# Friday, 07 April 2017
Stylus Studio XSLT Back-mapping
posted on Friday, 07 April 2017 08:56:34 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Tuesday, 18 October 2016
Stylus Scoop - X16 is Here!
Support for XML Converter Generic Dialect

Adding Support for XML Converter Generic Dialect in Stylus Studio


This month's Scoop features a new tutorial on converting various file formats. We always strive to create content relative to you! If you have any suggestions for tutorials or new features, never hesitate to contact us.


Stylus Studio EDI To XML module has been enhanced to support the new XML Converter Generic Dialect which is designed to facilitate conversions of a variety of file formats (fixed-width and line oriented), using an EDI based approach which breaks a format into messages, segments and elements.



Read the Tutorial

New Video Tab Separated Data to XML with Grouping


We love sharing new videos. Watch our latest to learn how to map tab separated data to XML with grouping in Stylus Studio XML Enterprise Suite.



Watch the Video

Technology Consultant Loves, Recommends Stylus Studio


In a recent email, a consultant outlined reasons why Stylus Studio is a "gem" and the ideal toolset for the client's needs. "Converting from EDI to XML is a snap."



Read the Full Story

Upgrade to Stylus Studio X16


Get the latest Stylus Studio. We offer aggressive upgrade discounts to make sure all our users can utilize the best, most powerful version of Stylus Studio. To request an upgrade from an older license, contact us today.



Upgrade Now
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View the trademarks, service marks, or registered trademarks of DataDirect Technologies in the U.S. and other countries. Any other trademarks or service marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.


posted on Tuesday, 18 October 2016 16:06:20 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Tuesday, 12 July 2016
Stylus Studio Customer Story

Customer Story - Technology Consultant Loves, Recommends Stylus Studio


In this month's Scoop, we're happy to share an actual email sent from a consultant/developer to a client. In this email, the consultant outlines specific reasons why Stylus Studio is a "gem" and the ideal toolset for the client's needs. "Converting from EDI to XML is a snap." Click the button below to read the full customer story.


If you have a story about your experience with Stylus Studio or a suggestion for future articles, please let us know. We love sharing information relative and interesting to the Stylus Studio community.



Read the Full Story

Stylus Studio X16 Is Now Available!


Stylus Studio X16 brings the muscle. Built for the latest multicore technology and featuring 64-bit support, X16 handles massive files and delivers powerful processing.



Download X16 

Discounted Upgrade to X16


Still running an older version of Stylus Studio? You can upgrade to the powerful, new Stylus Studio X16 at special discounted pricing. Just contact us with your existing license information to find out what options are available.



Contact Us Now 



posted on Tuesday, 12 July 2016 17:18:29 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Tuesday, 31 May 2016
Check out the latest video from the Stylus Studio Team:

Tutorial: Tab Separated Data to XML with Grouping

posted on Tuesday, 31 May 2016 14:50:12 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Wednesday, 25 May 2016
Stylus Studio X16 is Here

Stylus Studio X16 Is Now Available!


It's one of our biggest releases ever! X16 includes support for the latest multicore hardware, 64-bit support, a new SQL Editor, a new, powerful Generic Converter, support for the latest Saxon release and more.

64-bit Power


Stylus Studio X16 brings the muscle. Built for the latest multicore technology and featuring 64-bit support, X16 handles massive files and delivers powerful processing.



Download Now

New SQL Editor


X16's new SQL Editor features SQL syntax recognition and coloring, a scalable grid and database schema tree, and bult-in connectivity to Microsoft SQL Server, oracle, MySQL, and DB2.



Download Now

Buy Stylus Studio X16 Today


Get the latest and greatest Stylus Studio right now at the same fantastic prices. Stylus Studio Enterprise Suite and Professional Suite come packed with developer tools and features to give you the ultimate value.



Buy Now
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View the trademarks, service marks, or registered trademarks of DataDirect Technologies in the U.S. and other countries. Any other trademarks or service marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.


posted on Wednesday, 25 May 2016 09:57:21 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Saturday, 23 April 2016


Some time you may need to wrap text node in a CDATA section as part of your XQuery development. For example say you need to generate the following document


<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<sf:Resource xmlns:sf="http://www.canadapost.ca/smartflow" contentID="PAYMENT">
<![CDATA[
        <payment-data>
           <account-number>bar</account-number>
            <total-due>bar</total-due>             <due-date>bar</due-date>         </payment-data> ]]></sf:Resource>

The following query makes use of a processor specific XQuery option called ddtek:serialize 

Notice the syntax to define an expanded QName with namespace is { {uri} local-name }  which is different from what is erroneously described in the XQuery Tips & Tricks 

The second takeaway is how the content inside sf:Resource needs to be escaped text to produce the required result

declare namespace sf="http://www.canadapost.ca/smartflow";
declare option ddtek:serialize "omit-xml-declaration=no,encoding=UTF-8,indent=yes,cdata-section-elements={{http://www.canadapost.ca/smartflow}Resource}";
declare variable $foo := "bar";
<sf:Resource contentID="PAYMENT">
   &lt;payment-data&gt;
       &lt;account-number&gt;{ $foo }&lt;/account-number&gt;
       &lt;total-due&gt;{ $foo }&lt;/total-due&gt;
       &lt;due-date&gt;{ $foo }&lt;/due-date&gt;
   &lt;/payment-data&gt;
</sf:Resource>


Multiple CDATA sections are declared using ; as separator


cdata-section-elements="{{http://www.canadapost.ca/smartflow}Resource};{{http://www.canadapost.ca/smartflow}Foo}"




posted on Saturday, 23 April 2016 17:58:32 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Acrobat Reader Error
posted on Wednesday, 26 August 2015 15:41:54 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Monday, 17 August 2015
Save 25% on Stylus Studio


Hey there,

Ryan Andrews from the Stylus Studio team here. I wanted to send you a quick email and let you know about a "Super Summer Sale" we are currently running for users who recently downloaded a free trial of Stylus Studio - the advanced XML Integrated Development Environment (XML IDE).

This offer gets you 25% Off on Stylus Studio Licenses and AUP. All you have to do is click one of the links below to buy, or use the code - Summer25 - on the online store at www.stylusstudio.com. This offer expires August 28th.


Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 Enterprise Suite
Save 25% Now »

Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 Professional Suite
Save 25% Now »

Please email me if you have any questions or would like to take advantage of this special, limited-time offer.

Sincerely,

Ryan Andrews
Stylus Studio Team
ryan.andrews@ivitechnologies.com


Offer valid on new, full, standard priced licenses of Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 Professional and Enterprise Edition. Discount on AUP only valid when purchased with new licenses of Stylus Studio on the Stylus Studio online store. This offer cannot be combined with any other offer. Offer only valid on Stylus Studio online store.

posted on Monday, 17 August 2015 09:37:52 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Wednesday, 29 July 2015
Stylus Scoop July 2015
Stylus Scoop
 
July 2015 - XML Pipeline Server Implemented for Money Laundering Prevention

This month's Stylus Scoop offers a compelling customer story featuring IVI Technologies XML Pipeline Server. Learn how IVI Technologies XML Pipeline Server was implemented at a prominent financial institution in Namibia as a data processing and delivery platform to assist in money laundering prevention.

XML Pipeline Server is a highly scalable server that automates data conversion, validation, transformations, report and document generation from/to a variety of data sources. For more information on XML Pipeline Server, contact the IVI Technologies team today.

 
 
Enterprise Data Processing & Delivery

IVI Technologies XML Pipeline Server was recently implemented to process csv files and transform them into the required XML formatting. Read the full customer story on our website.

Standard Bank

 
Modernizing an Old Fax Based Order System

This recent customer story shows how XML Pipeline Server helped transform an outdated and error prone order system into a streamlined solution. Read the full customer story here.

XML Pipeline Server

 
1.21.15
GenPro Case Study
A brand new case study on how Genpro, Inc. built a data warehouse with Stylus Studio XML Pipeline Server and services from IVI Technologies.
 
2.11.15
Enhanced License Management
Recent updates to Stylus Studio have brought improved license management particularly helpful for larger organizations with numerous workstations and developers.
 

Download Stylus Studio

Connect with Stylus

SSDN

 

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Copyright © 2015 IVI Technologies Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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View the trademarks, service marks, or registered trademarks of DataDirect Technologies in the U.S. and other countries. Any other trademarks or service marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

      
posted on Wednesday, 29 July 2015 09:32:57 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Tuesday, 19 May 2015

As summer approaches, the Stylus Studio team continues to work on powerful solutions and enhancements for our XML community. This month, we are featuring a great customer story that highlights XML Pipeline Server and how it helped modernize a custom order taking process.

If you aren't familiar with this enterprise level product, we encourage you to learn more about the XML Pipeline Server data processing solutions that the Stylus Studio team has to offer.

Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 is the most powerful and feature-rich version of Stylus Studio ever! If you have not yet tried the latest version or would like to upgrade from an older version of Stylus Studio, please contact us.

 
 
Modernizing an Old Fax Based Order System

This customer story shows how XML Pipeline Server helped transform an outdated and error prone order system into a streamlined solution. Read the full customer story here.

XML Pipeline Server

 
Genpro, Inc. - Customer Case Study

Check out a brand new case study on how Genpro, Inc. built a data warehouse with Stylus Studio XML Pipeline Server and services from IVI Technologies. Read the full case study on our website.

GenPro Case Study

 
2.11.15
Enhanced License Management
Recent updates to Stylus Studio have brought improved license management particularly helpful for larger organizations with numerous workstations and developers.
 
5.07.14
Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 Is Now Available
IVI Technologies announced the immediate availability of the Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 XML Enterprise Suite. Read the full press release.
 

Download Stylus Studio

Connect with Stylus

SSDN


posted on Tuesday, 19 May 2015 11:21:06 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Tuesday, 21 April 2015
Stylus Scoop
 
April 2015 - Mapping Farmers' Markets in Google Earth using XSLT

In this month's Scoop, we are featuring a tutorial on mapping farmer's market locations on Google Earth using XSLT. This interesting article showcases the power of Stylus Studio.

If you missed our recent customer story, we encourage you to read the full article and learn more about the XML Pipeline Server data processing solutions that the Stylus Studio team has to offer.

Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 is the most powerful and feature-rich version of Stylus Studio ever! If you have not yet tried the latest version or would like to upgrade from an older version of Stylus Studio, please contact us.

 
 
Mapping on Google Earth with XSLT

This fascinating archive includes an interesting document entitled "Farmers' Markets Geographic Data". We converted the report to a format that can be rendered on a map and easily determine the location farmer's markets. Read the tutorial here.

Google Earth using XSLT

 
Genpro, Inc. - Customer Case Study

Check out a brand new case study on how Genpro, Inc. built a data warehouse with Stylus Studio XML Pipeline Server and services from IVI Technologies. Read the full case study on our website.

GenPro Case Study

 
2.11.15
Enhanced License Management
Recent updates to Stylus Studio have brought improved license management particularly helpful for larger organizations with numerous workstations and developers.
 
5.07.14
Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 Is Now Available
IVI Technologies announced the immediate availability of the Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 XML Enterprise Suite. Read the full press release.
 

Download Stylus Studio

Connect with Stylus

SSDN

 

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Copyright © 2015 IVI Technologies Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This message was sent because you have expressed interest in Stylus Studio through the Stylus Studio website. In accordance with our Privacy Policy, if you would prefer not to receive further notifications or email communications of this type, please go to the following web page and update your subscription profile, or contact us through postal mail at: IVI Technologies Inc., c/o Stylus Studio Consumer Affairs Office, 8672 SW 40 Street, Suite 206, Miami, FL,33155, USA.

View the trademarks, service marks, or registered trademarks of DataDirect Technologies in the U.S. and other countries. Any other trademarks or service marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

      
posted on Tuesday, 21 April 2015 09:37:59 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Stylus Studio - 25% Off
Save 25% on Stylus Studio Licenses and AUP
Stylus Studio - XML IDE XML Development
Stylus Studio - Get 25% Off
X15 R2 Enterprise Edition
695
X15 R2 Professional Edition
450
Stylus Studio - XML IDE, XQuery, EDI, XSLT

25% Off Licenses and AUP

Can ou feel it? Is the harsh winter finally ending? We think so. Warm up with savings on Licences and Annual Upgrade Protection (AUP). Use the Code Get25Now on the Stylus Studio Online Store at www.stylusstudio.com to Get 25% Off licenses and AUP.

