September 2015

New JSON Schema Editor and Data Mapping Debugger Debut in Altova Version 2016

September 25, 2015/in Data Integration, Development, JSON /by Erin Cavanaugh

We are excited to announce details of the latest release of Altova MissionKit desktop developer tools and server software products. Version 2016 includes full Windows 10 compatibility and updated relational database support across the product line, and it also introduces some new features that you simply will not find anywhere else.

XMLSpy 2016 includes the first full featured, enterprise-grade graphical JSON Schema editor. MapForce, our data integration tool, now includes a data mapping debugger that will revolutionize the way you define and test data mapping projects. Let’s take a closer look at these new features.

Altova Version 2016

New Altova Online Shop

September 22, 2015/in Software /by Erin Cavanaugh

We’re pleased to announce the launch of the brand new and greatly improved Altova Online Shop.

It’s as convenient and secure as ever to purchase Altova software products, server license renewals, and support and maintenance (SMP) online. The first thing you’ll notice in the new shop is the redesigned, more modern UI that makes it easier to navigate, view your options, and request a quote. When you’re ready to purchase, the completely rebuilt back end will help process your order even more efficiently.

It’s also easier to navigate the upgrade process for products and support as well as annual server licenses, where you’ll have access to more flexible upgrade options.

We’re constantly striving to improve the purchasing experience for our customers and hope you’ll share any feedback or suggestions you have after visiting the Altova Online Shop in the comments below.

New Altova Online Shop

XPath Editor and Tester (Video)

September 15, 2015/in Development, XPath /by Erin Cavanaugh

Writing XPath expressions is an important skill for any developer – whether they are for an XSLT stylesheet, complex XQuery instruction, or even selecting data in a mobile application. And while XPath syntax is simple by nature, it’s also powerful, and writing and debugging the most efficient expression to select exactly the data you need can be a challenge.

This quick video demonstrates some of the tools in the XMLSpy XPath editor that make developing and testing XPath, as well as XQuery, easier. By using a point and click interface for interactive, incremental expression building, you’ll get what you need faster and with less frustration.

To learn more about XPath, check out these free resources:

A Gentle Introduction to XPath
XPath 3.x Online Training Course

Tags: xpath, XQuery

Data Mapping Files with XML Mixed Content

September 8, 2015/in Data Integration, Tools /by David McGahey

As more specialized data is adapted for delivery on demand to mobile devices with smaller screens, documents with complex structures can be a challenge. Fortunately, MapForce, Altova’s graphical data mapping, conversion, and integration tool, has special features to accelerate data integration projects of all sizes.

For example, richly-formatted documents may include XML mixed content, a complex datatype that permits an XML element to contain text, attributes, and other child elements. Common instances of XML mixed content include blocks of text with tags for bold or italic fonts, or tags that select terms for indexing or other special treatment. Documents with XML mixed content can be difficult to include in a data integration project, since they appear to be free-form and unpredictable, with child elements that occur in any order or even multiple times within the parent.

Mapping_mixed_content

XBRL Data Quality of SEC Filings in EDGAR

September 1, 2015/in Software, Technology, XBRL /by Alexander Falk

For fundamental investors probably the most important financial information to study are the financial reports from companies that they wish to potentially invest in. For publicly traded companies in the US, the SEC regulates what data needs to be reported and at which frequency, and investors typically access those financial reports through their own brokerage firm’s website, or through publicly available databases from other Internet providers. In addition, all the original filings from all companies are also directly available from the SEC in the EDGAR database. In addition to HTML and PDF versions of those financial reports, the EDGAR database also contains XBRL versions of those company filings since 2007, with the intent of making this data more easily comparable and directly consumable by computer programs for further analysis.

At least that is the goal…

In this article we’re going to look at some issues with the XBRL data quality of company filings in the SEC’s EDGAR database and show the surprising lack of correlation of high-level financial data extracted from the XBRL filings with publicly available financial data about US companies provided, e.g., by Yahoo Finance, Google Finance, and Fidelity Investments, as well as the shocking discrepancies found in the data reported by those separate services amongst one another.

Edgar_Validation