our current customers the opportunity to get one full year of Support & Maintenance free when they upgrade their individual software product license(s) to the MissionKit tool suite. This represents a potential savings of hundreds or even thousands on Support and Maintenance! The MissionKit brings together innovative tools and standards-based technologies in a comprehensive package that every enterprise architect and application developer needs to complete their software development arsenal.
Take advantage of this exciting offer to upgrade to the MissionKit today – it expires on August 31, 2010!*
Free Software Updates You will receive all maintenance releases and major software versions that are released during your support period – including v2011 as soon as it ships this autumn. Updates that you receive cover the specific edition of the product that you have purchased and typically include many additional features. Priority Technical Support We are extremely proud of our high quality technical support; here are just a few actual customer comments about our excellent support team. “Thanks again for the quick reply. You guys have the fastest response time and in my opinion among the best customer/technical support I have dealt with.”– Sacha Korell, Cobham, plc. “Thank you for the clear explanation and rapid response. Altova provided an excellent customer service for an excellent product.” – Ray Burrows, Ensign Energy Services, Inc. “Working with Altova Support has been my best support experience in my professional life. I really appreciate the way you have understood my obstacles and used your time to remove them. Thank you!” – Frode Reinertsen, NetCom GSM * This limited offer expires on August 31, 2010 and is available from Altova GmbH and its licensed distributors and resellers. The twelve (12) or twenty-four (24) month Support Period for the MissionKit SMP commences on the date that the upgrade order is received and replaces any existing SMP Support Period then in effect for the upgraded licenses. Pricing will automatically reflect that 12 months of the Support Period are at no cost.
We are honored to be named to the SD Times 100 for the sixth time! The award, now in its 7th year, recognizes the top innovators and leaders in multiple software development industry areas. Each year the editors of SD Times scour over thousands of nominations in search of companies, non-commercial organizations, open source projects, and other initiatives that exemplify innovation and leadership. When choosing the SD Times 100, the editors consider each company’s offerings and reputation. They listen to the “buzz” — how much attention a company, its products and technologies are creating — as a sign of leadership within the industry. Did the company set the industry agenda? Did a company’s products and services advance the software development art? Were programmers anxiously awaiting its developments? For the judges of the SD Times 100, these are qualities that mark a leader. So what makes us a SD Times 100 winner? In Version 2009, our MissionKit suite of XML, database, and UML tools added key support for working with industry standards like Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) and Health Level 7 (HL7) to help companies adopt these standards while reducing costs and development time. We also rolled out over 70 new, customer-requested features in Version 2010 as part of our “Most Wanted” release, including support for WSDL 2.0, JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), and SysML, as well as compatibility with Windows 7 and 64-bit operating systems, and much more. Download a free, 30-day trial of the MissionKit (v2010r3) and see what’s new in the latest version (v2010r3) of our awarding winning suite of XML, database, and UML tools.
More and more users are storing XML documents in database columns, especially when XML data is sent or received from other entities. Storing data in XML helps enterprises more easily accommodate revisions to industry-standard data formats as XML Schemas evolve over time. One challenge in migrating from a relational database to an XML-oriented database application is developing queries that replace traditional SQL queries of relational data to parse XML documents stored in the database. We recently had an opportunity to address XQuery for XML in databases in a presentation titled Altova Tools for DB2® in a teleconference sponsored by IBM® for the pureXML™ Devotees user group. After an introduction and brief background on Altova, we focused on the special functionality included in XMLSpy to manage XML Schemas in DB2 and to edit XML data stored in DB2. The XMLSpy Database Query Window makes it easy to edit XML database content directly in XMLSpy. 
Altova has built specialized capabilities for deep integration of Altova tools with the DB2 pureXML data server to help customers working with XML, XML Schema, XQuery, and other XML-related technologies. We demonstrated the XMLSpy XQuery editor, XQuery debugger and XQuery profiler, with support for executing XQuery scripts directly against the DB2 database and for the special DB2 xmlcolumn and sqlquery operators. We closed the presentation with a walk-through of the steps a user can take to migrate legacy relational data to an XML-based application, including inferring an XML Schema from relational data in a table in DB2, then importing data from the table and automatically tagging it in XML according to the new XML Schema. We have uploaded a PDF file the slides from the presentation on SlideShare. You can also get a copy at the IBM pureXML Devotees page, where you can listen to the recorded audio as well. The best way to experience for yourself how well the features of XMLSpy, MapForce, StyleVision, and DatabaseSpy work with DB2 and other databases with XML is to click here to download a free trial of the Altova MissionKit.
Clashes between government agencies are the stuff of legends and entire TV shows: the FBI and the CIA, the local sheriff’s department and the big city CSI, Homeland Security and the Pentagon, Jack Bauer and CTU. Perhaps this has to do with the territorial nature of some of these entities, but perhaps, just perhaps, technology has a part to play in these conflicts. Incompatible architectures and data formats, legacy systems, and other technology road blocks within the United States government sometimes made it difficult for agencies to efficiently share pertinent information such as arrest reports, amber alerts, immigration details, and more.
The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) is an XML-based standard for data exchange between United States government agencies and their information partners. It aims to provide a means for these entities to improve decision making, achieve greater operating efficiency, mitigate risk, improve public safety, and increase ROI through intergovernmental information exchange.
As a leader in XML tools and technologies, the Altova MissionKit already inherently supports NIEM on a variety of different levels. In v2010r3, we added two very specific features to XMLSpy that extend the XML editor with capabilities that are invaluable for NIEM development. For more on these features, see the recent NIEM blog post by our CEO and XML Aficionado, Alexander Falk.
Below is a brief overview of the support provided for NIEM across the MissionKit, from XML Schema editing in XMLSpy, to XMI import and UML diagramming in UModel, to data integration in MapForce, and beyond.
XMLSpy® 2010 provides a graphical schema design interface which simplifies the development of XML Schemas, allowing XML code to be generated in real-time behind the scenes. Users can switch back and forth between this view and text view at any time during their design process.
The graphical schema editor provides built-in support for creating the IEPD Extension Schema, Constraint Schema, and Exchange Schema.
 | |
In addition to the broad XML Schema support described above, XMLSpy provides comprehensive support for all other prevalent XML technologies, including:
The first stage in any development lifecycle is a thorough business requirements review. UML is particularly well-suited to modeling software projects because it provides a standardized approach to the design process. Scenario-based planning is recommended for NIEM, and though there is no UML diagram requirement, class diagrams, use-case diagrams, and sequence diagrams all provide value to IEPD documentation. In addition, NIEM provides a free tool for mapping data requirements based on an uploaded XMI representation of a UML model
UModel® 2010 is an advanced UML tool that supports all fourteen UML 2.3 diagrams, BPMN, SysML, and more. It works seamlessly with XML technologies like XMI, letting users easily import and export XMI based on their UML diagrams. UModel can even render XML Schemas in a format similar to UML diagrams and integrates seamlessly with all other MissionKit tools including XMLSpy, MapForce, and SchemaAgent. UModel also supports code generation, round-trip engineering, and reverse engineering, as well as integration with the popular Visual Studio and Eclipse IDEs.
UModel can be used two different phases of NIEM development:
 | |
Because of the potential to have many different schemas in each IEPD, XML Schema management can become an arduous process. SchemaAgent® 2010 is a unique file management tool that lets users visually manage their XML Schema, XML, XSLT, and WSDL assets in a project-based environment so that changes and structure of the file configuration can be easily recognized. SchemaAgent users can even view mapping files created using MapForce.
 | |
Data mapping is a crucial step at several levels in the NIEM process. Mapping helps users generate a subset schema to determine what elements can be used from the core and domain models, it is also used to perform a transform from one NIEM vocabulary to another. Some NIEM implementations also employ Web services to provide a mechanism for the exchange.
MapForce® 2010 is an any-to-any data mapping and integration tool that supports all of the potential data formats used in the NIEM lifecycle including XML, databases, flat files, Excel 2007+, and Web services. MapForce maps data based on its underlying structure (i.e. XML Schema), enabling mapping designs to be reused for recurrent transformations. MapForce also supports mapping to and from multiple source or target components. In addition, MapForce can be used to generate documentation detailing mapping projects for non-technical stakeholders in a variety of formats such as HTML and Microsoft® Word.
 |
To try out this functionality on your own, download a free 30-day trial of Altova MissionKit now!