Offer Ends March 25th

Offer valid on new, full, standard priced licenses of Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 Professional and Enterprise Edition. Discount on AUP only valid when purchased with new licenses of Stylus Studio on the Stylus Studio online store. This offer cannot be combined with any other offer. Offer only valid on Stylus Studio online store.

Don't want anymore emails? Go to the Unsubscribe Page


Copyright © 2015 IVI Technologies Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This message was sent because you have expressed interest in Stylus Studio through the Stylus Studio website. In accordance with our Privacy Policy, if you would prefer not to receive further notifications or email communications of this type, please go to the following web page and update your subscription profile, or contact us through postal mail at: IVI Technologies Inc., c/o Stylus Studio Consumer Affairs Office, 8672 SW 40 Street, Suite 206, Miami, FL,33155, USA.

View the trademarks, service marks or registered trademarks of DataDirect Technologies in the U.S. and other countries. Any other trademarks or service marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

posted on Wednesday, 18 March 2015 09:00:35 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Wednesday, 11 February 2015

Recent updates to Stylus Studio XML Editor have brought improved license management. Based on feedback and requests from our user community, these new features are particularly helpful for larger organizations with numerous workstations and developers utilizing Stylus Studio at the same time.

If your company adds a new machine or needs to transfer a license from one computer to another, it can be done without contacting the Stylus Studio support team.


License Transferring

There are two methods for deactivating a Stylus Studio license on a computer. This is necessary before activating the XML Editor’s license on another computer. To learn more about deactivating licenses and transferring licenses to other machines, read the full bog post on “Transferring Licenses Between Machines” here.


Uninstaller in Silent Mode

Silent-mode uninstallation allows you to define configurations in one place and then use the configurations to uninstall across multiple computer. During uninstallation in silent mode, the program will read your configuration file and follows it as a guide. This method is useful for larger companies who need to do a mass or continuous uninstall.

For a guide on “How To Run Stylus Studio Uninstaller in Silent Mode” please read the detailed blog post found here.


Older License Keys

If you are running an older Stylus Studio release (prior to X15 Release 2) and need to reset your key, you can reset it here.


Feature Requests

We would love to hear from you. If you have ideas or suggestions for future enhancements to Stylus Studio XML IDE, please contact us and let us know. Our goal is to continually provide the best XML Development environment possible.

posted on Wednesday, 11 February 2015 14:43:09 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Monday, 09 February 2015
License keys can only be registered on one computer at a time. If you need to move Stylus Studio to a new workstation, your Stylus Studio license key will need to be reset. You can reset it at this page: http://www.stylusstudio.com/reset/.
posted on Monday, 09 February 2015 14:41:09 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Stylus Scoop
 
January 2015 - Customer Case Study

Customer stories are our favorite thing to share with the Stylus Studio community. In this month's Scoop, we are featuring a Genpro, Inc. case study which discusses an XML Pipeline Server solution implemented by the Stylus Studio team for the company's data warehouse. We encourage you to read the full story and learn more about the data processing solutions that the Stylus Studio team has to offer.

Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 is the most powerful and feature-rich version of Stylus Studio ever! If you have not yet tried the latest version or would like to upgrade from an older version of Stylus Studio, please contact us.

 
 
Genpro, Inc. - Customer Case Study

Check out a brand new case study on how Genpro, Inc. built a data warehouse with Stylus Studio XML Pipeline Server and services from IVI Technologies. Read the full case study on our website.

 
Tell Us What You Think

We are always working to make Stylus Studio even better. If you have ideas for future enhancements you want to see in Stylus Studio, we want to hear from you. Contact Us Now

 
11.18.14
Extending XSLT with Java and C#
If the world was perfect, all data you have to process would be in XML and the only transformation language you would have to learn would XSLT.
 
5.07.14
Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 Is Now Available
IVI Technologies announced the immediate availability of the Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 XML Enterprise Suite. Read the full press release.
 

 
posted on Wednesday, 21 January 2015 09:18:29 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Monday, 01 December 2014

Monday, December 1st Only!

Use the Code CYBR2014 on the Stylus Studio Online Store (below) at www.stylusstudio.com to get 30% Off licenses. Offer valid on new, full, standard priced licenses of Stylus Studio X15 Professional and Enterprise Editions.

posted on Monday, 01 December 2014 11:13:19 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Friday, 31 October 2014
Today, Friday, October 31st is the final day of the Spooky Good Savings sale. Get Stylus Studio XML Development Suite licenses and AUP at 25% Off on the Stylus Studio Store.

Use the coupon code 2014Spooky to save now!

Offer valid on new, full, standard priced licenses of Stylus Studio X15 Professional and Enterprise Editions. Annual Upgrade Protection (AUP) can be added to your order at 25% off. AUP allows you to continually get the latest version of Stylus Studio at no additional cost for the next 12 months and AUP can be renewed each year. Discount on AUP only offered when purchased with new license(s).


posted on Friday, 31 October 2014 08:40:08 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Tuesday, 28 October 2014

Offer Extended Due to Popular Demand!

Offer Ends October 31st!

Use the Code 2014Spooky on the Stylus Studio Online Store (below) at www.stylusstudio.com to get 25% Off your licenses and AUP. Offer valid on new, full, standard priced licenses of Stylus Studio X15 Professional and Enterprise Editions. Annual Upgrade Protection (AUP) can be added to your order at 25% off. AUP allows you to continually get the latest version of Stylus Studio at no additional cost for the next 12 months and AUP can be renewed each year. Discount on AUP only offered when purchased with new license(s).

posted on Tuesday, 28 October 2014 13:03:57 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Wednesday, 07 May 2014
 
May 2014 - X15 Release 2 is Here!
The Stylus Studio team is very excited to share the latest and greatest version of Stylus Studio with you. Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 adds support for the latest in XML technologies while increasing performance and productivity.

Read and click the links below to find out more about Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 including features, availability and more.

 
 
X15 Release 2

Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 is now available. This latest update includes Saxon 9.5.1.4, DataDirect XQuery 5.0.0.0774, Apache FOP 1.1 integration, major performance enhancements through support for Oracle Java 1.8, and more. See all of the details on this update on our website.

 
AUP Subscribers

Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 is available free of charge to all active Stylus Studio AUP Subscribers. To download X15 Release 2, Click Here. If you are not an AUP subscriber, you can learn more about AUP on our website.

