Document publishing specialist Arbortext Inc introduces its long-
awaited XML publishing system this week as Epic, the enterprise product
information chain. Epic is designed to enable companies to create,
manage and share product documentation internally, with suppliers and
customers using the XML extensible markup language. Arbortext is one of
handful of companies that sell internal document publishing systems for
use within large organizations that implement the ISO-standardized
Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). XML is effectively a next-
generation, web-enabled version of SGML and is regarded as the successor
to HTML. Arbortext Epic will convert content from most sources into a
form that can be managed and edited by a variety of repositories and
versioning applications including Documentum, FileNet and PC DOCS
document management systems; Chrystal, Poet, Texcel and Xyvision change
management systems; as well as Sherpa and Metaphase and Rational. Epic
pulls data from the repository into XML docum ents and delivers them to
users. In addition to being web-enabled XML provides a more dynamic set
of tools for using content within documents and is less
layout-intensive. The key technology is Epic's ability to create
custom documents based upon profiles, provide searching, access to
different views and to attach comments. It's designed to create
product documentation for marketing, manufacturing, training, support,
operating and servicing. Arbortext wants to be able to counts itself as
a player in the engineering and manufacturing production systems space,
specifically in what it calls the product information chain sector.
Other sectors in the space include supply chain management, CAE,
document management and software configuration it figures. Arbortext
counts AT&T and Guidant among early adopters of Epic which ships
November 30. It costs from $85,000 for 15 developers and 50 users.
Average installs are expected to be in the $250,000 range. It's
aiming Epic at middle market $100m-plus companies. It expects its
existing SGML products, for which it has 250 customers, to remain its
core revenue earner for at least another two years. It's going to
be some time before all of the browsers get around to supporting the
nascent XML W3C standard in any case. In addition to supporting XML
within current HTML browsers Arbortext expects dedicated embedded XML
browsers to be available. It's thinking about unbundling its XML
document creation and profiling engine for OEM licensing. The
privately-held company is up to 150 staff. It counts Interleaf as its
closest competition but says the company hasn't yet delivered its
XML solution. It's opened a UK office in London and is looking for
a managing director.
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