Altova products have long supported tight integration with Visual Studio, giving developers seamless access to the advanced functionality of XMLSpy, MapForce, StyleVision, and UModel directly in their preferred development environment.So naturally, the Altova team is excited to attend the launch of Visual Studio 2010 on April 12-14 at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. We’ll be demonstrating all the latest features of the Altova MissionKit 2010 Release 2 and we’d love to meet you at booth 614 on the Exhibition floor.If you’re not headed to Las Vegas, you can read more about Altova Integration with Visual Studio at the IDE Integration page on the https://www.altova.com/. Or follow the links below for detailed information on Visual Studio integration for each tool in the MissionKit:XMLSpy 2010 Professional and Enterprise Editions support seamless integration with Visual Studio , Microsoft’s premier application development environment, where you’ll have access to all of XMLSpy’s tools and utilities for modeling, editing, transforming, and debugging XML technologies.MapForce 2010 Professional and Enterprise Editions support full Visual Studio integration, allowing you to harness the power of MapForce for data integration, Web services implementation, and C++, C#, and Java code generation directly inside Visual Studio.StyleVision 2010 Professional and Enterprise Editions are offered as Visual Studio plugins, meaning that you can easily design and implement stylesheets for simultaneous XML, XBRL, and database output to HTML, RTF, PDF, and Word 2007+ (OOXML) directly within Visual Studio.UModel 2010 Enterprise Edition now supports advanced integration with Visual Studio, including code/model synchronization, giving you access to all of its UML modeling capabilities from within Visual Studio.(Oh yes, we know Visual Studio is not the only tool for all the XML, data integration, and UML developers out there. The Altova MissionKit IDE integration modules also support Eclipse.)
XMLSpy 2010 は、バージョン 2010 の Altova 製品としては初めての日本語版製品となります。新たに日本語化された XMLSpy XML エディターは部分的に翻訳されていた既存のバージョンを置き換え、ユーザは英語ならびにドイツ語版で既に利用可能な XML に関する全ての編集、変換、そしてデバッグといったパワフルな機能を利用することができます。 XMLSpy 2010 は完全に翻訳された初めての日本語版製品となりますが、他の製品の日本語版も数か月中にリリースを予定しており、その後日本語のリファレンスマニュアルならびにウェブサイトが続くことになります。地域化サービスを社内で行うことで、日本市場に対する我々のコミットメントを示し、削減した経費を顧客に還元します。 XMLSpy 2010r2 を既にお使いのお客様は、既存のキーコードを入力することにより全ての言語のバージョンでロックの解除を行うことができます。または、30日間の無料トライアル版の XMLSpy 2010 をダウンロードすることで、バージョン 2010r2 で利用可能な全てのパワフルな機能を使用することができます。 
XMLSpy バージョン 2010r2 はネイティブ64ビットへの対応を含め、多数のスピードならびにパフォーマンスの向上が図られています。100MB以上の XML ファイルを使った作業を行う場合、64ビットのオペレーティングシステムに最適化されたスピードとパフォーマンスの恩恵にあずかることができます。新しい64ビットバージョンの XMLSpy 2010 にて非常に巨大なファイルを使った作業を行う際には、マシンに搭載されているメモリの容量が唯一の制限になります。 日本語版の Altova XMLSpy 2010r2 には現在スタンダード、プロフェッショナル、そしてエンタープライズエディションが用意され、価格は149ユーロ (約18,200円) からになり、現在 Altova Online Shop または小売店を通してお求め頂けます。 Introducing XMLSpy 2010 Japanese Language Edition XMLSpy 2010 is the first product in Altova’s all-new Version 2010 Japanese product line. The new fully localized Japanese edition of the XMLSpy XML editor replaces the previous partially translated version and allows you to take advantage of the same powerful functionality available in XMLSpy’s English and German counterparts for editing, transforming, and debugging XML-related technologies. XMLSpy 2010 is the first product to be completely translated but we have plans to release Japanese language versions of our other products in the coming months, followed by Japanese reference manuals and a Japanese Web site. Our decision to bring the localizations services in-house demonstrates our commitment to the Japanese market, and allows us to pass that cost savings on to you, our customers. Current XMLSpy v2010r2 customers can now unlock any language version using your existing key code, or download a free trial of XMLSpy 2010 to begin using all of the powerful new functionality available in Version 2010r2. 
XMLSpy Version 2010r2 delivers several new speed and performance enhancements, including a native 64-bit version that allows you to take advantage of the speed and performance optimizations associated with 64-bit operating systems while processing XML files that are 100 MB or larger. With the new 64-bit version of XMLSpy 2010, the only limitation for working with very large files should be the available memory on your machine. The Japanese language version of Altova XMLSpy 2010r2 is currently available in Professional and Enterprise Editions and is available for purchase now from the Altova Online Shop or through your preferred reseller.
Earlier this month in our blog post on Comparing XML Schemas we showed a realistic – but simplified – example to illustrate a slick new feature of DiffDog 2010 to compare XML Schemas and update corresponding XML data files by generating XSL transformations.
A real-life XML developer’s project is rarely as small and straightforward as the example we used. In this post we will take a look at some typical complications developers face every day and how the Altova MissionKit cuts through complexity to enhance productivity.
Longer XML Schemas and Larger Mappings
Your XML Schemas are not likely to be as short and simple as the ones in our earlier post, and you will likely want to save your work while you are mapping your XML Schema migration. DiffDog lets you save your mapping in an XML Schema comparison file that you can reload later to continue your work, or to share with a colleague.
If you need to compare two XML Schemas on a regular basis, the XML Schema Comparison Document can be a valuable time saver.
Embedded XML Schema Assignment
The screen shot below shows the XML data file from our original example with one important difference. In this version the story element includes an embedded reference to the XML Schema on line 2.
When we transform this file with the simple XSLT we created in DiffDog, the new XML data file will not include the updated XML Schema reference. In our earlier blog post embedded XML Schema references weren’t an issue because we used the XMLSpy Project / Properties menu option to assign default XML Schemas for each folder.
If there are many XML data files to transform, and they require embedded XML Schema references, we can take advantage of an additional feature of MapForce. We can export our mapping from DiffDog to MapForce, as we did in the earlier post, and then use the Component Settings dialog for the MapForce output component to include the XML Schema reference.
Document Your Work
Developers can lose productivity trying to retrace history when a project needs additional work months or even years after an early iteration. The MapForce Generate Documentation feature can help us avoid this frustrating experience.
MapForce will document the mapping of each element in the XML Schemas in Microsoft Word, RTF, or HTML formats. Regardless which format we choose, the resulting document is an excellent stand-alone project artifact, or it can be further edited and included in a larger report.
We can even combine the MapForce mapping documentation with full descriptions of each version of the XML Schema generated with the XMLSpy XML Schema Editor documentation feature.
Source/Version Control
Source/version control systems let teams of developers work closely together on the same project without a risk of overwriting each others’ changes. Because a version of the source code is saved at each stage of the design process, it is very easy to look at or revert to an earlier version when needed.
Altova has implemented the Microsoft Source Code Control Interface (MSSCCI) v1.1 – v1.3 in XMLSpy and tested support for many popular source control systems, so we can manage the files in our XML Schema evolution project across the development enterprise. Additionally, DiffDog can be integrated with source control systems as the default comparison tool. DiffDog can even generate differences report files in a variety of formats.
See for yourself how the tools in the Altova MissionKit can cut through the complexity of your own XML, Web Services, data integration, XML publishing, XBRL, and UML modeling development projects – download a free 30-day trial!
DiffDog 2010 includes a powerful new tool to compare XML Schemas that XML developers and others can use to update existing XML data files as XML Schemas evolve. This post takes a look at an example scenario for this feature.Before we drop into the new functionality, let’s take a quick look at two XML Schemas using the DiffDog File Compare feature. Of course, just like in previous versions, DiffDog 2010 users can compare XML Schemas as .xsd documents and display differences in a color-coded, XML-aware format.
This is a good way to identify and manage differences in XML Schemas, especially when you want to review revisions to industry-standard XML Schemas that evolve over time.What’s new in DiffDog 2010 is an additional XML Schema Differencing option that graphically displays two XML Schemas side by side, identifies identical elements automatically, and lets users map differences and generate XSL transformations to update XML data files.Here’s our first view when we open the same two XML Schemas shown in the file comparison above, using the new XML Schema Differencing feature.
The root elements of the two XML Schemas are automatically connected. We can click the Compare button in the toolbar to automatically connect identical elements in the two XML Schemas.
(Of course we could also select Compare XML Schemas from the right click context menu, or choose Start Comparison from the Diff and Merge menu, or press the F5 keyboard shortcut – DiffDog gives you many options to perform the same task, so you can work the way you like.)Next, we can map elements with different names in the two XML Schemas by manually connecting the pointer arrows between them. In this example most of the changes to the version of the XML Schema on the right simply give elements new names that will be more clear when the XML Schema and its data files are distributed through our enterprise.
When all the elements are mapped, we can generate an XSLT file to transform existing XML data files based on the XML Schema on the left to reflect revisions in the newer version on the right. This feature is designed to rescue XML developers from the tedious tasks of writing and debugging XSL transformations by hand.
Here is an example of an original XML data file based on the XML Schema on the left side, as viewed in Altova XMLSpy:
The output file after applying the XSL transformation we created with DiffDog 2010 appears below. Note the substitution of the author element for writer, email for feedback, and so on.