 
5.07.14
Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 Is Now Available
IVI Technologies announced the immediate availability of the Stylus Studio X15 Release 2 XML Enterprise Suite. Read the full press release.
 
1.01.14
Visit the XML Editor Blog
The Stylus Studio team has always enjoyed publishing tutorials, insightful articles and other helpful tips for our users. Check out the blog for the latest.
 
12.12.13
See The Best Articles of the Year
Get a summary of the best Stylus Scoop articles and posts from 2013! Check out any articles you may have missed.
 

 

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Copyright © 2014 IVI Technologies Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This message was sent because you have expressed interest in Stylus Studio through the Stylus Studio website. In accordance with our Privacy Policy, if you would prefer not to receive further notifications or email communications of this type, please go to the following web page and update your subscription profile, or contact us through postal mail at: IVI Technologies Inc., c/o Stylus Studio Consumer Affairs Office, 8672 SW 40 Street, Suite 206, Miami, FL,33155, USA.

View the trademarks, service marks, or registered trademarks of DataDirect Technologies in the U.S. and other countries. Any other trademarks or service marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

      
posted on Wednesday, 07 May 2014 11:27:45 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Friday, 02 May 2014


We received an interesting question on SSDN which deserves more attentions then a simple few lines response

The original post can be found here


Here is a way to approach the problem. 

First we need to add a node with an empty pattern to the custom conversion which will catch all unexpected rows. 





Then we can build a schema from the converter's output which will be used to validate the document and to make sure no unexpected element are present.








At last we can build a simple XML pipeline which converts the fixed-width data to XML and performs validation against the schema. 








We can test the pipeline directly in Stylus Studio and when we are ready to deploy we can can just copy our project folder into XML Pipeline Server (http://www.xmlpipelineserver.com/) and we are ready to go.

XML Pipeline Server loads the pipeline and creates folder for each input and output blocks,  it monitors the folder bound to the input and triggers the pipeline execution as soon as a new file arrives.

If you like to know more about XML Pipeline Server drop us a line at stylussuport@ivitechnologies.com

Ivan Pedruzzi
Stylus Studio Team

posted on Friday, 02 May 2014 10:23:16 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Wednesday, 22 January 2014

The slideshow below is a presentation covering XML Converters. The presentation was created by Dr. Rima Kilany, Saint-Joseph University - Faculty of Engineering- ESIB.

posted on Wednesday, 22 January 2014 09:54:53 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Wednesday, 15 January 2014
The slideshow below is a presentation covering XML Pipelines. The presentation was created by Dr. Rima Kilany, Saint-Joseph University - Faculty of Engineering- ESIB.


posted on Wednesday, 15 January 2014 11:25:30 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Sunday, 22 December 2013
December 2013 - Check Out the Best Articles & Tutorials of the Year

Hello from the Stylus Studio Team!

The end of 2013 is here. It has been a great year and we are so thankful for all of our users. We have big things coming in 2014 and look forward to sharing them with you!

For this month's Scoop we are taking a look back at our favorite articles and tutorials from the past year. If you missed any of these, now is a great time to read and enjoy them.

Join Our LinkedIn Group - Check Out Our New LinkedIn Group and Discuss Stylus Studio, XML and More with other Stylus Studio Users and XML Professionals

Customer Story - MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions

MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions was looking for an XML IDE to facilitate their needs. Out of the 5% that responded to their calls, only one was able to answer all of their questions at both functional and technical levels. That was the Stylus Studio team!

Read the Full Story >
Enterprise Reporting Module - A Chat With Force 5, Inc.

We recently sat down with the architect team at Force 5, Inc. to learn how they used Stylus Studio to drastically accelerate the development and testing of a new reporting module for their Gatekeeper product.

The conversation provided insight regarding their development process and how they utilized Stylus Studio.

Read the Full Article >
Using XQuery To Generate JSON from Relational Data

This article describes how to build a simple multi-tier solution to expose relational data to a modern HTML application using JSON.

We want to expose the database through a simple REST web service interface which allows a variety of client technologies to query the data without being tightly coupled to the underlying database product.

Read the Full Article >
Keep Your Library Up-to-Date with Google Books API

Books are fundamental elements of our culture. No matter where you live or what your cultural background, we are sure that there has been at least one book that impacted your life and left great memories.

Read the Full Article >
posted on Sunday, 22 December 2013 09:33:10 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Thursday, 17 October 2013
October 2013 - 'My Gutenberg Project' & AUP Offer

Hello from the Stylus Studio Team!

You can feel it in the air. It is starting to get a little cooler outside. The Stylus Studio team can hardly believe we are already in the last few months of 2013. We hope it has been a great year for everyone. This month's Scoop features a short article written by a Stylus Studio user. The article revolves around Project Gutenberg and metadata services for libraries. We hope you enjoy it.

Additionally, we are excited to be offering a discount on Annual Upgrade Protection. To take advantage of this offer or learn more about AUP, please read below.

20% Off Annual Upgrade Protection (AUP)

X15 Owners who do not have AUP can grab it right now for 20% Off. If you have an older license (2010 - X14) contact Niki for information on pricing.

Annual Upgrade Protection (AUP) is optional coverage that ensures that you not only receive every Software Maintenance update but also any Software Upgrades we release during your AUP coverage period. With the AUP, these Stylus Studio updates and upgrades are free. You do not have to pay an additional upgrade license fee to stay current. Learn more about AUP here: http://www.stylusstudio.com/aup_faq.html

To take advantage of this great offer, send an email to Niki Peckham (niki.peckham@ivitechnologies.com) and ask her about getting 20% Off on AUP.

'My Gutenberg Project'

Dana Pearson, a Stylus Studio user, wrote a brief article on the Gutenberg Project and integrating online resources into library discovery systems. Dana is an expert in metadata services for libraries.

Dana said "The most satisfying aspects of the project were the problems that required learning something new about XSLT 2.0." Check out the full article to learn more about this great project.

Read the Full Article >
Customer Story - MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions

Stylus Studio

MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions was looking for an XML IDE to facilitate their needs. Out of the 5% that responded to their calls, only one was able to answer all of their questions at both functional and technical levels. That was the Stylus Studio team!

