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Learn about all the additional capabilities you'll get by upgrading from an older version to MapForce® 2012!

Click on the version you're using now, then scroll up to see the major new features added in each later release. When you upgrade, you’ll gain immediate access to all this added functionality.

MapForce is available in Enterprise Edition, Professional Edition, and Basic Edition. For a comprehensive list of MapForce features, visit the MapForce Edition Comparison.

Click your current MapForce version in this list, then scroll back up to see what was added in later releases:

• MapForce® 2012 (October 19, 2011)
• MapForce® 2011 release 3 (June 8, 2011)
• MapForce® 2011 release 2 (February 16, 2011)
• MapForce® 2011 (September 8, 2010)
• MapForce® 2010 release 3 (May 5, 2010)
• MapForce® 2010 release 2 (February 16, 2010)
• MapForce® 2010 (October 28, 2009)
• MapForce® 2009 (February 3, 2009)
• MapForce® 2008 release 2 (April 29, 2008)
• MapForce® 2008 (September 12, 2007)
• MapForce® 2007 release 3 (May 30, 2007)
• MapForce® 2007 (October 24, 2006)
• MapForce® 2006 release 3 (June 1, 2006)
• MapForce® 2006 (October 3, 2005)
• MapForce® 2005 release 3 (March 9, 2005)
• MapForce® 2005 (October 3, 2004)
• MapForce® 2004 release 4 (May 17, 2004)
• MapForce® 2004 release 3 (October 21, 2003)

MapForce® 2012 (October 19, 2011)

• Streaming reading for large XML, CSV, and FLF files and databases   – Allows mappings to process arbitrarily large XML, CSV, and FLF input files by using a streaming processor approach
• New functions parse-date and parse-time   – Easier than the existing parse-dateTime function when data in an input stream defines only the date or time, not both
• Visual alignment guides on mapping screen    – Allows users to create more clearly organized mapping displays
• JDBC database driver support   – Improves database connectivity for many users
• New Java API   – Allows Java developers to more easily manipulate, customize, and enhance MapForce functionality
• Search in Project Window   – Helps users manage organization of large projects

See the What’s New page for a more detailed description of the new features of MapForce® 2012 and the latest releases of Altova’s other award-winning development tools!

MapForce® 2011 release 3 (June 8, 2011)

• Define multiple ranges in a single Excel worksheet  – Significantly increases flexibility of mapping designs
• Native Support for HIPAA 5010  – Support for a new EDI collection dedicated to HIPAA 5010, the latest version of the standard for electronic health care records established by the US Department of Health and Human Services for electronic medical data transactions between insurers, providers, and employers
• Auto-generation of message 999 for X12 version 5010  – Starting with version 5010, the X12 standard requires message 999 instead of 997 for error reporting
• Command line extensions   – HTML/Word/PDF files can be generated in post-processing by StyleVision, similar to the interactive mode
• Support for .NET 4 in built-in execution   – Users may now add external .NET 4 functions for immediate processing by MapForce
• Save individual values or entire sub-trees in intermediate variables    – An optional feature to simplify and speed up mapping definitions
• Support for XML signatures on output  – Optionally apply an XML digital signature to XML and XBRL output documents

Windows IT Pro Editors' Choice Award Best Interoperability Product – Gold award "With data accumulating at increasing rates, from different sources and in different formats, having the ability to pull it all together into one useful report is a must," said B. K. Winstead, senior associate editor for Windows IT Pro. "That's why Altova MapForce is the winner of Editors' Best in the Interoperability category this year.” Click here for a complete list of award winners.