If there are many existing XML files that need to be transformed, the Project Management features of XMLSpy can help us automate the process. We can add external folders to an XMLSpy project.
Using the XMLSpy properties dialog for each project folder, we can assign default values to assign an XML Schema for validation, the XSL transformation, and the destination of the output.
Now we can select the input folder in the XMLSpy Project helper window and transform all the files in it with the single-keystroke F10 shortcut.When we originally mapped the XML Schema elements in DiffDog, we left the publication element on the left side unconnected, since it had no corresponding element in the earlier version of the schema. That means when we transform XML input files using the XSLT, the resulting output will not contain the publication element. If publication is a required element, we can call on Altova MapForce for a quick solution.One of the options in DiffDog is to generate a MapForce mapping rather than XSLT. When we choose this option, MapForce launches with our DiffDog mapping already loaded as a new MapForce design, as shown below.
It’s easy to enhance the mapping by adding a constant as a default value for the publication element.
Now we can save an XSL file from MapForce that reuses all the element mappings we originally designed in DiffDog and adds the constant. When we apply the new XSL to transform our original XML data file, we get a result that includes the default value for the publication element.
This post started by describing the new XML Schema Comparison feature in DiffDog 2010. Fleshing out a simple – but typical – real-world example quickly highlighted additional tasks easily completed by taking advantage of tight integration with XMLSpy and MapForce.All three of these tools and more are available at substantial savings in the Altova MissionKit 2010, the integrated suite of XML, database, and UML tools designed to meet the diverse development and data management needs of today’s software architects and XML developers. Click here to download a free trial today!
We always enjoy meeting developers who currently use Altova tools and others with projects our tools can help them complete. This year’s PDC in Los Angeles was no exception – great weather, great camaraderie, and a brand new Version 2010 of the Altova MissionKit to demonstrate and talk about. Below is our short YouTube video of PDC highlights. If you were there, see if you can spot yourself in the crowd. If you didn’t get to go this year, we’re sorry we missed you.
And don’t forget to check out Version 2010 of the Altova MissionKit online. Version 2010 is packed with over 70 new features that were requested by our current users. Our What’s New page describes highlights of the major new functionality in XMLSpy and the other Altova developer tools. If you are covered by a current SMP plan, your update to v2010 is free. If you need to purchase an upgrade, click here to visit the Upgrades page on our Web site. The Altova Upgrades page describes all the details and connects to our online Upgrade Wizard to get started right away. You may be eligible for a discount of up to 40%! Our trip to Microsoft PDC wraps up the Altova show season for 2009. We hope to see you in person at another event next year.
Overview NYC & Company is the official marketing, tourism and partnership organization for the five boroughs of New York City. Its mission is to maximize travel and tourism opportunities, build economic prosperity, and spread the dynamic image of New York City around the world. In 2008-2009, the company initiated a major rebranding, redefining their Web presence and launching an interactive multi-media center in Midtown Manhattan. At the center of this transformation, NYC & Company used development tools from the Altova MissionKit – UModel, DiffDog, DatabaseSpy, and XMLSpy. The NYC & Company Web site and Information Center was created together with online powerhouses as Google and Travelocity, reservation sites like Open Table, content providers Time Out, Greenopia.com, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and more. The Challenge As the single organization responsible for meeting the marketing and tourism needs of the city of New York, NYC & Company has been tasked with meeting Mayor Bloomberg’s January 2006 State of the City goal of luring 50 million visitors by the year 2015 – up from an estimated 43 million in 2006. A large part of the effort behind this push would be manifested in a general Web site rebrand/redesign coupled with the creation of an interactive visitor center. NYC & Company chose to use existing tools and technologies as much as possible, leveraging their ColdFusion Web site architecture, the Eclipse software development platform, a SQL Server 2005 backend, and the Altova MissionKit. A new content management system was also implemented to manage the large amounts of data and associated workflow. The Solution The NYC & Company Web site redesign included a migration from nycvisit.com, which followed a typical convention and visitor bureau site structure, to the much more animated and multi-faceted nycgo.com, a design that promotes the dynamic nature of the resources available and of the city itself. 
nycvisit.com on 26 February 2008 
nycgo.com on 22 May 2009 UML Modeling The new design components were drawn out as a UML class diagram, expanding on the data model that was created for the live Web site. NYC & Company used Altova UModel to map out the physical structure of nycgo.com, importing their XML Schema definition to ensure adherence to formatting rules. The class diagram was used to represent the new Web site structure at a high level, and to model the objects that needed to be built into NYC & Company’s content management system (CMS). UML design in UModel also enabled the company to generate documentation so that the developers could share the UI design with those not familiar with the intricacies of UML. 
UModel UML Class Diagram of the nycgo Web site NYC & Company then worked with third party design vendor, HUGE, Inc., to further analyze the UML wire frames and predict user interaction scenarios for the nycgo Web site. Dynamic code was then delivered in JSP, implemented on JRun then subsequently converted to ColdFusion. Code Differencing NYC & Company chose to migrate their JSP templates to ColdFusion 8 for its rapid application development capabilities, rich feature set, and intrinsic simplicity. DiffDog, Altova’s diff/merge tool, was an integral part of the development process, helping the development team to ensure that the ColdFusion code was in line with the original JSP. NYC & Company could easily recognize and reconcile any crucial differences using DiffDog’s straightforward text comparison interface. 
JSP/CFM code differencing in DiffDog Database Migration As part of their rebranding effort, NYC & Company successfully migrated their data from SQL Server 2000 to SQL Server 2005. NYC & Company used Altova DatabaseSpy to connect to the database, structure queries, and for database analysis. They also use the integrated SQL Editor to test their more complex SQL queries. This enabled them to do their database management and testing in-house, with non-technical and even non-DBA team members assembling complex SQL scripts with features such as auto-completion, syntax color coding, automatic formatting, and refactoring. Building Out the Content Management System NYC & Company used a third party CMS to manage workflow and collaboration for newly designed the Web site. The CMS was also modified to output XML feeds. Additionally, content sourced from NYC & Company’s partners was validated against an XML Schema and then imported into the CMS. Every night, a scheduled task is initiated that delivers the formatted XML feeds to the interactive data center. XMLSpy, Altova’s XML editor, provides NYC & Company with all of its XML editing needs – from validating and saving content, to managing and manipulating it as part of an integrated workflow. Real-time XML Feeds The XML feeds that are available on the nycgo Web site, and the interactive wall kiosks and tables at the Information Center are taken from data submitted by NYC & Company’s numerous content partners and provide real-time information about attractions and events all around the city. Once accessed, the information can be transferred to any mobile device via SMS. The walls display touch-screen FAQ stations that inform visitors about top New York City attractions and provide other useful information like how to tip a doorman, places to exchange currency, etc. in English and nine other languages. Users can also buy MetroCards and tickets to exhibits and other popular events. 
The same real-time data is also fed to interactive tables, where visitors place a “puck” on a Google map of the city to select their area of interest. They then click on a category (e.g., dining, entertainment, etc.) to get more information. 
The Results NYC & Company offers the latest in travel and tourism to New York City’s visitors, which number well over 40 million in any given year and offers a wealth of new experiences and up-to-date information to adventurous locals. The innovative new Web site design and interactive exploration center pulls together the latest in hardware, software, and data management technologies to showcase every aspect of this multi-faceted city to tourists from all walks of life and with all sorts of interests. NYC & Company was able to leverage the Altova MissionKit to manage large amounts of disparate data from a variety of different sources -from the preliminary UML modeling, to code differencing, database management, and XML editing. Find out how the Altova MissionKit can help with the end-to-end management of all of your data assets. Download a fully functional free trial of the Altova MissionKit today!
The Industry Has Spoken… For us at Altova, being recognized by our industry peers is an honor and something we are proud of and want to share with all of you – our current and future customers. This summer Altova was named to both the 2009 SD Times 100 and Visual Studio Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards. 
Altova was named to the SD Times 100 list in the ‘Tools & IDEs’ category as a leader and innovator in the software development industry. Alan Zeichick, editorial director of SD Times magazine, said, “The software development industry has always been led by innovation, and that’s true even in today’s challenging economic climate. When choosing the 2009 SD Times 100 winners, we carefully considered each organization’s products and services, reputation with enterprise development managers, and the new ideas and thought leadership that it has brought to the industry. Thanks to companies like Altova, the art of software development continues to advance at a rapid pace.” 
