What's New in Altova Software Version 2010 Release 3

On May 5, 2010, Altova introduced Version 2010 Release 3 (v2010r3) of its entire product line. Altova Software Version 2010 Release 3 (v2010r3) provides a number of important usability and performance enhancements that include some frequently requested features and support for additional technologies.

v2010r3 introduces some additional functionality in XMLSpy for NIEM, a national (U.S.) XML-based standard that is already inherently supported in many of the MissionKit products. The new version delivers support for xsi:nil for XML Schema in MapForce, as well as the ability to generate C++ code for 64-bit applications. StyleVision has improved its XBRL support with the addition of iXBRL, a subset of the XBRL standard that is, at this point, primarily used only in the United Kingdom. Other important new features in v2010r3 include support for Visual Studio 2010, mapping data based on SAP's IDoc EDI format, and support for C# 4.0 and Protocol Machine State Diagrams in UModel.

The license activation process for Altova tools has also been upgraded with a new Altova License Wizard - see below for details.

On May 27, 2010 Altova made Service Pack 1 of the entire Version 2010 Release 3 product line available to download. This service pack is a free update for all v2010r3 customers, or any customer with an active Support and Maintenance Package.

Altova customers with an active Support & Maintenance Package (SMP) receive all major software upgrades and maintenance releases, in addition to priority technical support, at no additional cost during their SMP period. Customers with current SMP have received all the features below - just by downloading and installing the latest product version as soon as it’s available.

Altova MissionKit 2010r3

The Altova MissionKit is an integrated suite of XML, database, and UML tools available at a special price. When you choose the Altova MissionKit, you'll get up to eight products for less than the price of two!*

As noted above, Altova license activation emails will now include an attachment for installing a single keycode or all MissionKit keycodes by simply clicking the attachment. The Altova License Wizard will greatly simplify installations, allowing for much quicker activations and updates of all MissionKit tools. It will also help avoid copy/paste errors from users entering keycodes manually into the applications.

Also with v2010r3, Visual Studio support across the entire MissionKit has been upgraded to Visual Studio 2010.

All new features in Altova products included in Release 3 of the MissionKit 2010 are detailed in the sections below.

* Pricing comparison is edition-specific and based on Altova MissionKit vs. two individual licenses of XMLSpy and MapForce.

New in XMLSpy 2010 Release 3

Ability to validate naming and coding conventions (extended schema validation)

The XMLSpy graphical XML Schema editor now lets schema designers validate naming and coding conventions outside of the capabilities of the XML Schema standard.

Naming conventions refer to the guidelines for what element/attribute tags are called (i.e. <element>). XML Schema already provides a number of built-in naming allowances and constraints, for example, names cannot start with a numbers, punctuation, or "xml". This feature lets schema developers validate additional rule definitions like all lower case letters, etc.

Coding conventions refer to more complex rules for the way in which the schema is written and lets developers narrow the scope of the XML Schema recommendation to align with internal best practices. For example, XML Schema allows for anonymous type definitions, in which types are implicitly defined. While this practice can save time and space in larger schemas, some organizations may choose to restrict its use to promote the portability and longevity of the schema.

User-defined sample values for XML instance generation

This feature enables users to add sample data to their example XML instance generations so that they will contain arbitrary results, selected from pre-supplied values. Customers can use the Samples tab in the Facets entry helper window of the graphical schema editor to choose to have this data populate their sample instance randomly, by cycling through, or by using only the first entry in the list. This is a very important feature for anyone who wants to control the sample data that they publish.

Support for Visual Studio 2010

XMLSpy now integrates with the newest release of Visual Studio, Visual Studio 2010.

Or, if you’re already an XMLSpy user, learn more about all the new features that were added in our v2010 release in October 2009, or since your last upgrade.

New in MapForce 2010 Release 3

MSXML6 support in C++

MapForce has upgraded its C++ code generator from MSXML4 to MSXML6, the latest Microsoft release that is shipped with Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows XP Service Pack 3. This adds to the quality of C++ code generated from MapForce mappings, making it less likely to require any modifications before being integrated into other applications or reused for recurrent transformations.