Read the Full Story >
How to Run Unattended Stylus Studio Install

Stylus Studio team member Ivan Pedruzzi put together a quick step-by-step post on running an unattended Stylus Studio install. This is now possible starting with Stylus Studio X15.

Read the Full Blog Post >
posted on Thursday, 17 October 2013 13:44:48 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Thursday, 29 August 2013
August 2013 - Enjoy a New Customer Story & Learn About Running an Unattended Stylus Studio Install

Hello from the Stylus Studio Team!

This month we have two great reads featured. The first is a new customer story. MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions chose Stylus Studio when looking for an enterprise-worthy XML IDE to facilitate their needs. Read their story and learn how Stylus Studio answered the call!

The second featured item is a blog post on "How to run unattended Stylus Studio install". This topic was addressed based on requests from our fantastic user base. If you have a topic you want to know more about, let us know!

Join Our New LinkedIn Group - Check Out Our New LinkedIn Group and Discuss Stylus Studio, XML and More with other Stylus Studio Users and XML Professionals


Customer Story - MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions

Stylus Studio

MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions was looking for an XML IDE to facilitate their needs. Out of the 5% that responded to their calls, only one was able to answer all of their questions at both functional and technical levels. That was the Stylus Studio team!

Read the Full Story >
How to Run Unattended Stylus Studio Install

Stylus Studio team member Ivan Pedruzzi put together a quick step-by-step guide on running an unattended Stylus Studio install. This is now possible starting with Stylus Studio X15.

Read the Full Blog Post >
Keep Your Library Up-to-Date with Google Books API

Books are fundamental elements of our culture. No matter where you live or what your cultural background, we are sure that there has been at least one book that impacted your life and left great memories.

Read the Full Article >
posted on Thursday, 29 August 2013 11:57:47 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Thursday, 11 July 2013
June/July 2013 - Enterprise Reporting Module - A Brief Chat With the Team at Force 5, Inc. About Their Enterprise Software

Hello from the Stylus Studio Team!

Summer is in full swing. Warm weather is occurring and families are traveling. Many organizations are gearing up to deliver and complete projects by the end of the year. The Stylus Studio team is also working on new and exciting things for our XML Community.

This month's Scoop features a conversation between the Stylus Studio team and the team at Force 5, Inc. Force 5 develops and delivers enterprise level compliance and security software. They recently utilized Stylus Studio to develop a reporting module for one of their products.

Join Our New LinkedIn Group - Check Out Our New LinkedIn Group and Discuss Stylus Studio, XML and More with other Stylus Studio Users and XML Professionals

 
Enterprise Reporting Module - A Chat With the Force 5, Inc. Team

We recently sat down with the architect team at Force 5, Inc. to learn how they used Stylus Studio to drastically accelerate the development and testing of a new reporting module for their Gatekeeper product.

Stylus Studio

The conversation provided insight regarding their development process and how they utilized Stylus Studio.

Read the Full Article >
Keep Your Library Up-to-Date with Google Books API

Books are fundamental elements of our culture. No matter where you live or what your cultural background, I am sure that there has been at least one book that impacted your life and left great memories.

Read the Full Article >
Using XQuery To Generate JSON from Relational Data

This article describes how to build a simple multi-tier solution to expose relational data to a modern HTML application using JSON.

Read the Full Article >
 
 
 

Awards



posted on Thursday, 11 July 2013 14:38:23 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Wednesday, 05 June 2013

We love hearing from our users. Often times, users provide us with quotes about their experience with Stylus Studio and/or working with the Stylus Studio team. Below, we have featured 3 quotes we have gotten recently from satisfied customers.



Great customer service! Thanks for providing me with a bright spot in an otherwise gray day. Keep up the good work; customer service like yours keeps customers. - Anthony Bateman, Senior Consultant, Bilot – Better Business Solutions

Thank you for what is the promptest response I've ever received from anyone I've sought remote assistance from. That did indeed help me restore my copy of Stylus Studio X14. I've configured Windows 7 to use the tool as the default application for any XML file I may open. Thank you very much for an exemplary customer service experience! - Richard Lambert, IS Project Leader

Our experience working with the Stylus Studio Team was awesome. They were patient and worked collaboratively with us to ensure that we achieved our objectives. - Onyinye Enyia, Northwestern University




If you have a Stylus Studio story you want to share with our team, we would love to hear it. Click here to let us know your story.



posted on Wednesday, 05 June 2013 09:34:29 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Monday, 21 January 2013

Due to the huge demand, this New Year Savings Event has been extended for one more week!

Use the Code 2013NewYear on the Stylus Studio Online Store at www.stylusstudio.com to get 25% Off your licenses. Offer valid on new, full, standard priced licenses of Stylus Studio X15 Professional and Enterprise Edition. This offer cannot be combined with any other offer. Offer only valid on Stylus Studio online store.

Offer Expires January 25th

It's a New Year, New Stylus and NEW SAVINGS.

Save Now >

posted on Monday, 21 January 2013 08:40:59 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Monday, 14 January 2013

It's a New Year, New Stylus and NEW SAVINGS.

Limited Time Offer! Ends January 18th

Use the Code 2013NewYear on the Stylus Studio Online Store at www.stylusstudio.com to get 25% Off your licenses. Offer valid on new, full, standard priced licenses of Stylus Studio X15 Professional and Enterprise Edition. This offer cannot be combined with any other offer. Offer only valid on Stylus Studio online store.

Save Now >



posted on Monday, 14 January 2013 15:39:31 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Tuesday, 11 December 2012
December 2012 - Stylus Studio X15 Now Available

Hello from the Stylus Studio Team!

X15! That's right. It's here. The powerful new version of Stylus Studio, the world's best XML Integrated Development Environment, is now available. X15 is packed with new features and enhancements to make the best even better. The Stylus Studio team is extremely excited to release this new version and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

The Stylus Team is also happy to show off a brand new Stylus Studio Quick Tour video. This great new video offers a quick overview featuring some of the most powerful and productive features in Stylus Studio.


X15 Is Now Available

The latest and greatest release of Stylus Studio is now available. Stylus Studio X15 Enterprise Suite's awesome new features include:

  • New HTML WYSIWYG Editor Tab
  • Real-Time HTML Editing, Results and Preview
  • Overhaul and Enhancements to Sense X - Intelligent XML Editing
  • One Click Intelligent AutoLink for XSLT and XQuery Mapping Tools
  • Support for Microsoft Windows 8
  • And More...