And it was the Altova XMLSpy 2009 XML editor that was recognized for excellence with a 2009 Readers’ Choice Award from Visual Studio Magazine. The winners were chosen by Visual Studio Magazine’s readers and honor excellent software in 23 development categories. Altova XMLSpy was named in the category of ‘Web Design and Development Tools’. Michael Desmond, Visual Studio Magazine editor-in-chief and editorial director of the developer media group at 1105 Media, said, "When it comes to judging the value and capability of developer tools, you won’t find a savvier audience than Visual Studio Magazine readers. These are committed developers — demanding professionals who work with code every day and have a deep appreciation for the tools they rely on. "This isn’t a popularity contest," Desmond continued. "A product that earns a VSM Readers’ Choice Award has earned the respect and loyalty, over time, of VSM readers, some of the most demanding users on the planet. I commend all the Readers’ Choice Award winners. Visual Studio Magazine readers have put your product on top.” Check out what the industry is buzzing about and download a free 30-day trial of the Altova MissionKit that includes our full line of XML, database, and UML tools!
XMLSpy and the other tools in the Altova MissionKit are well-known in the development community as the go-to toolset for XML, data integration, UML, and database development projects. But Altova tools are also used by IT professionals to efficiently complete a variety of enterprise support tasks: XMLSpy is an advanced tool that makes XML documents easy to navigate and edit. Do you use XMLSpy to edit or validate any of the wide variety of XML configuration and data files increasingly essential to today’s IT environments? MapForce integrates and maps data between any combination of XML, databases, flat files, EDI, Excel 2007, XBRL, and/or Web Services. Have you ever used MapForce to merge an end-user’s Excel data into a database? DatabaseSpy is the unique multi-database query, design, content editor, and comparison tool selected as Roundup Champion by Redmond Magazine. Have you used DatabaseSpy to browse an unfamiliar database or build a SQL query to get a quick answer? And who could forget DiffDog? At every trade show visitors come to the Altova booth to rave about Altova’s file, folder, and database diff/merge tool. Do you depend on DiffDog to quickly identify changes between the live instance of a mission-critical file or folder and a backup copy? If you’re an IT professional who uses Altova tools to support the technical infrastructure of your enterprise, we’d like to hear your story. Click here to visit the Altova Case Studies page and check out the right margin to contact us. Of course you can comment right here too!
Previously in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this series we applied Altova UModel reverse-engineering functionality to create UML diagrams for an ATM banking simulation application. After analyzing the existing architecture, we planned and implemented a new feature, the withdrawal fee. Even in a reduced size, our updated sequence diagram for the withdrawal transaction clearly represents in graphical form the nested logic structure of the source code. 
This morning we happened to run into the ATM product manager at the coffee machine. “You’ve been working on that ATM code for over a month now,” he said. “When am I going to see what you’ve accomplished?” We can take advantage of the UModel Generate Documentation feature to satisfy this request. UModel will automatically create customized documentation for our project in HTML, Microsoft Word, or RTF formats. The Include tab in the Generate Documentation dialog box lets us choose which diagram types to include, and to specify the level of detail for our report by allowing us to expand each diagram element type. 
For an overview report, we can select all diagram types. We’ll also select class from the Elements list to show further information about the classes in our application. UModel helpfully asks if we want to add elements derived from class as well. 
After we have selected or adjusted other document parameters, including fonts and sizes, UModel generates the report in just a few seconds. At the top of the first page, the report begins with an index of diagrams and a separate index of elements. Each indexed item is hyperlinked to a bookmark in the document. 
Regardless which format you choose, the resulting report is fully editable. For instance, we can add a footer that includes page numbers and a tag line recording the document creation date. We can grab the tag line UModel created to create our footer. 
Our completed report contains all the UML diagrams that describe the legacy ATM application, with detailed class diagrams that show the class properties and operations. Additionally, the illustration of each class is accompanied by a hierarchy diagram to show the class relationships, and a list of all the class associations. Later on as our project evolves further, we can easily generate an updated version of the report. We could even take advantage of the UModel command line functionality or the UModel API to automate creation of project documentation, or we could attach the .html version of the report to our developer team wiki. But for now all we have to do is email the report to the ATM product manager. Conclusion We hope you’ve enjoyed following along with this exercise in Analyzing a Legacy Application with Altova UModel. Although we are ending the series here, in the real world there is much more work to do on our ATM application. For instance, the feature to permit users to accept the fee or cancel a withdrawal remains to be implemented. Or, we could update the legacy code with newer Java language constructs such as generics, annotations, and enumerations. If you’re already experienced with UML we hope we’ve shown you a new trick or two. If you are a developer who’s never tried UML, we wanted to give you some of the flavor and benefits of visual software modeling. Either way, if you’re ready to go further on your own project, click here to download a fully-functional free trial of Altova UModel.
Java-powered robots, Java mobile phone apps, Java in the cloud, Java running Neil Young’s ’59 Lincoln, a new T-shirt, and photos with Duke! It can only mean the annual pilgrimage to the Moscone Center in San Francisco for JavaOne. XMLSpy and MapForce feature Java code generation and UModel can both generate and reverse engineer Java code. Of course you can use all the Java code you generate with Altova tools royalty free! Check out this YouTube video:
to see and hear a few highlights of JavaOne 2009 and Altova’s presence there.You can also click here to see an interview with Altova’s Technical Marketing Manager filmed at JavaOne by TechTarget.
The following post is written by Peter Reynolds, CEO and translation management consultant at TM-Global and Executive Director of Kilgray Translation Technologies. An Irish national based in Warsaw, he holds a BSc and an MBA degree from Open University and is a localization and translation industry veteran. Peter previously worked at Idiom Technologies Inc. — now SDL PLC. As director of the LSP Partner Program at Idiom, Peter was responsible for making its global LSP partners program a successful and innovative venture. Before Idiom, he worked on language technology development for several global localization companies: Lionbridge, Bowne Global Solutions and Berlitz GlobalNET. He managed the Dublin development team responsible for BerlitzIT, Elcano, Freeway 2.0 technology solutions, and internal project and vendor management tools. Peter has been actively involved in the development and promotion of standards (notably XLIFF) for more than ten years, mostly at OASIS. Until 2008 when XLIFF was published, he was secretary of the XLIFF Technical Committee at OASIS and chaired the Translation Web Services TC. He is currently involved in OASIS, TILP as well as being the Irish expert to ISO SC2 and SC4 and training auditors for the EN 15038 standard.
Every developer wants his or her applications to be used and hopes they will be very popular. A web application developed in rural Maine USA could easily be used by someone living in the next township or in Malaysia, New Zealand, Germany or Poland. Even if the application is not translated (localized), there are some important differences between how data is represented from one locale to another. The W3C definition of internationalization is “the design and development of a product that is enabled for target audiences that vary in culture, region, or language”. This does not mean that the product has to be translated into the language of the target audience but that it is designed in such a way that the target audience can use the application and understands the way data is presented. The reason for internationalization is to ensure the widest possible audience for your application and to make its translation easier and less costly. This article will introduce you to internationalization and demonstrate how applications can be internationalized using the Altova MissionKit, an integrated suite of XML, database, and UML tools including XMLSpy, StyleVision, MapForce, and others. If you are using tools such as XMLSpy and StyleVision it is very likely that you are already creating internationalized XML applications. The strategy which I suggest is that you try and figure out what target audience your applications are intended for beforehand and implement internationalization accordingly. In this article I will first discuss a strategy for internationalizing XML. I will then introduce the Internationalization Tag Set and examine issues relating to XML internationalization.
The first step in planning internationalization is to make an informed decision as to the level of internationalization you require. There may be people in your organization who can help you make this decision, and it would be particularly useful to obtain input from people who live in different countries. The three-level approach presented below should help you decide on the level of internationalization you are going to implement. However, you should remember that you may encounter some problems if your documents or applications are not internationalized, but you will certainly not have the same problems if to ensure that they are fully internationalized. The three levels of internationalizations are:
The software tools in the Altova MissionKit have a lot of functionality which supports internationalization. If you are using these tools you have a very strong basis for creating internationalized XML documents. Unicode is the default encoding for applications created in the XMLSpy XML editor, and I would strongly recommend using this character set.
The Internationalization Tag Set (ITS) is recommended by W3C and designed to create XML which is internationalized and can easily be localized. If you are working with XML documents which might be localized, I would recommend using ITS. With this technology you are able to specify which text requires translation, provide instructions for translators and specify the direction of the text. The seven data categories included in the ITS are:
W3C has published a best practices guide for internationalizing XML documents which details how to use ITS. It can be found on their web site at: http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/WD-xml-i18n-bp-20070427/ The specification can be found in this section: http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/REC-its-20070403/ I would strongly recommend you read these documents before proceeding with internationalization.
