Altova and CambridgeDocs Announce xDoc XML Converter Plug-in for XMLSPY.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 19, 2003

Integrated tools reduce cost and effort for migration of

content from PDF, Microsoft Word and HTML formats into XML 

Altova (http://www.altova.com), the industry leader in XML editing tools software and CambridgeDocs (http://www.cambridgedocs.com), a leader in the emerging market for XML-based content integration, today announced the xDoc Plug-in, a tool for migrating unstructured content from legacy sources, including Microsoft Word, HTML, and Adobe PDF documents, directly into Altova's XMLSPY. The XML content can then be further edited, transformed or transmitted via a web service from within the XMLSPY development environment.

The combined solution is the first step in helping businesses transform volumes of pre-existing unstructured HTML, PDF and Microsoft Word documents into industry standard XML document formats, such as DocBook XML, LegalXML, NewsML, HR-XML, SCORM, and other customer-specific schemas. The resulting XML content can be efficiently stored in a wide variety of content management systems, databases and XML repositories, enabling multi-channel publishing, and syndication via Web Services.

The xDoc Plug-in for XMLSPY creates a new "on-ramp" to the CambridgeDocs XML Content Backbone. XMLSPY users would be able to select "Open From Microsoft Word", "Open From HTML", "Open From PDF" or from any other supported format, and have the documents automatically converted into XML, along with an appropriate XSLT stylesheet required to view the XML as a well-formatted document. The familiar and powerful XMLSPY user interface can then be used to manipulate the XML, transform it using XSLT or publish in various formats, either programmatically or interactively, depending on the customers need. The xDoc Plug-in comes with a set of generic "conversion" rules to define how the conversion takes place.

Traditional approaches to converting content into XML require workers to manually retype thousands of documents or require senior developers to write custom code or PERL scripts in a "one-off" fashion. The combined Altova & CambridgeDocs solution reduces the time and expense associated with migrating existing content (e.g. Word, HTML or PDF) into XML.

"CambridgeDocs is very pleased to provide integration with XMLSPY, the tool of choice for organizations utilizing XML. Most organizations have tremendous intellectual investment locked-up in hundreds of thousands of unstructured documents formatted in Word, PDF and HTML. This integration now allows XMLSPY users to access and re-use that intellectual capital," commented Irfan Virk, CEO of CambridgeDocs.

"Translating documents to XML without expensive conversion projects enables easy reuse and redeployment of valuable content. The xDoc Plug-in lets application and content developers leverage XMLSPY to exploit new uses of existing information. These applications will give end users unparalleled access to information that was previously locked away in single use or proprietary content storage formats," said Alexander Falk, President of Altova.

"In addition, since XML is able to completely separate content from presentation, and hence allow the same content to be displayed in HTML, PDF, or other formats new documents can be quickly assembled from existing disparate content. The benefit to those organizations adopting XML is to significantly reduce authoring and publishing costs and to share content across organizations using Web Services", added Virk.

The xDoc Plug-in for XMLSPY is one piece of CambridgeDocs' strategy for providing Content Interoperability via the CambridgeDocs XML Content BackBone. The CambridgeDocs XML Content Backbone is a middleware platform that allows for the sharing, indexing, migration, repurposing, and delivery of content between numerous legacy formats and a variety of enterprise content systems. For more on the CambridgeDocs XML Content Backbone, please visit www.cambridgedocs.com.

Availability

The xDoc Plug-in is a Java 2 platform engine and it works on Windows 2000 and Windows XP. The application can be downloaded for immediate evaluation and purchase from www.cambridgedocs.com. For more information about the xDoc Plug-in for XMLSPY 5, visit: http://www.cambridgedocs.com/products_xmlspyplugin.htm

Altova's XMLSPY 5 is available for free trial download at www.altova.com/download, or for purchase from the Altova Online Shop at www.altova.com/order.

About Altova

Altova, Inc. is a leading provider of XML software solutions with offices in Beverly, MA and Vienna, Austria. The privately held company was founded in 1992 and has been actively involved in the XML market from the early conception of Extensible Markup Language. Altova's XMLSPY 5 is the leading choice of Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies. Altova's XMLSPY 5 product line is the world's best-selling XML tool and has won the leading industry awards including PC Magazine's Editor's Choice Award and Best Product of 2002. Altova is a technology partner with the world's leading software companies including Microsoft, Oracle, IONA, and Software AG. Altova is a member of the W3C and WS-I. Visit Altova on the web at http://www.altova.com.

About CambridgeDocs

CambridgeDocs is a leader in the emerging market for XML-based content integration. This market deals with the integration of legacy content with new XML-based systems (e.g. Content Management, Enterprise Information Portals, EAI, and Web Services) and standards (e.g. DocBook, HRXML, RIXML, IRXML, FPML, DAS-XML, NewsML, any custom XML schema/DTD's, etc.).

Towards this end, CambridgeDocs provides a technology platform & services for taking existing unstructured and semi-structured internal and external content (e.g. MS Word, HTML, PDF, Quark, etc.), and transforming it into "meaningful XML". Once transformed, the content can be made available for delivery through XML-based Web Services, classified and indexed within Enterprise Information Portals, and aggregated, assembled and published in multiple different formats including support for wireless and mobile devices.