Binary objects – BLOBs — can be cumbersome to manage in databases. In an earlier post we described a MapForce data mapping to insert binary objects into a database with generated metadata to identify the BLOBs later. The companion challenge in data mapping binary objects is to extract binary data and save it in a comprehensible form faithful to the original.
Let’s look at how that’s done.
Binary objects are difficult to manage in databases. They are large, their content is not human readable, and they can contain bytes of data easily misinterpreted as control characters. Even the data type name for binary large objects – BLOB – reflects most database managers’ dislike of them. Before relational databases, the definition of a blob was “something undefined or amorphous.”
Altova MapForce, the award-winning, graphical data mapping tool for any-to-any conversion and integration, includes features for effortlessly data mapping binary objects to or from all popular relational databases. Data such as images, PDF files, video files, or any other binary data can be mapped. Let’s look at an example.
XBRL – the eXtensible Business Language – makes use of taxonomies as a standards-based way to define the specific tags that are used for individual items of data (such as “net profit”) in a financial report, as well as their attributes and how they relate to other data points. As such, different taxonomies are created for different business reporting scenarios.
Over time a staggering number of different XBRL Taxonomies have been developed to reflect the local accounting practices in various countries. In addition, many specific industries, such as construction and insurance, have created their own specialized taxonomies.
Developers and financial pros working with XBRL software tools need a way to download and manage the XBRL Taxonomies they need for their specific projects. Altova has long provided free installers for these taxonomies and their various versions on our web site, but we’ve now made the process even more streamlined with the XBRL Taxonomy Manager.
Let’s take a look at how it works.
As standards-based technologies and their applications evolve, so does the functionality that users require from developer tools. In our latest release, we’ve added new ways to work with XBRL, JSON, EDI, and more that help Altova customers work faster and more efficiently.
Let’s take a look at some highlights from the Altova Software Version 2021 release.
Organizations of all types and sizes are faced with the challenge of storing and managing contracts in a paperless world. Locked file cabinets have been replaced by network storage folders that quickly become unorganized and don’t always provide the appropriate level of access control and security.
Customers have turned to digital contract management solutions and indeed there are many on the market. After our own search for a product that was easy to use, secure, and readily adapted to our business, we found that the field came up short. So we built our own.
Introducing Altova ContractManager – a secure, cloud-based contract management app that’s feature rich, highly-customizable, and affordable for firms of any size. Let’s take a look at how Altova ContractManager checks all the boxes.