See the New Features Now >
NEW VIDEO - Quick Tour Video

Get a quick overview of Stylus Studio in our brand new video. This video takes you on a quick tour of the best aspects of Stylus Studio and gives you a great introduction to the power and integration offered in Stylus Studio.

Stylus Tour Video

Watch the Video Now >
Learn XQuery in 10 Minutes

last month's article

By: Dr. Michael Kay

This XQuery tutorial is for all those people who really want to know what XQuery is, but don't have the time to find out. We all know the problem: so many new technologies, so little time to research them. To be honest, I hope that you'll take more than ten minutes on this XQuery tutorial — but if you really have to leave that soon, I hope you'll learn something useful anyway. 


Read the Full Tutorial >
posted on Tuesday, 11 December 2012 14:10:50 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Thursday, 06 December 2012

Check out the new Stylus Studio Tour Video. Get a quick 7 min walkthrough of the world's most advanced XML IDE.




posted on Thursday, 06 December 2012 11:00:15 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Tuesday, 04 December 2012

Stylus Studio X15 XML Enterprise Suite is now available!

Stylus Studio X15 is the latest release of the world's most powerful XML Editor and XML Development Environment.

New Features Include:
  • New HTML WYSIWYG Editor Tab
  • Real-Time HTML Editing, Results and Preview
  • Overhaul and Enhancements to Sense X - Intelligent XML Editing
  • XSLT Editor Enhancements
  • One Click Intelligent AutoLink for XSLT and XQuery Mapping Tools
  • Support for Microsoft Windows 8, IE 10, Java 1.7



posted on Tuesday, 04 December 2012 10:57:48 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Monday, 19 November 2012

November 2012 - Learn XQuery in 10 Minutes

Hello from the Stylus Studio Team!

With the W3C XQuery working group gearing up to XQuery 3.0 and a variety of new XQuery products coming to market, we are seeing a growing interest in learning the language fundamentals and use cases, therefore this month we want to propose one of the finest introductory articles on the topic, written by Dr. Michael Kay, the editor of the W3C specification of the XSLT 2.0 language and author of best seller ‘XSLT 2.0 and XPath 2.0 Programmer's Reference'.


Cyber Monday is coming! Stay tuned to the Stylus Studio Facebook Page and Twitter Account to find out how Stylus Studio will make your Cyber Monday amazing.
 

If you like the Sylus Scoop help us get the word out! Click the "+1" button on the top of our website (next to the logo) to +1 us with your Google+ account.

Learn XQuery in 10 Minutes

By: Dr. Michael Kay

This XQuery tutorial is for all those people who really want to know what XQuery is, but don't have the time to find out. We all know the problem: so many new technologies, so little time to research them. To be honest, I hope that you'll take more than ten minutes on this XQuery tutorial — but if you really have to leave that soon, I hope you'll learn something useful anyway.

Processing Historical Data

Read the Full Tutorial >
Check Out the New Stylus Studio XML Editor Blog

The Stylus Studio team is happy to present the brand new XML Editor Blog. Visit often or subscribe via RSS to get the latest Stylus news, XML news, XML tutorials and more.

Got a suggestion for a blog entry or tutorial? We would love to hear it. Email us at stylusstudio@ivitechnologies.com with your suggestion.

Visit the Blog >
Stylus Studio Maintenance Release - Build 1893g

The Stylus Studio team has announced the release of Stylus Studio® X14 Release 2 Build 1893g. This latest maintenance release included bug fixes to handle known, user-reported issues.

See the Release Notes >
posted on Monday, 19 November 2012 13:48:38 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Monday, 29 October 2012
The Stylus Studio team is happy to announce a brief extension of the Wicked Fall Savings Event!

In true Halloween fashion, we are giving our users a few extra days to save big on Stylus Studio licenses. From now until October 31st, you can save 25% on Stylus Studio licenses.



Here are the details on the Savings Event:

Wicked is good! You have one last chance to Get 25% Off for the Wicked Fall Savings Event. This offer ends on Halloween, October 31st!

Use the Code 2012Wicked on the Stylus Studio Online Store at www.stylusstudio.com. This wicked event is only for a limited time. Take advantage today!

Offer only valid on new, full, standard priced licenses of Stylus Studio X14 Release 2 Professional and Enterprise Edition purchased on the Stylus Studio store at www.stylusstudio.com. This offer can not be combined with any other offer.

posted on Monday, 29 October 2012 09:19:20 (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Friday, 26 October 2012
October 2012 - New Blog and Maintenance Release (Build 1893g)

Hello from the Stylus Studio Team!

Wow. It is hard to believe the end of 2012 is already approaching. It has been a great year and the Stylus Studio team is happy and proud of the features and enhancements we have added in these past months. We are now extremely happy to present the brand new XML Editor Blog from the Stylus Studio team. The blog will be a centralized location to read XML news, learn about Stylus Studio updates and get the latest tutorials and articles.

If you like the Sylus Scoop help us get the word out! Click the "+1" button on the top of our website (next to the logo) to +1 us with your Google+ account. 

 
Check Out the New Stylus Studio XML Editor Blog

The Stylus Studio team is happy to present the brand new XML Editor Blog. Visit often or subscribe via RSS to get the latest Stylus news, XML news, XML tutorials and more.

Got a suggestion for a blog entry or tutorial? We would love to hear it. Email us at stylusstudio@ivitechnologies.com with your suggestion.

Visit the Blog >
Stylus Studio Maintenance Release - Build 1893g

The Stylus Studio team has announced the release of Stylus Studio® X14 Release 2 Build 1893g. This latest maintenance release included bug fixes to handle known, user-reported issues.

See the Release Notes >

posted on Friday, 26 October 2012 09:16:40 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Friday, 19 October 2012
The Stylus Studio team is officially announcing the release of Stylus Studio® X14 Release 2 Build 1893g. This latest maintenance release included bug fixes to handle known, user-reported issues.

Stylus Studio® X14 Release 2 Build 1893g includes fixes for the following known defects:

  • In the EDI to XML Editor, "Renaming XML Node" did not work properly when operating on a user defined message.
  • When associating a schema or a DTD to an XML document Stylus Studio did not always try to create a relative URL.
  • Saxon has been updated to version 9.4.0.6.
  • Updated JVM version checking to refuse version older then 1.5.

