New Release of Bluestone Visual-XML Expands XML Integration Options, Eases Application Customization - Bluestone Software's Bluestone Visual-XML 1.1 application development software - Product Announcement

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, Nov 15, 1999

Bluestone Software, Inc., a leading provider of Enterprise Interaction Management software, Tuesday announced the general availability of Bluestone Visual-XML 1.1, the latest release of the company's approachable and easy-to-use toolkit for building XML applications. The new version expands XML options for intra- and inter-company integration and simplifies customization of dynamic XML applications. In doing so, Bluestone Visual-XML 1.1 provides easier application and data integration for users of Bluestone XML Suite, the company's integration server framework, and Total-e-Business, Bluestone's comprehensive e-business solution that includes XML Suite as its integration server component.

"XML is emerging as the application integration standard for loosely coupled systems," said John H. Capobianco, senior vice president of worldwide marketing for Bluestone. "Bluestone Visual-XML supports the flexibility inherent in XML by giving Bluestone customers an integration platform that supports any XML interaction, regardless of the underlying DTD or document type, while providing access to a growing array of device types, such as Web-enabled cell phones, pagers, and palm top devices."

Enhancements to Bluestone Visual-XML focus on expanding the reach of XML to customers, partners, and systems, as well as expediting the customization of XML-driven business systems to let users quickly respond to changing business requirements. Bluestone Visual-XML's new transformation engine and dynamic XML Stylesheet Language (XSL) engine combine to support a wide range of XML documents, DTDs, client devices, and user display preferences, while the new Universal Listener Framework (ULF) Console gives users point-and-click control over ULF services.

For Project.net, Inc., the innovative provider of hosted business-to-business project relationship management products and services, Bluestone Visual-XML's dynamic XSL engine will enable the company to easily personalize XML pages, based on the role each user plays in a given project. Senior project managers may have read-and-write access to all fields within an XML "task" document, while junior project team members have read-only access to the task's start date and deadline.

"Bluestone's support for XSL will also let our users access Project.net from a wide variety of mobile devices in the field," said Roger Bly, founder and CEO of Project.net. "That kind of expanded access is a genuine value-add for our relationship management service, because it expedites project management communications and decisions, enabling our clients to deliver their projects on time and on budget." Extending the Integration Standard

Companies, such as Automotive Resources International (ARI), have identified and embraced XML as its systems integration technology of choice. "We have tested Bluestone Visual-XML and feel it will complement our continued use of Bluestone's XML products," said Bill Kwelty, manager of customer information services for ARI. To create a global business presence, the fleet leasing company is integrating information systems from its global partners to establish an instantaneous, unified view of each ARI customer's global fleet operations. "XML lets us easily integrate dozens of disparate partner systems, without writing code for each and every one," continued Kwelty. "By establishing that single, seamless view of all relevant customer information from ARI and ARI partner systems, we can improve service for our customers and for our partners, without creating a cumbersome, expensive infrastructure."

Going forward, Bluestone customers will be able to expand their integration efforts and implement additional XML functionality.

Details of several key features in Bluestone Visual-XML 1.1 include:

-- Transformation Engine -- Bluestone Visual-XML incorporates a transformation engine that performs XML-to-XML document translations and DTD-to-DTD translations. Particularly valuable for a company communicating with customers and partners via disparate DTDs and documents, the transformation engine maps the incoming XML documents to the company's own format. Outbound documents are likewise mapped to the preferred DTD or document style of the customer or partner. By supporting this variety, the transformation engine expands e-business opportunities without imposing a rigid format on partners and customers or asking them to abandon their investments in alternative XML standards.

-- Dynamic XSL Engine -- The dynamic XSL engine uses stylesheets to let companies distribute XML documents to any defined device, including Web phones, pagers, Palm Pilots, as well as PCs. Simultaneously, the stylesheet lets a company customize the functionality, as well as the look-and-feel of the XML document on a per-user or per-device basis. Using the dynamic XSL engine, companies can personalize and increase the reach of their XML applications by integrating new devices into their e-business operations.