ORACLE CORP. OUT WITH COMPREHENSIVE XML DEVELOPER KIT AND SUPPORT PROGRAM: Oracle One Of 1st To Offer Supported Kit For Developing XML- Enabled Applications.

Oracle Corp. has announced immediate availability of the beta version of Oracle XML Developer's Kit -- bundled components, tools and utilities for building and deploying XML-enabled applications to create and maintain e-business marketplaces. The Redwood Shores, Calif., software maker is also establishing an XML support program to help ensure speedy deployments of XML business-to-business infrastructures.

The Oracle XML Developer's Kit (Oracle XDK), available for developers working in a variety of programming languages, includes the following:

* XML Parsers: supporting Java, C, C++ and PL/SQL, the components create and parse XML using industry standard DOM and SAX interfaces.

* XML Processor: transforms or renders XML into other text-based formats such as HTML.

* XML Class Generator: automatically generates Java and C++ classes to send XML data from Web forms or applications.

* XML Transviewer Java Beans: visually view and transform XML documents and data via Java components.

"XML has become crucial to business-to-business e-commerce," says Anne Thomas Manes, a senior analyst at Patricia Seybold Group. "While other companies only offer shareware and trial XML components, Oracle is one of the first to provide a supported and licensed XML development kit for building and deploying XML-enabled applications."

In order to provide first-class support to Internet developers, Oracle says its XML support experts will provide both phone and Web-based support for Oracle XDK. Support will be free of charge to those with a current maintenance agreement for the Oracle database or Oracle Application Server. Standalone support for Oracle XDK may also be purchased online via the Oracle Store at http://store.oracle.com.

"Because XML is the Internet standard for information exchange, Oracle XDK will benefit any e-business that wants its data to become as portable and open as its Internet applications," says Jeremy Burton, vice president of Oracle Internet Platform Marketing. "Oracle XDK, which has already XML-enabled Oracle tools, applications and Oracle Internet Platform, completes Oracle's offering for a scalable, available, reliable infrastructure for a successful e-business."

The beta version of Oracle XDK is available for free via the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) at http://technet.oracle.com. The production version is scheduled to be available by the end of the year.

In related news, Oracle will acquire Carleton Corp., an early innovator of data quality and mainframe data extraction software for customer- focused data warehousing applications, for $8.7 million in cash.

The Carleton buy enhances Oracle Warehouse, a popular solution for data warehousing and e-business intelligence applications. Carleton's software will become part of Oracle Warehouse Builder, a framework for designing, generating and loading enterprise data warehouses, data marts and e-business intelligence applications. As part of Oracle Warehouse Builder, Oracle says Carleton's Pure*Integrate software will create a "consistent, consolidated view of customer data by using name and address data cleansing and validation capabilities to identify unique customers and households used in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) e-Business applications."

Carleton's Pure*Extract software will accelerate the process of preparing information for a data warehouse by integrating vast quantities of data from many different sources, including more than forty mainframe and legacy database systems such as VSAM, IMS, and DB/2.

Oracle also said last week it has teamed up with Autodesk Inc. on development of mobile "point-of-work" solutions based on Oracle8i Lite and Autodesk MapGuide technology. Code-named Project Maui, Oracle says it is the first mobile technology to deliver enterprise asset management data to field technicians and engineers via handheld devices such as those made for the Palm Computing and Windows CE platforms. Autodesk and Oracle will preview a mobile application for the telecommunications industry at Oracle OpenWorld in Los Angeles later this week.