Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
News
XAware's Data Integration App Goes Open Source
11/8/2007
XAware Inc. has released its latest data integration software under an open source GPLv2 license and also achieved Gold Partner status in the MySQL Enterprise Connection Alliance program. MySQL is an open source database management solution.
XAware 5.0 is built on the Spring Framework and is a plugin that works with the open source Eclipse design environment. The product can be used to support traditional database applications, as well as applications where relational and XML data are mixed.
It helps to enable business processes in service-oriented architectures (SOAs) by "service-enabling" the data, according to Bill Miller, XAware's executive chairman.
"I really think of it as a data integration capability, but it's based on the idea of using SOA and Web services standards," Miller said. "So we service-enable data by connecting to existing data sources through many different available mechanisms, and it's a bidirectional connection."
XAware adds the kind of XML-based data handling capabilities to the open source MySQL database that is now featured prominently in proprietary database management solutions. Such XML handling capabilities, as introduced in Oracle Database 9i and IBM DB2 9, didn't previously exist for open source databases, Miller said.
"And the combination of XAware and MySQL actually gets you -- not only to that level that's available from Oracle and IBM -- but to an even greater level of being able to mashup not only the data in MySQL, but also the data that's coming from other Web services or outside or inside the company, data that might be in a text format (structured or semistructured) that can then be exposed as services," he explained.
XAware's Eclipse-based development environment features wizards that allow developers to specify dependencies between data sources and build data objects, and then those objects can be mapped into XML. The product provides an intermediate layer that enables sophisticated mapping, with logic that allows you to do it dynamically and have it executed at runtime, Miller said.
The product offers a flexible way to work with multiple data sources and construct data mashups, he added. It can also be used for a traditional data integration approach outside an SOA environment, such as ETL (extract, transform and load) and moving data from one store to another.
About a third of XAware's customers are using the product to support federated data exchange using XML-based standards, which is typically done between business-to-business partners, Miller said. XAware has schema navigation plug-ins for XML formats, such as the ACORD format, which is used to describe insurance policy standards in XML.
Miller said that one insurance company customer is currently using XAware to construct messages based on data in their backend enterprise systems and send these XML-based messages to their insurance agents. The insurance company then uses XAware to deconstruct XML messages received back from the insurance agents and shred that information into the backend systems, some of which are relational database systems.
Recommended Reading
- College of Southern Nevada Implementing Angel To Run Online Courses
The College of Southern Nevada (CSN), a community college in Las Vegas with 41,000 students, has adopted the Angel Learning Management Suite (LMS) to support its online course offerings. In Spring 2008 CSN began evaluating alternatives to WebCT, which it currently runs, and made the decision to adopt Angel in the fall. In January 2009, CSN's 865 sections of online enrollment will be delivered using the Angel LMS.
- Toshiba Brings DisplayLink to Docking Station
Toshiba has introduced a new USB docking station that incorporates DisplayLink--a technology that allows computers to connect to projectors and other types of displays through USB 2.0.
- Mitsubishi Ships SXGA+ Projector with DICOM Simulation
Mitsubishi has begun shipping a new LCD-based SXGA+ projector aimed at higher education, specifically medical schools. The new MH2850U, according to Mitsubishi, is "specially engineered for projecting DICOM simulation images for use in medical education and training."
- First Look: Komodo IDE 5.0
Last month, ActiveState released Komodo IDE 5.0, the company's latest integrated development environment (IDE). Komodo supports multiple programming and markup languages, including HTML, JavaScript, PHP, Perl, Java, Python, C++ and more. It does not support some .NET languages at present, such as ASP/ASP.NET, C# and VB.NET.
- IBM Offers Cloud Computing Help
IBM last week announced consulting services specifically designed to help organizations assess their options in using cloud computing technology. "Cloud computing" is a much argued term, but it typically refers to solutions delivered over the Internet, rather than via customer premises-installed software.
- Hollins U Chooses Omnilert for Emergency Notification Ahead of VA Deadline
Hollins University, among other higher ed institutions in Virginia, has implemented Omnilert's e2Campus emergency notification system (ENS) just ahead of a state-mandated deadline requiring them at every public institution of higher education by Jan. 1. Hollins itself isn't a public campus, but wished to implement an ENS before the end of the year, the school said in a company statement.