The following table describes some of the internationalization issues you may come across. This will be followed by a more detailed explanation of these issues and suggestions for how they can be resolved using the Altova MissionKit. 
| ISSUE | DESCRIPTION |
| Encoding | Characters need to be supported by the code page being used. Unicode is an encoding which supports characters from all common language. |
| Date & Time | How dates and time are represented varies between countries. |
| Numbers | How decimal points and thousands are represented varies between different countries. |
| Currency | As well as difference with how the number is represented in some countries the currency symbol or word is written after the number while in most it is written before. |
| Salutation & Names | There are many differences in salutations between countries, and in some countries, such as Hungary, a person’s name is written with the family name first. No middle name is used in Japanese. |
| Address | There are a number of differences relating to address, such as the house number appearing before the street name in some countries and after in others. Also, some countries use a ZIP code vs. a postal code. |
| RTL | Text is many languages is read from left to right, but in some, such as Hebrew and Arabic, the text is read from right to left (bi-directional). |
| Sorting & Collation | There are differences in how alphabets are sorted. Some Scandinavian languages have an ‘aa’ character which is usually, but not always, sorted at the end of the alphabet. |
| Exclamation & Question Marks | In English questions and exclamation marks are always at the end of the sentence, while in Spanish there is a question mark at the beginning and end of a sentence. |
All electronic text uses a character coding system where the character is represented by a number. Before the widespread use of Unicode this was one of the most significant internationalization issues. When an application tries to show a character that is not represented in a code page it will appear as garbage text. There were not only problems between different languages but also with characters appearing incorrectly on computers running different operating system. Unicode has solved most of these problems by creating a single code page regardless of platform, program or language. XML uses Unicode as its default code page. Any XML documents you create in XMLSpy will by default have the declaration encoding="UTF-8” If the file has not been created in XMLSpy, you need to ensure that the file is saved as UTF-8. UTF is an acronym for Unicode transformation format, and UTF-8 is a flavor of Unicode that uses 1, 2 or 4 bytes to store characters. It is the most commonly used flavor and is very widely used for XML and the Web. The other versions of Unicode which XMLSpy supports are:
There may be reasons for using default encoding other than UTF-8. To set the default encoding in XMLSpy go to Tools | Options and select the encoding tab. 
If you want to change the encoding for an individual XML document, open the document in XMLSpy and select File| Encoding. 
The XML namespace defines xml:lang to identify the language of an XML document. The value for xml:lang must be an ISO language code (ISO 639- 2). If you have an XML document which is written in one language but has a segment in another language you can use xml:lang at the root element to identify the main language of the document and use it at the element where the text in another language is used to identify that language.
In different countries dates and time are represented in very different ways. Let’s take as an example the date 10/09/08:
In most European countries this means the 10th of September 2008.
In the United States this means the 9th of October 2008.
In Japan this means 8th of October 2009.
The way to deal with this is to use ISO 8601 for specifying date and time within your application. This is a standard way for representing date and time in the format YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS[±HH:MM] where
YYYY- represents year
MM- represents month
DD – represents day
T signifies that Time follows this
HH- represents hours
MM- represents minutes
SS- represents seconds.
You can then use StyleVision to create a style sheet which formats the date in a way suitable to your target audience. StyleVision is a graphical stylesheet design tool that allows drag-and-drop design of XSLT and XSL:FO stylesheets to render XML data in HTML, Microsoft Word, PDF, and other formats. To use the date formatting functionality within StyleVision:
You can also select other date and time formats here. I would strongly recommend using the date picker. In order to insert the date picker, the cursor must be between an xs:date or xs:dateTime node. You then go to Insert on the main menu and Select Insert Date Picker. If the cursor is not between xs:date or xs:dateTime node the Insert Date Picker menu item will be greyed out.
Decimals can be preceded by either a point or a comma depending on the locale. There are also differences for how thousands are represented. StyleVision provides functionality where you can format a number for your intended audience:
The issues involving numbers also apply to money, but in addition to this there are different conventions for representing the currency symbol. Some currencies share the same name and symbol, such as the dollar, but the Australian, Canadian and Singaporean dollar are not the same currency, and this should be identifiable. You can deal with the numbers as shown above, but the issue of whether the currency name or symbol should go before or after the number is likely to be dealt with as part of the translation process.
One of the problems faced by customers buying from a foreign company while making an online purchase is that the system does not allow them to enter their address properly. There are many differences, such as the house number being before or after the street name, the order the components of the address are placed and the format of the zip/postal code. CEN (The European Standards Institution) has developed a standard which lists the components of an address, and the UPU (Universal Postal Union) is further developing this to produce a comprehensive list of name and address elements. I would recommend that you ensure that you are getting the data you need for your main target markets but make sure that someone from another country can also enter their address. A drop-down list of countries could be used to ensure that there is error checking when you know certain components of an address are required but does not produce the error for other countries where you do not know the address structure.
Some US-based web sites will not accept credit cards from outside the US. As a security check they insist on a valid US address. If you want to accept credit card payments and do business with people outside your country, you should check that foreign credit cards will be accepted.
In many languages the text is being read from left to right but this is by no means universal. Arabic and Hebrew are written from right to left. In XML documents this causes further confusion as the XML elements are read from left to right but any text should be read from right to left. The ITS namespace has a direction attribute which can be used to identify which direction should be read. <its:span dir="rtl">متعة الأسماك!</its:span>
There are differences in how alphabets are sorted. Some Scandinavian languages have an ‘aa’ character which is usually, but not always, sorted at the end of the alphabet. If you have set the language in your XML document and use xsl:sort for your XSL document then the sorting should work according to the sorting rules for that language. However, you should check that your processor does this as that is not always the case. The example files which come with StyleVision contain examples for sorting. Select StyleVision examples, then the tutorial folder, then sorting and open the file SortingOnTwoTextKeys.sps. To see how the sorting works go to the design view and right click on the member element. Then select the ‘sort by’ option on the context menu. Here you can control how the sorting works for this particular list.
In English, questions and exclamation marks are always at the end of the sentence, while in Spanish this punctuation occurs at the beginning and end of a sentence. This is something which will usually be corrected during the translation process.
Internationalization is an important step in ensuring the widest target audience for your application, and that translation is as cost effect and easy as possible. Your approach to this should be very pragmatic. Time spent up-front sorting out internationalization will result in huge benefits throughout the process and significantly increase marketing potential for your product. The purpose of this article was to present an overview and introduce you to internationalization. There is a lot more useful information available in the references listed below. Tools such as XMLSpy and StyleVision, both of which are included in the Altova MissionKit software suite, go a long way in making the internationalization process for XML documents much easier by providing a lot of in-built support for internationalization. The Internationalization Tag Set from W3C is a very significant innovation which is a great addition to the toolkit available to a developer who wants to build internationalized XML applications. XML is a technology which has had internationalization and translation in mind since its inception. The use of Unicode as the default encoding for XML is very significant and greatly facilitates dealing with any internationalization problems you may come across. The functionality available within the Altova MissionKit, ITS and Unicode are the basis for creating good internationalized applications. Reference The following is a list of useful web sites and other resources providing further information on internationalization: Leading XML tools provider – Altova https://www.altova.com/ . They also offer a free trial of the MissionKit: https://www.altova.com/download. Unicode web site http://www.unicode.org/ Internationalization Tag Set http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/REC-its-20070403/ W3C Best Practices for internationalization http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/WD-xml-i18n-bp-20070427/ Open Tag (Yves Savourel’s) http://www.opentag.com/ Yves Savourel, ‘XML Internationalization and Localization’, a book which is an excellent source of information. More information can be found at: http://www.opentag.com/xmli18nbook.htm The TM-Global research and resource web site publishes a lot of useful articles, opinions and surveys on translation, localization and industry standards http://www.tm-global.com/ Web sites of internationalization guru Tex Texin http://www.xencraft.com/ and http://www.i18nguy.com/ Localization Flow – web site of internationalization experts http://www.locflowtech.com/ Value for money XML-based TEnTs and translation tools are available from companies such as Kilgray Translation Technologies http://www.kilgray.com/
The Altova team is packing up and heading out to San Francisco for JavaOne next week. We hope you’ll stop by our booth #209 to chat about what you’re working on, and see a demo of the MissionKit, the integrated suite of XML, database, and UML tools that includes the XMLSpy XML editor, MapForce data mapping tool, UModel UML tool, and more. You can also enter our drawing for a chance to win one of ten Altova product licenses! The Altova MissionKit provides numerous tools for Java developers, including royalty-free Java code generation from XML Schemas and data integration projects, reverse engineering of Java apps, UML modeling, Eclipse integration, and more. You can also check out the new XBRL, HL7, and database differencing functionality added in the MissionKit 2009. We hope to see you at the Moscone!
We’re very excited to have just launched the next free Altova Online Training course: MissionKit XBRL! This comprehensive, five-module course provides an overview of XBRL and the Altova MissionKit for beginning and advanced technical users. After an introduction to XBRL and the XBRL filing process, you will learn to create an extension taxonomy in the XMLSpy XML editor. 
