Altova Announces Immediate Availability of Software Version 2004 Release 4.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

BEVERLY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 17, 2004

Significant Advancements Include Greatly Extended Data-Mapping Functionality in MAPFORCE, Completely Redesigned STYLEVISION, and Numerous Enhancements to XMLSPY 

Altova(R) Inc. (www.altova.com) producers of Altova XMLSPY(R), the world's leading XML development environment, today announced the immediate availability of Release 4 of its Version 2004 product line. Among the major enhancements are greatly extended data-mapping functionality in Altova MAPFORCE(TM) 2004, a completely redesigned Altova STYLEVISION(R) 2004, and numerous upgrades to XMLSPY 2004. The entire Version 2004 Release 4 (v2004r4) product line is available for immediate download from: http://www.altova.com/download.html.

"The ability to share information department-to-department or business-to-business is crucial in today's world, but data comes in all shapes and sizes, and enterprise information integration can be a very challenging concept to implement," said Alexander Falk, President & CEO of Altova, Inc. "That's why the latest generation of our software includes innovations like bi-directional database integration, EDI support, and XML-aware file merging that are very straightforward and simple to use. Above all, this release is designed to help bring organizations closer together and make their information more extensible."

"Altova software products help us to build advanced content management and multi-source publishing applications," said Doug Wallace, President of Agile, a Web technology and project management company. "The new database integration capabilities and other enhancements in Release 4 will be very beneficial to us as we create versatile interconnected business systems for our customers."

In addition to the many new features in v2004r4, Altova has also taken steps to provide greater value to its customers. Effective immediately, the Altova Support and Maintenance Package (SMP) now includes coverage for major software releases. Additionally, the company has created two specially priced software bundles that offer tremendous cost savings.

The two new Altova product suites are the most comprehensive XML tool sets on the market, delivering all the functionality of three industry leading products at a considerable savings.

-- Altova Enterprise XML Suite includes v2004r4 Enterprise

Editions of XMLSPY, MAPFORCE and STYLEVISION at a savings of

almost $700 (USD) off regular price of products purchased

separately.

-- Altova Professional XML Suite includes v2004r4 Professional

Editions of XMLSPY, MAPFORCE and STYLEVISION at a savings of

almost $250 (USD) off regular price of products purchased

separately.

New in MAPFORCE v2004r4

Since its introduction in September 2003, MAPFORCE has quickly become the definitive tool for data integration and information leverage. MAPFORCE 2004 maps data between diverse input sources and output targets using a drag-and-drop interface then automatically generates programming code in Java, C++ and C# for royalty-free use. With v2004r4 MAPFORCE will now be offered in two editions: Enterprise and Professional. Some of the many additions to MAPFORCE include:

-- Greatly enhanced mapping functionality - provides the ability

to map any combination of XML, database, and EDI data into XML

and/or databases.

-- Added database support - now supports all the most popular

relational databases: Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server,

MySQL, Oracle, IBM DB2, Sybase, as well as any ADO/ODBC

database.

-- MAPFORCE Engine - enables the user to preview the output of

any mapping project even if one or more of the sources is a

database or an EDI file, or if the target is a database.

-- XSLT files as function libraries - lets the user add existing

XSLT files as libraries and all named templates in those files

automatically become available as data transformation

functions.

All New STYLEVISION v2004r4

With v2004r4 STYLEVISION has been completely restructured around its graphical stylesheet designer functionality. Now available in Professional and Enterprise Editions, STYLEVISION 2004 supersedes the stylesheet designer application formerly sold with XMLSPY. New features added to the redesigned STYLEVISION include:

-- Database reporting - allows users to access database data from

any major database, process it in XML, and render it into

eye-catching HTML pages or PDF reports, all in one simple

step.

-- AUTHENTIC Forms preview - provides ability to design and

preview AUTHENTIC Forms, which give business users a

non-technical way to enter and edit XML content using the word

processor-like interface of Altova AUTHENTIC 2004.

-- New support for command line operations - allows systems

integrators to call its functionality from within other

applications without spawning its graphical user interface.

New in XMLSPY v2004r4

Already far and away the industry leading XML development tool, Altova has added more advanced functionality to XMLSPY including:

-- Brand new advanced text view - provides context-sensitive

entry helpers, line numbering, book marking, source folding,

indentation guides, detailed find and replace functionality,

and significantly increased performance.

-- Extended database import/export functionality - now interacts

directly with the most popular relational databases, including

Microsoft Access, SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, Sybase, and IBM

DB2.

-- XML-aware file differencing and merging - enables the user to

intelligently compare the XML content, considering variations

in formatting, namespaces, attribute order, etc., and then

merge the selected changes.

New Support and Maintenance Pack

Altova SMP now covers major product updates as well as minor releases and priority technical support. The support period begins on the day of the product purchase and runs for one or two years depending on the length of the SMP plan purchased.

-- Customers who purchased v2004 products without SMP between

September 2003 and May 2004 have the option to purchase SMP

with all its benefits and privileges until July 17, 2004. The

support period originates on the date of the v2004 product

purchase.

-- Customers who previously purchased SMP for v2004 will be

converted to the new one-year SMP with a support period

originating on the date of their v2004 product purchase.

Pricing and Availability

v2004r4 of XMLSPY, MAPFORCE and STYLEVISION are all available immediately. For a complete list of what's new in v2004r4 please visit: http://www.altova.com/whatsnew.html. A 30-day free trial of the software may be downloaded from: http://www.altova.com/download.html. For more information on the new SMP please visit: http://www.altova.com/support_package.html. To purchase please visit the Altova Online Shop at: http://www.altova.com/order. Volume discounts may apply.

-- Altova XML Suites are available in two Editions: Enterprise

and Professional, with (USD) prices for a single-user license

starting at $1499 and $749 respectively.

-- Altova XMLSPY is available for purchase in two editions:

Enterprise and Professional, with (USD) prices for a

single-user license starting at $999, and $499 respectively.

-- Altova MAPFORCE is available in two editions: Enterprise and

Professional, with (USD) prices for a single-user license

starting at $599 and $249 respectively.

-- Altova STYLEVISION is available in two editions: Enterprise

and Professional, with (USD) prices for a single-user license

starting at $599 and $249 respectively.

-- Altova AUTHENTIC is available under a free software license.

-- Altova SMP can be purchased for 25% of the product price for a

one-year period or 20% of the product price per year for a

two-year period.

About Altova

Altova is a leading provider of XML software tools, components, and professional service solutions, including XMLSPY 2004, the industry standard XML Development Environment. Altova, with offices in Beverly, Mass., and Vienna, Austria, was founded in 1992 and has been actively involved in the XML market from the early conception of Extensible Markup Language. Altova's 2004 product line of XML development tools and components is the leading choice of Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies. Altova's XMLSPY is the world's best-selling XML tool and has won the leading industry awards. Altova is a member of the W3C. Visit Altova on the Web at http://www.altova.com.

Altova, XMLSPY, STYLEVISION, and AUTHENTIC are trademarks of Altova GmbH registered in numerous countries. The names of and reference to companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.