A Quick Solution for Complicated Functions

Some data conversions require multiple steps to satisfy today's complex data communication requirements. Altova MapForce 2011 lets you graphically combine a wide variety of mathematical, logical, string, and other specialized functions to build complicated "data equations" to get the results you need.

If you're working on a big, complicated mapping, if you're using an unfamiliar function for the first time, or when your function creates an intermediate result that needs further processing, it is helpful to test your work each step of the way as you build. You can use a simple text file as a temporary target to see the output of your function under construction.

Let's say we want to add a date and time stamp to an existing mapping of an output file to record the time the data was generated. We can easily experiment with the MapForce now function in a new mapping that simply connects now to a text file.

Clicking the Output button at the bottom of the mapping window shows us the immediate result:

Directory Sync Tools: Move over little dog, a new DiffDog is moving in

Altova DiffDog was originally launched in 2005 as a diff/merge tool with XML-aware functionality to help users identify differences between XML files. It even identifies files that are XML-equivalent but appear different in a text comparison because of spacing, line-ending, or attribute order variations.

DiffDog has continually improved over time with many new features including:

• Database content and structure diff/merge
• XML Schema comparison with XSLT generation
• Comparison of files stored inside ZIP archives
• Diff/merge for Microsoft Word documents with side-by-side document view

DiffDog 2011 Release 3 adds a new simplified directory sync feature to its robust folder diff/merge functionality. The Synchronize Directories dialog now includes a button at the top to select a complete directory sync in a single step.

The Fully Synchronize feature produces an exact copy of the source directory, even if the target has newer versions of some files, and deletes files from the target that don’t exist on the source, making this choice a quick tool to backup complex directories containing many files and sub-folders.

DiffDog provides a summary of all actions to be taken before any files are copied or deleted:

If you want to prevent a file being overwritten or deleted from the target directory, you can click Cancel, and then use the Manual Override feature to ignore or reverse the copy direction for any file pair.

Pretty good trick for an app that’s older than 42 in dog years*, isn’t it?

Find out for yourself how DiffDog can faithfully synchronize your directories – download a fully-functional, free 30-day trial!

* Popular myth suggests that one calendar year for a software developer is equivalent to 7 years in the life of a dog. For a more complete discussion of canine lifespan, see the Wikipedia article titled Aging in Dogs.

It’s Here – the Industry’s First Truly Portable XML Form

Hopefully by now you’ve downloaded the 2011r3 versions of the Altova product line released last week. We’ve introduced a bunch of new features and functionalities that put even more power into the hands of IT professionals.

(Note: If you haven’t already done so, you can download the latest versions of all of the tools in the Altova product suite from our Web site.)

One of the features we’re most excited about is the new Portable XML Form (PXF) file for StyleVision and Authentic. The PXF is a file into which all elements required to support a StyleVision design including XML Schemas, database connections, images, etc. can be embedded. Imagine the possibilities! In this post we’ll take an in-depth look at the PXF file format as well as some use cases.

Release 3 of Altova Software Version 2011

 

PXF (Portable XML Form), XML digital signatures, and HIPAA data mapping are just a few of the many exciting new features we’ve introduced today with Release 3 of the Altova MissionKit 2011 and complete product line. Let’s take a look at some of those now. First…what on earth is a PXF?

What is PXF?

PXF is a new file format that – finally – makes editable XML forms truly portable. PXF files are configured in StyleVision 2011r3, where a developer creates a design that generates an interactive electronic form that can then be accessed and edited by non-technical business users in Altova Authentic (or in the Authentic View in XMLSpy).

When the StyleVision design is saved as a PXF, the XML Schema(s), XML instance(s), electronic form, etc., are all embedded in the PXF file. The PXF can even optionally include the XSLT files autogenerated by StyleVision that allow the business user to publish his data in HTML, Word, RTF, and/or PDF – with a single click. After a PXF file has been created, it can be transported, downloaded, copied, and saved like any other data file.

Why PXF?

The benefit of the PXF file format is that all the components required for editing XML content – and for the generation of output reports from Authentic – can be conveniently distributed in a single file. And, since Authentic Community Edition is a free product, PXF deployment couldn’t be more affordable.

There are countless usage scenarios for the PXF file, but one example is to allow a business user to easily get important data into a valid XML document and send it back to the requester or to another department, such as HR or Accounting. The user receives a PXF file by email and opens it in Authentic. The XML file will be displayed in Authentic using the embedded StyleVision eForm design, and can be edited using the word processor-like Authentic interface with access to advanced interactive options, context sensitive entry-helpers, business logic validation, and more. The File | Save command saves changes to the PXF, i.e., the embedded XML is modified and saved. The File | Send by E-mail command makes it easy to send the updated PXF on to another user with a single click. In addition, when XSLT files associated with the SPS are included in the PXF, Authentic toolbar buttons let the user render his data in multiple formats for publishing or further communication.

PXF takes the headache out of getting critical business data into XML - without sacrificing any of the benefits that XML brings to data integration and extensibility.

XML Digital Signatures

To address the growing need for security around XML transmissions, v2011r3 includes support for assigning and verifying XML digital signatures through the implementation of W3C XML Signature technology across multiple MissionKit tools. An XML Signature enables digital authentication for XML transactions by checking the integrity (whether the data has changed since it was signed) and the authenticity of origin (the identity of the signer). In contrast to other digital signature methods, XML Signature is uniquely suited to working with XML data because it includes measures for canonicalization, which involves signing the important data while ignoring inconsequential changes such as whitespace and line endings.

In XMLSpy 2011r3, it’s easy to add an enveloped, enveloping, or detached signature to your XML-based files using either certificate e or password-based authentication.

You can also verify signature(s) on files received. If the file changed at all since it was signed, verification will fail.

Other MissionKit tools with XML digital signature support include:

• MapForce 2011r3: When your data mapping project has XML or XBRL output, you can create an XML digital signature that will be added to output file produced when the mapping is executed.
  
• StyleVision 2011r3: StyleVision designers can configure Authentic eForm output to allow XML instance files to support XML signatures.
  
• Authentic 2011r3: When an Authentic eForm designed in StyleVision has XML signatures enabled, the Authentic user can sign XML data using an enveloped or detached signature as well as verify any XML signatures present when documents are loaded.
  

HIPAA Data Mapping

In addition to new features for Excel® data mapping and other enhancements, MapForce 2011r3 now includes native support for mapping HIPAA 5010 data. Health care enterprises that send or receive HIPAA information will be able to apply MapForce 2011 Release 3 to meet a number of requirements. Users of legacy healthcare IT systems that do not store data files internally in a format compliant with the latest HIPAA standard can use MapForce 2011r3 to map incoming HIPAA 5010 transactions to the enterprise internal format or database. Or, a MapForce mapping can be designed to generate HIPAA-compliant transactions for output from existing non-compliant data. If the enterprise wants to translate legacy healthcare data for internal storage in HIPAA 5010 format, MapForce 2011 Release 3 is the tool for that one-time transformation too!

Native HIPAA support adds to current support for HL7 (Health Level 7) and other EDI standards.

Check out all the features added in the latest Altova release, and stay tuned for more details here on the blog.

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