Then you’ll learn how to get your company’s back-end data into compliant XBRL filing documents using MapForce’s graphical data mapping interface, and explore how to automate this process by generating code in Java, C#, or C++. The final module completes the process and focuses on StyleVision and XBRL report generation. You’ll see how easy it is to create a straightforward XBRL report with drag-and-drop functionality to render XBRL in human-readable formats: HTML, PDF, and MS Word. The XBRL training course includes over 30 instructional videos, and the training is now delivered through Amazon’s S3 cloud services to ensure fast downloads and smooth video. You can even test what you’ve learned using the interactive quizzes for each module. Like all Altova Online Training courses, MissionKit XBRL is available on-demand, so that you can complete the courses as your schedule allows. And did I mention that it’s free? This course is currently in beta, and we’d appreciate your feedback to improve it. Please feel free to comment here or by completing the Altova Training Survey at the end of the course.
If you missed Microsoft Tech Ed in Los Angeles last week, check out our latest YouTube video for a quick trip to catch up on some of the sights and sounds of the Partner Exhibition. Our team on the scene reported a strong positive response to the XBRL and HL7 functionality in Version 2009 of the Altova MissionKit and many shout-outs from the floor for individual Altova tools — XMLSpy, MapForce, StyleVision, and UModel are all popular in the developer community. IT professionals commonly use DatabaseSpy and DiffDog to efficiently complete everyday database and differencing tasks.
You can also see a video clip reporting on Altova at Tech Ed at the TechTarget site. Check out the Altova Events page to follow our upcoming show schedule and see where you can meet us live!
v2009 brought a lot of exciting new features to StyleVision, Altova’s graphical stylesheet design tool. Some, like an all-new design for tables and XPath filtering, are welcome byproducts of our support for XBRL and XBRL Dimensions, but still have far reaching uses for working with XML and databases. Let’s take a quick look at StyleVision’s new table design to illustrate what I’m talking about. 
If you’re already a seasoned StyleVision user, it’s probably already obvious to you that we’ve changed things up a bit. You can now very easily select entire columns or rows for editing. Rearrange, delete, add styles, and even resize using the drag and drop UI or common Windows shortcuts on your keyboard. Of course, any of the designs that you’ve created in a previous version of StyleVision will inherit this functionality as well. For any of you not familiar with StyleVision, it is an award-winning stylesheet design tool and report builder with support for XML, database, and XBRL source content. Using the drag and drop GUI and style entry helpers, you create reusable design templates for output to HTML, RTF, PDF, Word 2007 (OOXML), and Authentic e-Forms. If you chose to take advantage of the cost savings in the Altova MissionKit, you will find that you already have StyleVision on your hard drive and just need to open it up for a test drive. Visit the new features index to view all of the functionality that has been added to StyleVision since your last upgrade or download a free trial of StyleVision 2009 today!
In Part 1 of this series we imported source code into Altova UModel to create a UML project and we examined a class diagram of our legacy ATM application. In Part 2 we created a series of UML use case diagrams to describe user interactions with the system and we planned an application enhancement to implement a withdrawal fee. In Part 3 we designed a UML state machine diagram to further analyze and document the operation of our system. In this installment we will return to our planned enhancement. We’ve been assigned to implement an ATM withdrawal fee of $2 for withdrawals less than $100 and $4 for withdrawals of $100 or more. In Part 2 we drew a use case diagram to show how users will interact with the new feature: 
From our original analysis of the object-oriented classes in Part 1, we know our system contains a Withdrawal class, which is the logical place to implement our new feature. We can display a new class diagram for the Withdrawal class by selecting it in the Model Tree and choosing from the right-click context menu to create a new diagram. 
We chose to create a hierarchy diagram so all the properties of the Withdrawal class are visible, including inherited properties from the Transaction class. Before implementing the fee feature, we have a related leftover question to investigate. We wanted to verify that the current code includes a test to make sure a withdrawal amount requested by the user does not exceed the current account balance. A UML sequence diagram will let us trace the execution flow of a withdrawal. UModel can automatically generate sequence diagrams from the operations of reverse-engineered classes. We can select the execute operation in our class diagram and choose Generate Sequence Diagram from the UModel right-click context menu to create the diagram we need. 
The UModel Sequence Diagram Generation dialog offers several options that will assist with our implementation of the new feature. We selected Automatically update because we will want to update the diagram later after we modify the code, and showing the code in a separate layer can help us focus on the withdrawal logic. 
The size of the scroll handles indicates we are only seeing a small portion of the sequence diagram in the current window. We can shrink the view to fit the window, but the text will probably be illegible. Instead, let’s take advantage the flexible UModel user interface to auto-hide the Diagram tree and Properties windows, which allows us to enlarge the Overview helper window: 
We can explore the sequence diagram by dragging the red square in the Overview window. This lets us quickly locate the comparison of the withdrawal amount and account balance. 
We can also see the error messages that display if the ATM does not contain enough cash or if the account balance is too low. 
Returning to the Withdrawal class diagram, we can add the fee property and set its default value: 
We’ll make a first pass through implementation of the fee logic without including the user cancel option. Updating the source code from our model adds the fee property to the Withdrawal class. Then we’ll jump into our favorite source code editor to implement the fee logic directly in the Withdrawal.java file. Testing our recompiled application shows the following: 
The starting balance was $147. After withdrawing $100, the new balance is $43. The fee is displayed in a new message, and the ending balance is correct. But now the sequence diagram in our UML model is inaccurate because it doesn’t include the fee feature. We can correct the sequence diagram by updating the UML project from the revised source code. The UModel Messages window indicates that changes in the Withdrawal.java file caused the sequence diagram to be regenerated. And, we can easily navigate the diagram to locate our new test of the withdrawal amount to see if the fee needs to be increased to $4. 
Now that our modified sequence diagram graphically represents updated operation of the ATM, we can be assured the harried driver we met in Part 3 of this series has enough cash to buy that ice cream cone! In our next installment we’ll take advantage of another UModel feature to generate rich project documentation for our work so far – one more advantage of keeping our UML model and application source code synchronized. If you’re ready to try Altova UModel on your own Java, C#, or Visual Basic legacy application, click here to download a free fully functional 30-day trial.
In Part 1 of this series we applied the reverse engineering functionality of Altova UModel to import source code from an existing ATM simulation application. We created a UML class diagram to illustrate the application’s class hierarchy and class relationships. In Part 2 we drew a UML use case diagram to document user interactions with the system and we drew several additional use case diagrams to document interaction details and a planned enhancement. In this installment we’ll look at the ATM from another point of view. On a hot summer afternoon, a harried driver spots an ice cream stand with a drive through lane up ahead. Just one problem – no cash! So he turns in at the strip mall parking lot and parks by an ATM in a glass kiosk. Before he even gets out of the car, our overheated bank customer wonders about the state of the ATM. Is another customer with complicated banking business already using it? Even if no one is inside kiosk, could the ATM be out of service? A UML state machine diagram (also called a state diagram) will let us map the states of our simulated ATM and the triggers, events, and transitions between states so we can better understand how our legacy application operates. Let’s return again to our experience running the simulation to get started: 
When we launched the legacy application, our simulated ATM entered its idle state, awaiting the first customer: 
Next, it can be helpful to identify and draw additional states in disconnected ovals. We’ll be able to move these ovals around like pieces of a puzzle to find the logical sequence without worrying about the transitions from one state to the next. 
This preliminary list of the ATM states is only our first rough draft. The state descriptions were suggested by our legacy application’s menu entries, and it’s obvious we can simplify: · There is no difference between Selecting First Transaction and Selecting Next Transaction, so these should be combined · Logging Out is probably not a state, but an instantaneous transition when our user presses 4 at the Transaction menu · We can assign user entry of a withdrawal amount or a deposit amount as sub-states within the Performing Transaction state The third item simplifies our diagram and would also be consistent with our treatment of user entry of the account number and PIN as part of Authenticating User. After we make these changes and add transitions, our diagram looks like this: 
The simple transitions we’ve added are triggers that cause the ATM to leave one state and enter the next. Also, notice every state has at least one entry and one exit – otherwise the legacy application could force our user into a dead end. The diamond element between Selecting Transaction and Performing Transaction is the UML symbol for a choice of flows. At first it may seem illogical for the application to allow the user to sign out before performing any transaction, but that is an option our legacy application offers in the Transaction menu. And users in the real world have been known to change their minds at the last minute! We were careful to use consistent language wherever possible for our element names and descriptions. The states are named with verbs in the present tense that end in -ing. Transitions are labeled to indicate completion of the action that causes the state to change. Consistent element naming enhances diagram clarity. Once we have a working overview state diagram like the one above, it’s worthwhile to consider what happens if a transition is attempted, but not completed successfully. The ATM user might enter an invalid account number/PIN combination, or an authenticated user could request a withdrawal amount that exceeds the account balance. We can enhance our state diagram to include these possibilities: 
Now our state machine diagram shows many alternate paths through the application execution, not just the single, all-successful “Happy Path.” We chose a vertical orientation for the layout of our diagram, but there is no rule dictating that form. Some applications will lend themselves to a horizontal layout, or maybe that is simply your personal preference. This illustration shows a small portion of our state machine diagram in horizontal form: 
Whichever state machine diagram layout you choose, you should not draw transition lines that intersect or overlap. Drawing a UML state machine diagram may seem like overkill for our ATM simulation, since the legacy application is small, and we are all familiar with the way ATMs work. However, these techniques can be very illuminating when you have to work on a much larger application operating in an unfamiliar or complex subject domain. If you are ready to create UML state machine diagrams for your own Java, C#, or Visual Basic legacy application, click here to download a free fully functional 30-day trial of Altova UModel. In our next installment we’ll look in detail at the withdrawal transaction and the new feature we planned in Part 2.