MapForce® 2011 release 2 (February 16, 2011)

• Direct file output (data streaming)   – gives ETL projects a huge performance boost with the ability to stream XML, CSV, and FLF file output
• Expandable if-else component (switch statement)     – enables users to easily control the flow of data in their mapping projects by matching a value to a selected criterion
• Ability to process different EDI message types in a single mapping   – allows users to define multiple EDI mappings in a single design so that MapForce can automatically determine a suitable mapping based on the incoming message that has been received
• Support for the IATA PADIS EDI format  
• Reverse existing mapping     – lets users automatically reverse the direction of mappings that they have already created
• Ability to execute SQL statements prior to database output    – enables users to execute SQL statements before the result of their database mappings is written to database tables
• New parsing functions    – parse-number and parse-dateTime
• New function to retrieve node name     – returns the QName of the selected node
• Ability to search Function Library    
• Documentation formatting with StyleVision    – lets users customize detailed reports for mapping verification and analysis

MapForce® 2011 (September 8, 2010)

• Chained transformations   – enables users to create complex mappings in which the output of one mapping becomes the input of another
• Integration with StyleVision for output components    – lets MapForce users automatically render results of their XML and XBRL mappings in HTML, PDF, RTF, or Word 2007+ (depending on StyleVision edition) using an associated StyleVision template design
• Formatting of numbers, dates, and times    – enables MapForce users to easily convert numbers, dates, and times to their string representations using a variety of different formatting functions.
• Two new parameters in auto-number function    – lets MapForce users access the same auto-number counter in different parts of their mappings and restart counting every time the supplied value changes.
• Functions for working with timezones  
• Extended support for EDIFACT  – support has been extended to include 08B, 09A, and 09B messages
• Extended support for X12  – support has been extended to include the 6010 and 6020 transaction sets

Scroll up to see the major features added in more recent releases.

MapForce® 2010 release 3 (May 5, 2010)

• MSXML6 support in C++  
• 64-bit code generation in C++  
• Support for xsi:nil in XML Schema   
• Support for mapping field names (headers) in Excel 2007+ 
• Ability to preserve value formatting in XML output    – allows users to ensure that formatting is maintained from source to target
• Support for SAP IDoc 
• Support for Visual Studio 2010  

Scroll up to see the major features added in more recent releases.

MapForce® 2010 release 2 (February 16, 2010)

• 64-bit version   – for use with 64-bit operating systems
• New string functions: tokenize, tokenize-regexp, tokenize-by-length   
• Automatic reassignment of child connections    – enables users to automatically reassign descendent element mappings when a parent element is mapped to a new connection
• Automatic generation of X12 997 messages  – lets users automatically create mappings to X12 functional acknowledgement messages
• Support for external C# and Java calls   – allows users to use external C# and Java functions in mapping transformations inside MapForce.
• Simplified process for adding C# and Java libraries  

Scroll up to see the major features added in more recent releases.

MapForce® 2010 (October 28, 2009)

• Processing data from/into multiple files    – enables users to easily consolidate file collections by aggregating data from a directory into one file or split data from one source into multiple files
• Using input/output file names as parameters    – lets users generate dynamic mappings in which this information is defined at run-time
• Support for xsi:type in XML Schema    – allows users to incorporate schemas that use abstract and derived types in their mapping projects
• EDI file validation in generated code  – lets users validate the EDI output in MapForce-generated code
• Support for additional EDIFACT messages  – provides integrated access to configuration files for the control messages: CONTRL, AUTACK, and KEYMAN
• Support for WSDL 2.0  – lets users use the WSDL 2.0 recommendation from the W3C for building and connecting to Web services
• Compatibility with Windows 7   

Scroll up to see the major features added in more recent releases.

MapForce® 2009 (February 3, 2009)

• Support for XBRL taxonomies & XBRL Dimensions  – enables users to comply with financial and business reporting mandates by graphically mapping internal data to the XBRL format
• Support for HL7 v2 EDI  – allows healthcare organizations to comply with international mandates for the secure transmission of clinical data
• Support for HL7 v3 XML    – allows HL7 users to update their messages and transmission data to the latest version of the standard
• Support for grouping    – enables users to combine source data in groups for output and then apply processing instructions to those groups, essentially transforming flat data into a hierarchical structure
• Distinct-values function    – allows users to automatically remove duplicate values from the result-set of a mapping
• Position function    – gives users the ability to return output based on the context position of data in the input document
• Documentation generation   – enables designers and data integration specialists to share and confirm the accuracy of their mappings with other departments and/or customers
• Find dialog for identifying nodes    – allows users to search for specific nodes within mapping components
• Native support for XML fields in SQL Server   – lets users expose XML data in SQL Server database fields for mapping by assigning an XML Schema to the data in that field
• Support for additional databases   – SQL Server 2008, Oracle 11g, and PostgreSQL 8

Scroll up to see the major features added in more recent releases.

