Altova Contributes Industry Leading XML Suite to ANSI Accredited Standards Committee X12 XML Standards Development.

FALLS CHURCH, Va. & BEVERLY, Mass. -- The Accredited Standards Committee X12 is pleased to announce that it will use software development and data integration tools from Altova(R) (www.altova.com) in its X12 XML standards development. These include the Altova XMLSpy(R) 2005 integrated development environment for XML and Altova MapForce(R) 2005 data integration tool, which features full support of the X12 EDI transactions sets.

ASC X12 members have developed a myriad of reusable syntax neutral components that can be expressed as XML documents and any future standards format using its next generation framework called Context Inspired Component Architecture (CICA). With six X12 CICA standards, representing finance, government, insurance, and transportation industries, on the verge of completion and many others in the works, ASC X12 has called for technology provider contributions to help accelerate and harmonize the XML representation of these components across the Committee.

"We at X12 are so pleased to have the opportunity to use Altova's world-class suite of XML products," said ASC X12 Chair Ralph Berwanger. "X12's syntax neutral framework - called CICA - marks the culmination of many years of hard collective work by ASC X12, and Altova's XML Suite will help X12ers expedite the XML expression of these components into standards for widespread use across the marketplace."

With comprehensive support for all XML-related technologies, including XML Schema, XSLT 1.0/2.0, XPath 1.0/2.0, XQuery, WSDL, and SOAP, the Altova XML Suite 2005 is the most complete XML development toolset on the market. The suite integrates four highly-complementary tools - XMLSpy 2005, MapForce 2005, StyleVision(R) 2005, and SchemaAgent(TM) 2005 - to meet a broad range of XML development needs such as editing, mapping, visual design, schema management, debugging, and code-generation.

"With its CICA framework, ASC X12 is making great strides to advance electronic messaging standards and improve cross-industry data exchange," said Alexander Falk, President and CEO of Altova. "Altova is proud to be a part of this effort by providing tools that will not only help members more easily develop new X12 XML standards, but ultimately integrate data from business partners faster and more efficiently."

Altova is an active member of ASC X12 as well as other standards organizations such as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). ASC X12 members meet face-to-face three times per year to drive standards development, with the next ASC X12 meeting taking place June 5-10, 2005 in San Diego. Additional information on X12 CICA, membership and upcoming meetings can be found on its web site at www.X12.org.

About ANSI Accredited Standards Committee X12

The Accredited Standards Committee X12, accredited by the American National Standards Institute and comprised of cross-industry representation, develops robust e-business exchange standards in X12 EDI and XML formats that interact with a multitude of e-business technologies and serve as a premier tool for integrating electronic applications. With more than 2,500 individuals representing approximately 350 corporate members, ASC X12 facilitates the effective exchange of electronic information through standards-setting and active participation in emerging and technically relevant initiatives. Propelling global e-business, ASC X12 is an active contributor to the United Nations/Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport (UN/EDIFACT), an international standard relating to the exchange of good and services. To learn more about ASC X12, visit http://www.X12.org or call 703-970-4480.

About Altova

Altova accelerates development and integration projects with software, services, and solutions that enhance productivity and maximize results. As an innovative, customer-focused company and the creator of XMLSpy, MapForce, and other leading software development and data integration tools, Altova is the choice of over 1.5 million clients worldwide and virtually every Fortune 500 company. With customers ranging from vast development teams in the world's largest organizations to progressive one-person shops, Altova's line of software applications and custom-tailored professional and educational services fulfills a broad spectrum of business needs. Altova is an active member of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and is committed to delivering standards-based platform-independent solutions that are powerful, affordable, and easy to use. Altova was founded in 1992 and has headquarters in Beverly, Massachusetts and Vienna, Austria. Visit Altova on the Web at www.altova.com.

Altova, XMLSpy, MapForce, StyleVision, and SchemaAgent are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Altova GmbH in the United States and/or other countries. The names of and reference to other companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.