In Part 1 of the Analyzing a Legacy Application series we introduced our ATM simulation app, imported the Java source code into a UModel project, and refined a class diagram to see an overview of the application classes and their relationships. In this entry we will create use case diagrams to document the current functionality of our ATM app and we’ll add to one use case diagram to plan a future enhancement. As we saw in Part 1, when a user runs our ATM simulation, he is asked to log in with an account number and PIN, then is presented with a transaction menu that summarizes all available interactions with the application: 
With the Transaction menu as a guide, we can create an overview use case diagram that documents user interactions with the ATM simulation: 
If you are familiar with UML notation, the first thing you may have noticed is the actor in our diagram doesn’t look like the typical UML stick figure. UModel lets software modelers assign any Windows .bmp image file to represent an actor in a use case diagram. We used the Properties helper window to assign an image from the library provided with UModel. 
A use case diagram is not the appropriate place to define application flow or object-oriented classes, but simply to document how a user (an actor in UML terminology) interacts with the system. We can create additional use case diagrams to show more detail about each interaction. Expanding each interaction in a separate diagram improves clarity by keeping each layout simple and uncluttered and leaves plenty of space to try out different options. 
We added authentication of the account number and PIN in a note instead of a use case oval because the ATM user is not the actor who performs that step. From real-life ATM experience we can guess (because we haven’t looked at the code yet) that a withdrawal will be cancelled if the amount requested is larger than the account balance. But comparing the withdrawal amount and account balance is not done by the user, so that activity is also not drawn in a use case oval. 
The arrow inside the Withdraw Cash use case indicates a hyperlink. UModel lets you can attach one or more hyperlinks to any element in your diagrams. A hyperlink can reference a URL, an external file, or another diagram. The hyperlink dialog even lets you define helper text for your hyperlinks. 
If you define more than one hyperlink, your helper text becomes a pop-up selection menu. Let’s say we’ve been assigned to modify the existing ATM Simulation to charge a fee for each withdrawal. If the withdrawal amount is less than $100, the fee will be $2. If the withdrawal amount is $100 or higher, the fee will be $4. Since the ATM is not stocked with one dollar bills, the fee must be charged against the account, not deducted from the cash withdrawal. The fee will be disclosed before any cash is dispensed and the user will be allowed to cancel the transaction. We can add the new requirement to our ATMWithdrawal use case diagram. 
We changed the color of the Approve fee use case oval to indicate this is a planned feature that is not yet implemented. Some developers would argue that the note attached to the Approve fee oval is redundant, since the include notation alone signifies that Approve fee is a required component of Withdraw Cash. But lots of people are confused about the difference between include and extend and it’s best to be absolutely clear. We can also take advantage of the UModel Layers feature to place all elements related to the new feature on a separate layer. 
Now the Layers helper window allows us to show or hide the planned feature in our diagram view. 
Real world ATM experience tells us a transaction is missing from the legacy ATM simulation. The transaction menu does not offer an option to transfer funds between accounts. From the diagrams we’ve already created, we can see the original application design will make a transfer operation difficult to implement. The user sign in is based on the account number, and it appears that the legacy application does not understand the concept of a single bank customer who has both a checking account and a savings account. If our manager requests the transfer funds feature, we’ll need to have a conversation with our company’s enterprise software architect. A user ID linked to multiple accounts will need to be implemented not only in our ATM Simulation app, but also in the bank database. The Jolt award-winning Altova MissionKit for Enterprise Architects is a collection of eight XML, database, and UML tools for the enterprise software architect who may require UML modeling and database management tools in addition to advanced XML, Web services, and data integration capabilities. Click here to download a fully-functional 30-day trial. In the next installment we’ll look at the legacy ATM simulation from a completely different perspective as we prepare to dive into the code. See ya later!
We’ve just launched the third video in the DatabaseSpy series. Exploring Databases is a tour of the DatabaseSpy Online Browser, a powerful tool for viewing, searching, and analyzing one or more connected databases. 
Exploring Databases builds on the preceding video, Database Connections, which demonstrated how easy it is to use DatabaseSpy to connect to one or more databases. You can even simultaneously connect to databases of different types. And DatabaseSpy supports the most popular databases in production today, including Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, Oracle, Sybase, MySQL, and more. Once you’re connected, the DatabaseSpy Online Browser shows you an expandable hierarchy of the database structure. It’s a great place to start exploring an unfamiliar database or quickly navigate to any specific element you need to work with in a familiar one. The Altova Flash videos are proving to be a popular feature on our Web site, with close to 350,000 views in all. If you haven’t seen an Altova product video yet, you’re missing a great opportunity to get a flavor for components of the award-winning Altova MissionKit by seeing them in action. If you’re already a fan, check back again soon — we’re in the studio working on more videos right now.
Today we released Service Pack 1 of Altova Version 2009 product line (v2009 SP1), which includes helpful bug fixes and other enhancements, as well as a new feature in the MapForce data mapping tool (detailed below). v2009 SP1 is a free update for all v2009 customers, as well as any customer with a valid Support and Maintenance Package. Note that v2009 SP1 is a new product version, and not a patch – you can simply visit the Altova Download Page to download and install the latest version of your product(s) to update.
Added based on feedback from Altova partners, this new feature in MapForce 2009 SP1 provides support for non-inlined user-defined functions in data mapping projects. Now users can create recursive function calls, enabling them to map data dynamically by expressing operations in terms of themselves. In hierarchical data structures like XML, for instance, it is possible for an element to contain itself or be referenced, in some way or another, by a descendant. Creating a recursive user-defined function allows you to process this data, looping through the elements incrementally and returning data that has been evaluated dynamically. Update to get this new functionality and all the v2009 SP1 enhancements across the Altova product line. If you’re not already a v2009 customer, you can download a free, fully functional trial using the same link.
The hardships affecting today’s economy present new challenges for organizations. Interdepartmental budgets are being cut, and large purchases are being carefully scrutinized. Costly enterprise software and mainframe computing systems that once held promise are being reconsidered on a global scale in favor of more agile, component-based systems that cut costs and increase efficiency with forward-thinking concepts like Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) and cloud computing. These architectural concepts incorporate modern technologies and object-oriented approaches to solve real-world technology issues in complex environments while decreasing maintenance, integration, and deployment costs with modular design and component re-use. The Altova MissionKit is a highly affordable toolset uniquely suited to address this shift toward more flexible and lightweight infrastructure. With strong support for XML, UML, databases, and data integration technologies, the MissionKit offers all of the tools necessary to build agile architectures replete with repeatable services, reusable components, and scalable resources.
SOA and Web/cloud services are two of the strongest buzzwords in technology today. Though they have some clear differences, both of these concepts represent a paradigm shift from large-scale enterprise systems to service-based architectures built on modular components and reusable functionality. The SOA approach aims to help organizations respond more quickly to business requirements by packaging processes as a network of interoperable and repeatable services. This modularity creates system flexibility and gives developers the agility required to build new capabilities into the current system as needed – without reinventing the proverbial wheel. SOA is essentially a series of interconnected and self-contained services, the functionality of which is dynamically located and invoked based on certain criteria, communicated in messages. At the heart of SOA is a high level of component reuse that drives down costs and increases efficiency in a fully scalable architecture. Cloud services build upon the concept of interoperable services, adding a virtualization component to help relieve internal servers from being overtaxed by the constant reuse of these services within the system. This paradigm uses the Internet and Internet-enabled technologies to increase performance and processing speed by storing information permanently in the "cloud" and caching it only temporarily on client machines. Cloud computing implementation is a powerful option for increasing system capacity and capabilities by leveraging next-generation data centers in combination with the World Wide Web. Both SOA and cloud computing seek to alleviate problems created by inflexible architectures that rely heavily on tightly coupled enterprise application infrastructure. This focus on interoperability and independent software services reveals a distributed solution that is event-driven, flexible, and cost conscious in almost any setting.
