Object Design Announces First Tool For Creating Data-Driven Web Applications Using XML
Object Design Announces First Tool For Creating Data-Driven Web Applications Using XML XML Object Manager Lets Companies Add Dynamic Processing To Web Applications Quickly and Easily BURLINGTON, MA, August 17, 1998 -- Object Design, Inc. (Nasdaq: ODIS - news), a leading provider of enterprise and embedded data management solutions, today announced the XML Object Manager, a new database development tool that enables software developers to create highly interactive eXtensible Markup Language (XML)-based Web applications. XML is an emerging universal data transfer standard from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The XML Object Manager uses Object Design's ObjectStore as an XML application database. ObjectStore, the industry's leading object database management system (ODBMS), powers many of the world's largest and most successful Internet applications. Developers can use the XML Object Manager to add dynamic data processing to their Internet applications without having to master technologies such as COM, DCOM and CORBA. Virtually any Web professional can use the XML Object Manager to add features such as data entry, queries and personalization to ObjectStore-driven Web sites by using simple document type definition (DTD) for defining the database, and hypertext markup language (HTML) and XML extensions for accessing and updating the data. ``There has been a lot of talk about XML on the client side, but what makes the XML Object Manager unique is that it supports XML all the way back to the server,'' said JP Morgenthal, president of NC.Focus, an application integration consultancy. ``Server-side XML is going to become an increasingly important topic in the coming months as more companies realize that XML is not just about document data, but also application data. XML Object Manager is one of the first manifestations of this emerging trend.'' The XML Object Manager was used to develop and deploy an ObjectStore- based timecard approval application for Siemens Communication Systems. This intranet application services more than 7,000 employees at multiple locations throughout the United States and seamlessly interfaces with legacy directory databases and payroll systems. ``XML Object Manager has enabled Siemens to be one of the first companies in the world to reap the benefits of XML,'' said Pat Nocero, director of accounting services for Siemens Business Communication Systems. ``We expect our new timecard application to save Siemens significant dollars with reduced error rates and increased productivity. Furthermore, it will be extremely easy for us to expand the application in the future without increasing our support and maintenance costs.'' Developers using XML Object Manager benefit from ObjectStore's Cache- Forward(TM) architecture, which allows them to cache locally their XML data in the middle-tier with the application server or Web server, thus eliminating the need for applications to access back-end databases with every query. This greatly reduces traffic to those databases and results in far greater scalability and faster performance than can be achieved using traditional data management solutions. ``The XML Object Manager gives customers a server-side solution for using XML, which means faster time to market and superior performance,'' said Larry Alston, vice president of marketing for Object Design, Inc. ``While most vendors are just beginning to look at XML, Object Design is already delivering a solution that will help customers incorporate XML into their Web applications today.'' Pricing and Availability XML Object Manager will be available Sept. 1 from Object Design and its distributors. Pricing begins at $3,500. About Object Design, Inc. Object Design, Inc. (http://www.objectdesign.com), a leading provider of enterprise and embedded data management solutions, develops and markets the ObjectStore database management system and related tools, and the ObjectStore PSE Pro line of small-footprint embedded databases. ObjectStore, with its unique Cache-Forward database architecture, is used by customers in a wide variety of industries to build and deploy component- based computing applications. The company backs its products with comprehensive training, services, and support. Headquartered in Burlington, Mass., Object Design sells and supports its products through branch offices across the U.S., international subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Japan and Australia, and a worldwide network of distributors. NOTE: Object Design, the Object Design logo, ObjectStore, Leadership by Design, and Object Exchange are registered trademarks of Object Design, Inc., and Cache-Forward is a trademark of Object Design, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.