64-bit code generation in C++

MapForce is now able to generate C++ build configurations for 64-bit applications. As the number of 64-bit environments on the market steadily increases, this will slowly become a necessity for any generated or hand written code.

Support for xsi:nil in XML Schema

The xsi:nil attribute, or "nillable attribute", in indicates that an element is present in the XML, but that it has no value, and therefore no content is associated with it. This is used to override the element type defined in XML Schema in cases when no element data is provided or necessary. MapForce is now able to execute mappings where this attribute is used.

Support for mapping field names (headers) in Excel 2007+

This is a great time saving feature for Excel 2007+ mappings. This feature can be used in two different ways:

Ability to preserve value formatting in XML output

Until now, MapForce was unable to preserve value formatting when outputting to an XML file because of the internal mechanism that was used for mapping validation. It is now possible to turn this functionality off, ensuring that formatting is maintained from source to target. This is especially useful for scenarios using number values like 001, for example, when it is important to keep the configuration as dictated in the source file rather than stripping off the zeros.

Support for SAP IDoc

IDoc is a standard data structure for EDI within SAP business systems or between one SAP application and an external program. MapForce now supports mapping the IDoc format in the same way it supports conversion based on other EDI formats (X12, EDIFACT, and HL7). In the case of IDoc, however, the user will need to supply the configuration file that defines the format of the data.

Support for Visual Studio 2010

MapForce now integrates with the newest release of Visual Studio, Visual Studio 2010.

Or, if you’re already an MapForce user, learn more about all the new features that were added in our v2010 release in October 2009, or since your last upgrade.

New in StyleVision 2010 Release 3

Support for iXBRL

iXBRL, or Inline XBRL, is a standard for embedding XBRL fragments in an HTML document so that the same source can be used for both human and machine processing. HMRC, which provides XBRL oversight in the United Kingdom, has officially adopted iXBRL so this is a necessary feature for users that fall under that jurisdiction.

iXBRL reports can be generated automatically based on XBRL instance files, and StyleVision gives users some formatting options to ensure that their reports are displayed correctly.

Global templates for any element

Global Templates are invoked by the main template and are used to define reusable document fragments in situations where an element (or type) occurs within various elements or in various locations. For example, if a para element needs to have the same appearance no matter where it occurs, it may make sense to use a Global Template to enforce its formatting rules across the documentation.

Users can also choose to use arbitrary XPath statements to select document locations for applying Global Templates.

This is an advanced feature that enables StyleVision users to easily create modular designs and manage large documentation efforts with ease.

Support for Visual Studio 2010

StyleVision now integrates with the newest release of Visual Studio, Visual Studio 2010.

Or, if you’re already an StyleVision user, learn more about all the new features that were added in our v2010 release in October 2009, or since your last upgrade.

New in Authentic 2010 Release 3

Global templates for any element

See the description above under StyleVision. Please note that the Authentic support does not extend to the use of arbitrary XPath statements in global templates.

Support for Visual Studio 2010

Authentic now integrates with the newest release of Visual Studio, Visual Studio 2010.

If you’re already an Authentic user, you can learn more about all the new features that were added in our v2010 release in October 2009, or since your last upgrade.

New in UModel 2010 Release 3

Integration with Visual Studio 2010

Visual Studio 2010 was formally launched in April, 2010 and is now supported by the UModel 2010r3 integration module. Users of the UModel 2010r3 Enterprise Edition can install the free integration component and apply UML modeling functionality supporting all 14 UML2 diagrams, SysML modeling, and business process modeling without switching from the Visual Studio development environment. Automatic, real-time synchronization between the UModel project and source code lets developers refer to and work in either the UML software model or the source code editor, confident that both display the up to date project status. Any change made in one window is immediately reflected in the other.

The integration module supporting Visual Studio 2010 is a no-charge optional component for UModel 2010r3 Enterprise Edition.