Since their inception, XML and Web services have been continuously gaining notoriety as the standards of choice for secure, efficient, and platform-independent data exchange between software applications and over the Internet. XML provides the foundation for the protocols that power Web services infrastructure: WSDL (Web Services Description Language) and SOAP, an XML-based messaging standard. Web services are hardware, programming language, and operating system independent, meaning that they are duly amenable to the seamless and interoperable exchange of data over a network and uniquely suited to component-based systems. Web services architecture 
Both SOA and cloud-based architectures generally rely on WSDL to describe interaction and functionality and locate operating components within the system. WSDL works hand-in-hand with SOAP, a messaging protocol used by the client application to invoke the methods and functions defined in the WSDL description. The example below is the stock quote example used in the W3C WSDL specification and describes a simple, single operation service that retrieves real-time stock prices based on ticker symbol input. Of course, most services that exist within enterprise architectures are far more complex. 
Take, for example, the publicly available Amazon Web services, which provide accessible Cloud services and infrastructure to a growing number of companies worldwide, including Twitter, SmugMug, and WordPress.com. These services essentially allow independent organizations to rent some of the immense power built into the Amazon distributed computing environment and add the same scalability, reliability, and scalability to their online presence at a fraction of the price. The much anticipated Windows Azure from Microsoft® operates on a similar model, giving developers the opportunity to build and deploy cloud-based applications with minimal on-site resources. Amazon provides a WSDL file that contains the definition of the Web service, the requests that the service accepts, and so on. Developers can then write a SOAP-based client application that invokes the Amazon Web service for the functionality it provides. (At this time Amazon provides a number of Cloud-based services for application hosting, backup and storage, content delivery, e-commerce, search, and high-performance computing.)
Recently named "Best Development Environment" in the Jolt Product Excellence Awards, the Altova MissionKit is a diverse set of software tools that provides scalable options for leveraging your current software assets in an SOA or cloud-enabled environment. Strong support for XML, Web services, data integration, process automation, and databases, as well as accessibility to powerful APIs give developers flexible options for creating service-based solutions and an affordable alternative to costly consultant fees, extract/transform/load (ETL) tools, and/or enterprise service bus (ESB) products. The Altova MissionKit* supports end-to-end Web services development and includes a graphical WSDL editor, visual Web services builder, advanced capabilities for managing WSDL and other XML file relationships, a SOAP client and debugger, WSDL data integration, code generation, and more. Together, all of these features provide a robust solution for integrating disparate services and systems in a distributed computing environment, whether the components be in-house, network, or Cloud-based.
The XMLSpy XML editor provides a graphical interface (GUI) for designing and editing WSDL documents. The structure and components of the WSDL are created in the main design window using graphical design mechanisms (with tabs allowing users to toggle back and forth between text view), and additional editing capabilities are enabled from comprehensive entry helper windows. Users can easily create and edit messages, types, operations, portTypes, bindings, etc., inline. In addition, publicly maintained WSDL files like the Amazon Simple Storage Service, or Amazon S3, (below) can be opened instantly using the Open URL command in XMLSpy. 
XMLSpy’s WSDL editor gives developers a sophisticated environment for rapid Web services development, managing WSDL syntax and validation through an intuitive, drag and drop graphical interface. The addition of a documentation generation feature makes it possible to share the complete details of a Web service interface with non-technical stakeholders in HTML or Microsoft Word.
SOAP requests can be manually created in XMLSpy’s SOAP client based on the operations defined in the WSDL. Once an operation is selected, XMLSpy initiates the request based on the connections provided in the WSDL and displays the XML syntax of the SOAP envelope in the main window. The message can then be sent directly to the server for an immediate response. 
XMLSpy also includes a SOAP debugger, which acts as Web services proxy between client and server, enabling developers to analyze WSDL files and their SOAP message components, single-step through transactions, set breakpoints on SOAP functions, and even define conditional breakpoints that are triggered by a stated XPath query. 
Once a WSDL definition is complete, it can also be visually implemented using MapForce, Altova’s any-to-any data integration tool. MapForce gives users the ability to map data to or from WSDL operations and then autogenerate program code in Java or C#. Tight integration with Visual Studio and Eclipse makes it possible to then compile the code within either of these IDEs and deploy the service on the client machine. When you create a new Web service project by specifying a Web services definition file (WSDL), MapForce automatically generates mapping files for each individual SOAP operation. 
The SOAP input and output messages can then be easily mapped to other source data components (XML, databases, flat files, EDI, XBRL, Excel 2007) to create a complete Web services operation. Data processing functions, filters, and constants can also be inserted to convert the data on the fly. 
MapForce can autogenerate Web services implementation code in Java or C# for server-side implementation, and it is also accessible for automation via the command line.
For complex Web-based applications that include a large number of disparate files and project stakeholders, the MissionKit offers an advanced graphical XML file relationship management tool in SchemaAgent. SchemaAgent can analyze and manage relationships among XML Schemas, XML instance documents (SOAP), WSDL, and XSLT files. The client/server option enables any changes to be visualized in real time across a workgroup. 
This gives organizations the ability to track and manage their mission critical SOA files as reusable individual components, reducing development time and the occurrence of errors.
A key factor of any SOA is the ability for disparate systems to communicate seamlessly via automated processes. As an any-to-any graphical data integration and Web services implementation tool, MapForce facilitates this undertaking with support for a wide variety of data formats including XML, databases, flat files (which can be easily parsed for integration with legacy systems with the help of the unique FlexText™ utility), EDI, XBRL, Excel 2007, and Web services. 
MapForce supports complex data mapping scenarios with multiple sources and targets and advanced data processing functions. Transformations can easily be automated via code generation in C#, C++, or Java, or the command line. Full integration with Visual Studio and Eclipse also makes this an ideal development tool for working in large-scale enterprise projects – without the heavy price tag. This gives developers a flexible and agile middleware component that can work in virtually any service-based architecture. The ability to integrate disparate data in on-the-fly is a key requirement in real-world enterprise and cross-enterprise systems where legacy systems and other less flexible formats co-exist with XML and other modern, interoperable standards.
Even in the rapidly evolving semantics-driven macrocosm that is Web 2.0, most companies still use one or more relational databases to store and manage their internal data assets. The Altova MissionKit supports working with the most prevalent of these systems (see listing below) in a wide variety of different ways. Database support is offered in XMLSpy, MapForce, StyleVision, and, of course, DatabaseSpy.
DatabaseSpy is a multi-database query, editing, design, and comparison tool that allows users to connect directly to all major databases and edit data and design structure in a graphical user interface with features like table browsing, data editing, SQL auto-completion entry helpers, visual table design, content diff/merging, and multiple export formats. In a service-based architecture, the ability to compare and merge data directly in its native database format is an enormous asset to developers who need to locate changes, migrate differences, or synchronize versions of database tables across test and live environments. 
As a component of the MissionKit, DatabaseSpy gives disparate groups within organizations the flexibility to work with data from multiple databases in one central interface simultaneously. Whether this data is eventually integrated into other systems or applications or lives permanently in the database, DatabaseSpy provides a simple and flexible solution to managing and maintaining massive data stores.
In today’s world of highly automated data transfer and management, it is still necessary for human readers to ultimately consume the data in some format or other. Of course, the problem that organizations often run into is what format to publish to. XML and single source publishing have revolutionized content management, document exchange, and even multilingual communications by separating content structure from appearance. An XML-based documentation system can greatly reduce costs through facilitating ease of conversion for delivery to many different data formats and types of applications. The single source concept ensures that workflow processes (i.e., conversion, edits, etc.) do not have to be repeated or reworked – that all content in the repository requires only minimal restructuring and promotion before being loaded to respective applications for delivery. Altova StyleVision is a graphical stylesheet design tool that enables users to easily apply single source publishing to XML, XBRL, and database content, without having any affect on the source data. In this way, companies can create reusable template designs for data that can then be rendered automatically in HTML, RTF, PDF, Microsoft Word 2007, and even an Authentic e-Form for immediate publication to any conceivable medium without any process disruption – resulting in the presentation of accurate, consistent, and standardized information in real-time. 
Single source publishing gives organizations the ability to add a human component to their highly automated data processing workflows, enabling them to view transmission reports at any stage. For example, in a world where compliance management plays such a large role in day to day enterprise operations, StyleVision can be integrated into any SOA to provide a sort of visual audit trail for manually reviewing XML, XBRL, and database transactions. StyleVision’s template-based approach to stylesheet design makes it an ideal addition to a distributed development environment, where repeatable processes are an integral part of the system’s overall efficiency.
Financial downturns can make investing in technology a difficult decision. However, forward-thinking organizations will find that focusing on restructuring the legacy assets they already have in place, automating internal processes, and adding virtualization layer to their application infrastructure can lead to increases in efficiency, speed, and potentially enormous ROI. The Altova MissionKit gives businesses all of the tools that they need to augment their enterprise architecture with iterative, process-driven solutions that will recover costs through the reuse of current assets and the ability to deliver Web-driven automation within and across organizations on a global scale. The MissionKit is a highly affordable solution that offers developers, software architects, and IT users all of the tools they need to build flexible and powerful technology solutions and efficiencies that advance component-based service-oriented infrastructure – without breaking the budget.