You can see release notes on all past releases here: http://www.stylusstudio.com/update/X14_R2_ReleaseNotes.html?ed=e

We always appreciate user feedback, issue reporting and feature requests. We love hearing from the Stylus Studio community. We constantly strive to make Stylus Studio the best XML Editor and XML IDE. If you have ideas, requests or need help visit the Stylus Studio Developer Network: http://www.stylusstudio.com/SSDN/
posted on Friday, 19 October 2012 09:59:52 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Thursday, 11 October 2012
The final days of the Wicked Fall Savings Event are here. You can get 25% off all licenses of Stylus Studio on the Stylus Studio online store. This special offer ends Friday, October 12. Take advantage now and save money on new licenses of the best XML Editor around.


Buy Stylus Studio Now: http://www.stylusstudio.com/buy/
posted on Thursday, 11 October 2012 14:43:47 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Monday, 08 October 2012

The Wicked Fall Savings Event is Here!

Save 25% on all Stylus Studio XML Editor licenses purchased on the Stylus Studio Store.

Limited Time Offer - Ends October 12th

Savings time is now! Just enter the coupon code Wicked2012 on the Stylus Studio Store. It is that easy to save money on the best XML Editor on the planet. But don't wait around. This event ends on October 12th. Save money right now on Stylus Studio.

Get more info about the Wicked Fall Savings Event here: http://www.stylusstudio.com/global/oct12-a.html

Offer only valid on new, full, standard priced licenses of Stylus Studio X14 Release 2 Professional and Enterprise Edition purchased on the Stylus Studio store at www.stylusstudio.com. This offer cannot be combined with any other offer.

posted on Monday, 08 October 2012 09:12:46 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Friday, 28 September 2012

We are pleased to announce a new blog on XML technologies and data processing.

Stylus Studio - XML EDITOR BLOG

We look forward to providing the XML and Stylus Studio community with more great content, tutorials and insights.


posted on Friday, 28 September 2012 20:45:38 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Tuesday, 18 September 2012

Presidential Elections, Processing Historical Data

We are approaching a new presidential election here in the US, and many are very excited to follow the evolving political trends.   The election results are very important public records which allow anyone to verify the transparency of the core process for any modern democracy.

In this article we explore how to extract election historical data, stored in a variety of data sources and use Stylus Studio in a creative manner.

We start with the 2004 election result which we have found in the text format. In the following screenshot, we see the raw flat file.

 

 

We can now convert the data using the Convert to XML module which allows us to generate an XML document with a few clicks. We use the first line in the file to create the element names.  The preview window shows the conversion result.

 

Once the data  is converted to XML we can open the document using the Stylus Studio XML editor; switching  to the Grid view allows us to easily sort the grid content using any of the column headers (right click-> Sort)

 

Now that we have full control on the data for the 2004 election results, we can move to the 2008 election. This data has been stored in a relation database; the simple diagram below illustrates the relationship between the “States” table and the “Election2008” table.

 

Our goal is to query the database and to generate an XML document which will have a similar structure to the previously converted flat file. For this task we are going to use the DataDirect XQuery engine which allows for joining the table’s data and returning an XML document.

In the following screenshot you can see how the XQuery mapping tool has been used to build a “for” statement and the collection function calls are used to access the database tables. The equal operator matches the records where the StateID is the same.

The preview window which captures the query result has been undocked to reduce the real-estate.

 

 

If you are wondering how such an approach can scale with a large database, take a peek at the query plan to discover what happens under the cover. The following screenshot reveals that the query has been translated into a SQL SELECT and it runs as fast as native SQL query.

 

In the next step, we build a report which compares the results between the two presidential candidates  state by state. The background color indicates the party who won the state.

 

 

The final step consists of chaining together what we have designed in a pipeline, which can be executed as a single unit.

 

 

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

You can download the Project Zip file by clicking here.

- Stylus Studio Team

Description:<a href= Technical Support
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posted on Tuesday, 18 September 2012 14:51:38 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [1] Trackback
# Tuesday, 24 July 2012

IVI Technologies Announces Stylus Studio X14 Release 2 Is Now Available

Latest update includes Visual Schema Designer for Relax NG, Saxon 9.4, XSLT Editor Enhancements and More


Miami, FL - July 24h, 2012 – IVI Technologies, the master distributor of Progress® DataDirect® Stylus Studio®, the award-winning XML Integrated Development Environment (IDE) from Progress Software, today announced the immediate availability of the Stylus Studio X14 Release 2 XML Enterprise Suite. This latest update includes a sophisticated Visual Schema Designer for Relax NG and support for the most recent XML technologies and standards.

The Stylus Studio product is marketed and sold through IVI Technologies. IT professionals can download a free trial of the Stylus Studio X14 XML Enterprise Edition Suite today at: http://www.stylusstudio.com/download.

"Stylus Studio X14 Release 2 provides support for the latest XML trends, including recent developments on XSLT 3.0 and XQuery 3.0 and adds a new two-way editor and visual designer for the Relax NG schema language," said Ivan Pedruzzi, Product Manager. “Thanks to a vast feature set which includes database access, legacy data conversion and transformation capabilities, Stylus Studio remains “The Developers’ Choice” for XML no matter the size or sophistication of your IT department.”

"Relax NG is often a better alternative to traditional schema languages like DTD and XML Schema but its adoption is frequently challenged by the lack of sophisticated support in XML tools. This will be no longer an obstacle, thanks to the Stylus Studio X14 Release 2,” Pedruzzi added.

