ASNA To Support Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 And SQL Server 2005; Integration Enables AS/400 and iSeries Customers to Develop, Deploy, and Manage in Latest Adaptation of .NET Framework-based Environments.

SAN ANTONIO -- Amalgamated Software of North America (ASNA) today announced it will support Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 across its diverse application development solutions portfolio -- providing RPG developers with a broad range of capabilities, including the ability to extend and integrate current applications to the industry's leading architecture for Web services.

By taking advantage of ASNA's proven development solutions, companies that plan to adopt Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005 will be able to effortlessly integrate their AS/400 iSeries application development, allowing RPG developers to work side by side with Visual Basic and C# developers in the deployment of Web services and similar efforts. ASNA Visual RPG for Visual Studio .NET and ASNA DataGate will support Visual Studio 2005, SQL 2005, and the .NET Framework 2.0 in January 2006. Support is expected for ASNA Monarch during the first quarter of 2006.

"ASNA was the first to adopt .NET from amongst the many companies traditionally supporting the RPG developer," said Anne Ferguson, president of ASNA. "ASNA's development solutions help customers extend the value of their iSeries systems to include Web services and Service Oriented Architectures through the use Microsoft's .NET Framework and today we are signaling our continued belief that this is the best architecture for the market."

ASNA offers a number of solutions with support for Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005, including the following:

--ASNA Visual RPG for Microsoft Visual Studio .NET (AVR), enables RPG developers to extend existing RPG applications or develop new applications using a familiar programming syntax. AVR for .NET is integrated into Microsoft's Visual Studio and compiles to 100% verifiable Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL).

--ASNA DataGate is database access technology; available as a host server for connectivity to the iSeries and AS/400 platforms; as an iSeries-like database for Windows servers and desktops, and as a host server for connectivity to Microsoft's SQL Server.

--Monarch, ASNA's agent-based solution for evaluating RPG programs, applications, and data, preparing a project roadmap that meets the needs of the business, and then executing staged extension or complete migration to .NET. The entire process is automated, leverages the skills of current development teams, and the transformation requires a very small fraction of time and resource typically required.

"Visual Studio 2005, the .NET Framework 2.0 and SQL Server 2005 provide a compelling foundation for building business solutions, providing an architecture that supports the use of multiple solutions to optimize the performance and effectiveness of an organization's development efforts," said Eduardo Ross, vice president of development for ASNA. "ASNA continues to lead the effort to help clients with RPG-based systems, to take maximum advantage of Web services and enabling full participation in the Microsoft open development ecosystem."

Additional information can be found at http://developer.asna.com/avr80faq.aspx.

About ASNA

ASNA (Amalgamated Software of North America, Inc.) has been developing visual programming and systems software for the midrange community since 1982. ASNA Web and Windows development products include ASNA Visual RPG for .NET, DataGate and the ASNA DataGate Component Suite. ASNA is an IBM Tools Network Partner, an Advanced Tier Member of IBM's PartnerWorld for Developers, a Microsoft Visual Studio Industry Partner, and a Managed Microsoft Certified Partner. ASNA is also a founding member of the Midrange Alliance Program, or MAP. Business applications developed with ASNA Visual RPG (AVR) and DataGate are used by more than 400,000 end-users, and in hundreds of commercial Web sites. Based in San Antonio, Texas, ASNA also has offices in Europe (Guildford, UK) and 30 international distributors. For more information, please visit www.asna.com.