ProductsXMLSpyGlobal Resources

Support for Global Resources in XMLSpy allows you to define and switch between target deployment environments on-the-fly. It also allows you to take advantage of deep integration with other Altova tools.

Global Resources are a powerful productivity enhancer for XMLSpy users as well as developers using multiple Altova tools, such as those bundled in the MissionKit®. Using the Global Resources dialog, you can define target deployment materials on-the-fly within your XMLSpy projects, specifying any variety of files, folders, and databases to utilize. By creating a collection of aliases for different configurations of resources, you can quickly specify a sophisticated workflow for your projects, complete with test, development, and deployment assets.

A Global Resource can not only be used to switch resources within an Altova application, but also to generate and use resources from other Altova applications. Since Global Resources are supported in MapForce®, StyleVision®, and DatabaseSpy®, you can share projects and output created by each tool seamlessly with the others, according to your project's requirements.

General uses

• Workflows can be defined that use various Altova applications to process data.
• An application can invoke a target application, initiate data processing there, and route the data back to the originating application.
• Defining input and output data, file locations, and databases as Global Resources.
• Switching between Global Resources during runtime - for example, to switch between development or deployment assets.
• "What if" scenarios for QA purposes.

Just one of many possible scenarios enabled by this functionality is working with the output of a MapForce mapping. Rather than having to save MapForce output and then open it in another tool, you can simply add your MapForce mapping project as a Global Resource and access the output – as it is produced on-the-fly by the MapForce engine – in XMLSpy and/or StyleVision, where you can work with it further as necessary.

A specific example is shown in the screenshot below. A StyleVision design based on an XML Schema has been included in this XMLSpy project. Now, whenever a change is made to the source XML data in the XMLSpy XML editor, you can harness the power of StyleVision to automatically generate the resulting HTML, RTF, PDF, and Word 2007 output - directly within XMLSpy.

Defining Global Resources

You can use the Global Resources dialog to define a target deployment environment on-the-fly within your XMLSpy projects, specifying ancillary files, directories, data sources, databases, etc. During the development and testing phases of a given project, developers generally design their applications using different resources than they do during deployment (e.g., a development server for testing and running Web sites) – now, rather than redefining the locations of these resources, they can be added as Global Resources at the beginning of the project so that there is a smoother, faster transition to the deployment phase.

The Global Resources configuration dialog is shown below.

It's easy to create a new configuration by specifying included files, folders, and databases, or you can copy an existing configuration and just change a few details. You can even select the result of a MapForce data mapping conversion or StyleVision publishing transformation as a Global Resource.

The ability to use databases as global resources is particulary useful, since all the connection settings, including user name and password, are saved in the Global Resources file, easing connection to the database from a multiple MissionKit applications.

Switching between different configurations only requires a few quick mouse clicks. Changing the configuration instantly changes the resources that are being used.

Take advantage of the Global Resources support across Altova's powerful XML, data integration, and database tools. Download a free trial of the Altova® MissionKit® 2009 today!