Support for C# 4.0

C# 4.0 is the latest version of the C# programming language, released by Microsoft along with Visual Studio 2010. UModel 2010r3 is the first full-featured UML 2 tool to support C# 4.0, both for generating code in C# 4.0 projects and for reverse-engineering C# 4.0 code to create UML models.

Protocol State Machine Diagrams

UModel 2010r3 supports protocol state machine diagrams as a new diagram type, with a specialized diagram toolbar. Protocol state machine diagrams are a subset of state machine diagrams that are limited to showing a sequence of events that an object responds to, without having to show the specific behavior.

Protocol state machines are most often used to describe complex protocols, such as database access through a specific interface, or communication protocols such as TCP/IP.

Although protocol state machine diagrams can be created using existing state diagram elements, some state diagram elements are not employed, and others imply slightly different syntax. For instance, transitions between states can have pre- or post conditions which define what must be true for a transition to another state to occur, or what the resulting state must be, once the transition has taken place.

Because of these differences, and to avoid confusion when models are shared among project stakeholders, it is appropriate for UModel 2010r3 to treat protocol state machines as a unique diagram type.

New Sequence Diagram Option

In UModel 2010r3, users may now choose to ignore operation names when generating sequence diagrams from existing source code. The Sequence Diagram Generation dialog permits users to enter a comma delimited list of operations that will not appear in the generated sequence diagram. This allows developers working with existing source code to focus more specifically on features of interest.

New Diagram Autolayout Option

UModel 2010r3 adds a new diagram autolayout option called Block to the existing Force Directed and Hierarchical autolayout selections. Block autolayout can be selected from the Layout menu when multiple elements are selected in the diagram pane, or can be applied when diagrams are auto-generated from existing source code.

Or, if you’re already a UModel user, learn more about all the new features that have been added since you last upgraded.

UML®, OMG™, Object Management Group™, and Unified Modeling Language™ are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Object Management Group, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

New in DatabaseSpy 2010 Release 3

Altova’s unique multi-database query, design, and compare tool adds an important new feature in DatabaseSpy® 2010 Release 3:

Binary Database Columns and External Files

In addition to text, numbers, or XML data, many databases contain binary fields designed to store image files or other streams of binary data. The employee database of a large enterprise, for example, is likely to contain the name, employee number, position title, and a photograph of each employee of the company. DatabaseSpy 2010 release 3 now allows users to easily process binary data in a column of a database table that is defined as a binary data type. Users may load binary data into the table from an external file, or save binary data from the database to an external file.

An intuitive icon in the results table indicates columns that contain binary data. Clicking this icon opens a context menu that permits users to save existing binary data or load new data into the table.

The DatabaseSpy graphical interface enables users who may not be proficient in SQL commands to conveniently manipulate binary data in a variety of databases. Datatypes supported include BLOB, raw, binary, varbinary, image, and others, depending on the database type.

Or, if you’re already a DatabaseSpy user, learn more about all the new features that have been added since you last upgraded.

New in DiffDog 2010 Release 3

DiffDog 2010 Release 3 includes a new feature that enhances XML-aware capabilities:

Enhanced Child Order Recognition

XML-aware file comparison has been a powerful feature since the initial release of DiffDog in 2005, enabling XML developers and power users to quickly identify files that are equivalent XML documents even if they are not identical in a text-based comparison. One important DiffDog XML comparison option has permitted users to instruct DiffDog to ignore the order of the names of child elements when comparing XML documents.

Child element order recognition is enhanced in DiffDog 2010r3 to process child element attributes as well as child element names. This expands DiffDog comparison intelligence to recognize equivalence between files when the only difference may be a subtle ordering of child information by attribute type.

are equivalent. Now DiffDog 2010r3 can recognize child elements solely by attribute, so that files containing duplicate child element names with varying attributes, such as:

are also recognized as equivalent XML data. The screen shot below shows a DiffDog 2010r3 XML Comparison window for files containing the example data above. Note that the Status window reports the files are equal.

The choice to ignore or process the order of child attributes is a user preference easily set in the XML Comparison Options dialog.