Features and enhancements available in X14 Release 2 include:

New Visual Schema Designer for Relax NG

  • Synchronized split-pane interface that simultaneously shows both a visual Relax NG Diagram and the underlying code
  • Support for XML Schema built-in Simple Types
  • Support for Facets (Parameters)
  • Support for navigating local and external references in the visual diagram
  • Code folding

XSLT Editor Enhancements:

  • Saxon 9.4 - with Just-In-Time Compiler
  • In memory XSLT to byte code generation
  • Additional Support for XSLT 3.0 Working Draft
  • Added new global option to set the default XSLT version

XML Schema Editor Enhancements:

  • Saxon 9.4 Schema Processor - with Just-In-Time Compiler
  • The Saxon processor can now be used to validate XML Schemas
  • The Java built-in schema processor now can be used to validate XML Schema

New XML Converters For Java 6.2:

  • Updated support for ACORD/AL3 from 2009 to 2012
  • New and Updated URI options
  • EDI Converters fixes and enhancements

Pricing and Availability

Stylus Studio X14 Release 2 is now available for free trial download, and for purchase at the Stylus Studio online shop. Stylus Studio X14 Release 2 XML Enterprise Suite and Stylus Studio X14 Release 2 XML Professional Suite are aggressively priced. Volume discounts and competitive upgrades are also available – please visit the online shop for a complete price list. For more information about enterprise licensing, or for any questions about purchasing Stylus Studio products, contact us, or send an email to: StylusStudio@IVITechnologies.com.

About IVI Technologies

IVI Technologies is a global software reseller and a technology company representing world-class software in the integration market space. The company is the primary go-to-market vehicle for the Progress® DataDirect® Stylus Studio® offering, the industry leading XML IDE. Contact IVI Technologies via email at: stylusstudio@ivitechnologies.com or directly at: (305) 748-4155. DataDirect, Progress and Stylus Studio are trademarks or registered trademarks of Progress Software Corporation and/or its subsidiaries or affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Java and all Java-based marks are trademarks or service marks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Any other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

www.stylusstudio.com

posted on Tuesday, 24 July 2012 15:47:13 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback
# Wednesday, 13 June 2012

Life Cycle of a Purchase Order: EDI X12, XML and PDF

Most of the business transactions B to C (Business to Consumer) today are done by credit card over the web. On the B to B (Business to Business) the volume and the velocity require a different approach, where computer systems do most of the work. These systems are called supply chain networks and their job is to connect buyers and sellers electronically to exchange goods of any kind.

Supply chain networks have existed for many years but were difficult and costly to integrate, which restricted their market to the elite. Their inability to accept medium and small businesses forced a large portion of the supply chain networks out of business.

The survivors learned the lesson and started to offer a scaled down version of their services, increasing the size of their customer base. The larger the network, the greater the chance of success, especially in growing markets such as China and India.

Computer hardware evolves at a fast pace, as Moore’s law states: every two years CPU makers double the number of transistors in a silicon die, improving the lithography process. While IT organizations tend to upgrade their servers every 3 years, data architects are slow to move from time tested successful standards.  These standards provide the back bone of systems’ interoperability.

One of greatest examples of successful standards for data interchange format is Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 1996.  EDI’s goals were simple: a text based format with a well-defined structure, which allows two entities to exchange information.

The beginning of the formal definition reads: <<”the computer-to-computer interchange of strictly formatted messages that represent documents other than monetary instruments.”>>.

EDI was an instant hit. A variety of standard bodies specialized in industry verticals creating their own dialects. Here are a few examples: 

·         Accredited Standards Committee X12

·         United Nations/Electronic Data Interchange For Administration, Commerce and Transport (UN/EDIFACT)

·         Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

EDI is the legacy format that supply chain systems still use today.  Industry specific EDI dialects perform millions of transactions per day.  EDI standards boards have also come out with an XML version of the dialects but the legacy format is still the de-facto standard.

Now in order to participate in these  markets, you have to understand how to interpret EDI transactions, and how to respond to a partner.  Walmart uses EDI to allow it to scale its business, requiring all suppliers to interact with them using EDI to send documents such as Purchase Orders and Invoices. http://www.walmartstores.com/Suppliers/248.aspx

Before we start, let’s refresh our memory on  the definition of a Purchase Order. Wikipedia states:
<<”A purchase order (PO) is a commercial document issued by a buyer to a seller, indicating types, quantities, and agreed prices for products or services the seller will provide to the buyer.”>>

In the following image we see a Purchase Order formatted according to EDI X12 850 in its raw form.

Company “Office Supply” wants to purchase digital pens and appropriate paper blocks from company “Smart Pen” and deliver the products to company “OfficeY”.

Unfortunately, this is not like XML.  You may guess that fields are separated by a special character but there is no markup around them, therefore is very difficult to interpret the values. In the following image we see the same EDI transaction in the Stylus Studio EDI to XML Module.  This is a very useful tool for analyzing EDI documents. We can click anywhere and Stylus Studio shows us which field we are on, thanks to its vast EDI repository. When we right click on a value that represents a code, we can see the description.

Now that the purchase order is in XML we can take advantage of several technologies to manipulate and to store the data.

The EDI to XML module can be used to validate both the structure, the code list values and in case of errors, provide suggestions to work around the problem. For example, it’s quite common to encounter a transaction in which some mandatory fields are missing or the field type does not match the specification. In these situations Stylus Studio flags the error and allows the user to overwrite the field definition to accommodate such customizations.

In Stylus Studio, almost any format can be represented as XML. In the screenshot below the XML Editor is used to edit our purchase order.

The XML representation can be customized with a variety of parameters. You may decide to generate a very verbose form with long element names. You may also use informative comments that provide a detailed description for each field. When looking at code values in the raw form, they are usually very cryptic terms made of a few characters, which can now be associated with detailed descriptions.  The example below shows you that the code value BP stands for “Paid by Buyer”.

 

When an EDI transaction comes in, the first thing we want to do is to archive it in a database. Often there are regulations that require electronic copies to be maintained for several years and storing the transaction in a relation database is the most common place where it can be archived. The following screenshot shows how the Stylus Studio XQuery mapping tool can help you to onboard the transaction into a database. In our example we are using Microsoft SQL Server 2008.

We would like to point out a benefit of using the DataDirect XQuery engine, bundled with Stylus Studio. This combination allows you to store primitive types such as the order id and the order date as well as the entire input document into an XML type column.

 

After the XQuery execution we can see a new record has been created in the table.

EDI and XML share similar benefits. They are great for making computer systems communicate, but human beings need some help to make this information easy to interpret. The following screenshot shows how Stylus Studio XML Publisher can be used to produce an appealing PDF document that can be used to display on the screen and on printed paper.

 

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

You can download the Project Zip file by clicking here.

- Stylus Studio Team

 Technical Support
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posted on Wednesday, 13 June 2012 14:58:54 (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #    Comments [0] Trackback