MapForce® 2008 release 2 (April 29, 2008)

• Mapping Excel 2007+ (OOXML) data
• Support for data streams for code generation  
• Sample XML Schema generation based on an XML instance   
• Support for SOAP 1.2
• Support for SQL SELECT statements  
• Inline Primary Key / Foreign Key creation  
• Project generation for Visual Studio 2008  

Scroll up to see the major features added in more recent releases.

MapForce® 2008 (September 12, 2007)

• Support for aggregate functions: SUM, MIN, MAX, AVG, STRING-JOIN     – allows users to perform computations on a range of data within a source field and return a single value to the target
• ValueMap function for transforming field values    – allows users to build a MapForce data processing function that maps one field value to another to ensure that values are written to the mapping target in the desired style
• Enhanced options for XML output    – including options for pretty printing, omitting schema references, and changing and setting encoding options

Scroll up to see the major features added in more recent releases.

MapForce® 2007 release 3 (May 30, 2007)

• Seamless integration of XML fields in databases in mapping components   – users can map XML data directly to and from XML-enabled databases by assigning an XML Schema to the data (for IBM DB2 9 only in this version)
• Enhanced database connectivity   – via a quick connect wizard to easily access, preview, and integrate database data
• Extended data filtering functionality    – MapForce now supports the SQL-WHERE filter, which allows for precise, high-performance filtering of database sources used in data mapping projects
• Redesigned and optimized code generation  

Scroll up to see the major features added in more recent releases.

MapForce® 2007 (October 24, 2006)

• Enhanced Web services support  – Web services can be a source, target, or data processing function in any mapping project
• Improved editing of existing mappings    – added visual cues and support for refactoring mappings when source or target data structures change
• Tighter Visual Studio integration   – for integrating the MapForce user interface and functionality into Microsoft’s premier multi-purpose development environment

Scroll up to see the major features added in more recent releases.

MapForce® 2006 release 3 (June 1, 2006)

• Added integration with Microsoft Visual Studio and Eclipse – allows developers to directly harness all the data mapping, content conversion, Web services implementation, and code generation capabilities of MapForce from within their favorite platforms
• Enhanced EDI Transaction Set Editing – allowed users to easily modify and extend existing standard EDI transaction sets (i.e. EDIFACT and ANSI X12 messages) to meet business requirements
• More Versatile Visual Function Builder – enabled visual creation of data processing functions that can operate on entire XML tree fragments, allowing for better modularization and scalability of mapping projects
• Options for Handling Empty Flat File Values – provided ability for developers to choose whether empty fields in flat files are rendered as empty elements or not rendered at all in the data results of the mapping target

2006 Summit Creative Awards Altova's MapForce product demo was recognized for creative excellence in the 2006 Summit Creative Awards® competition. Altova received a silver award for its creative work in the Flash category. The Summit Creative Awards recognizes and celebrates the creative accomplishments of small and medium sized creative groups and agencies. Click here for the full story.

MapForce has received many awards, reviews, and compliments since its inception.

Scroll up to see the major features added in more recent releases.

MapForce® 2006 (October 3, 2005)

• Introduced Visual Web Services Construction – developers can simply map between operations in Web Services Description Language (WSDL) transactions by dragging connecting lines between data sources and WSDL operations
• Supported Web Services Implementation – auto-generate required C# or Java code for implementing Web services on a server after mappings have been defined for the transactions in a WSDL file
• FlexText™ Flat File Parsing – a graphical utility for parsing structured text files and incorporating legacy data into mapping designs
• Project Management and Code Generation – enabled grouping of related data mappings and Web services mappings into a project, then allows automatic code generation either for individual mappings or for the entire project
• Enhanced Standards Support – updated XSLT 2.0, XPath 2.0, and XQuery support in compliance with then-current World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Working Drafts released on September 15, 2005
• Textual Annotation – simplified documentation of mapping projects with the ability to add annotations to mapping connections
• Support for OLE and ActiveX Control – allowed developers to embed the MapForce user interface and access all its functionality from within their own applications
• Introduced three editions – tailored to meet customers’ specific Web services and data integration needs:
  • MapForce 2006 Basic Edition supports XML-to-XML mappings
  • MapForce 2006 Professional Edition supports XML, database, and basic flat file data mappings
  • MapForce 2006 Enterprise Edition supports all the features of MapForce 2006 Professional Edition with the addition of Web services mapping and implementation, EDI mapping, and the FlexText flat file integration utility

Scroll up to see the major features added in more recent releases.

MapForce® 2005 release 3 (March 9, 2005)

• EDI Output – enabled the use of EDI files in the ANSI/ASC X12 and UN/EDIFACT standards as output targets of complex data mappings. This capability expands MapForce’s previous support of EDI files as input sources
• ANSI X12 Standard Support – provided full support for all the transaction sets covered by X12, the de facto EDI standard used in North America for electronic business transactions. Files based on the X12 standard can be used as both mapping sources and targets
• Extended EDIFACT Coverage – supported EDIFACT configuration files for all years starting with 93a through 04b
• Unlimited Function Input Parameters – allowed the use of unlimited parameters in several data processing functions, such as concatenate, add, and multiply, when using MapForce’s visual function builder. This feature made it easier for developers to perform mathematical manipulations and concatenate multiple parameters
• Mixed Content Mapping Support – accommodated mapping of mixed XML elements, such as text and sub-elements
• Accommodation of Null Values – enabled mappings of XML files and databases to use default values when sources have absent or null values, but targets must receive content

Scroll up to see the major features added in more recent releases.

MapForce® 2005 (October 3, 2004)

• XSLT 2.0 Code Generation – introduced auto-generation of program code required to execute XML mappings and transformations using the new XSLT 2.0 specification
• XQuery Code Generation – added auto-generation of program code required to execute intelligent querying of XML documents and databases via the new XQuery 1.0 specification
• Flat File Support – added the ability to use CSV, tab-separated, or fixed-width text files as the sources and/or targets of data mappings
• Visual Function Builder – enabled the creation and reuse of custom mapping transformation and data processing functions
• Transformation Input Parameters – allowed the input of outside parameters for use in mapping transformations at runtime

Scroll up to see the major features added in more recent releases.

MapForce® 2004 release 4 (May 17, 2004)

• Introduced two editions – Enterprise and Professional
• Greatly enhanced mapping functionality – provides the ability to map any combination of XML, database, and EDI data into XML and/or databases
• Added database support – now supports all the most popular relational databases: Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, IBM DB2, Sybase, as well as any ADO/ODBC database
• Introduced MapForce Engine – enabled the user to preview the output of any mapping project even if one or more of the sources is a database or an EDI file, or if the target is a database
• Allowed users add existing XSLT files as libraries – all named templates in those files automatically become available as data transformation functions

Software Development Jolt Productictivty Awards 2004 Altova MapForce 2004, won Software Development Magazine's Jolt Productivity Award 2004 in the Business Integration and Data Tools category. Click here for the story.

Continuously acclaimed since its inception, MapForce has garnered many other kudos, compliments, and prizes.

Scroll up to see the major features added in more recent releases.

MapForce® 2004 release 3 (October 21, 2003)

• Introduced code generation in C# and C++
• Supported visual mapping of Database Views to XML
• Numerous usability enhancements including zoom, copy & paste, printing, autohighlighting of connections, and much more

Scroll up to see the major features added in more recent releases.

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