Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home IT Management
    • IT Management

    Sonics XML Editor Widens Database Support

    By
    Jim Rapoza
    -
    February 2, 2004
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Although XML and Web services have gotten a lot of attention as core technologies for the Internet and for enterprises, good tools for creating and editing XML-based content are still scarce. But there are some exceptional ones among the few that are available, and eWEEK Labs found that the latest version of Sonic Software Corp.s Stylus Studio maintains its position as one of the better options.

      Click here to read the full review.

      2

      Although XML and Web services have gotten a lot of attention as core technologies for the Internet and for enterprises, good tools for creating and editing XML-based content are still scarce. But there are some exceptional ones among the few that are available, and eWEEK Labs found that the latest version of Sonic Software Corp.s Stylus Studio maintains its position as one of the better options.

      Stylus Studio 5.1, released last month and priced at $395 for a single-user version, includes some significant improvements over the previous release, Version 5.0. (That version, released last year, was the first release of the product after Excelon was acquired by Sonic parent Progress Software Corp.)

      One of the most welcome new features in Version 5.1 is the DB-to-XML Data Source option, which enables IT managers to directly connect to varied databases to use their data in XML documents. The DB-to-XML Data Source feature also makes it possible to perform complex XQuery statements that can take into account both databases and XML sources.

      This feature addresses one of the bigger weaknesses Stylus Studio has had in comparison with its main competitor, Altova Inc.s XMLSpy. In fact, Stylus Studio now outdoes XMLSpy with better database support, including DB2. At this point its a fairly close call between the two when looking for an XML editor, although we like XMLSpy 2004s ability to do comparisons across all our XML files, something Stylus Studio lacks.

      Both products share a couple of common weaknesses, however. One of the bigger—especially given the broad support of XML and Web services—is the lack of a non-Windows version of either product. In addition, although Stylus Studio 5.1 provides many options for remotely accessing files, servers and networks, it lacked support for Secure FTP, which can be especially vital given the sensitivity of many XML files. XMLSpy also lacks Secure FTP support.

      A useful new feature in Stylus Studio 5.1 is the ability to test Web service calls in a variety of scenarios. This capability made it possible for us to test our Web services with different Simple Object Access Protocol clients.

      In general, standards support has been improved in Stylus Studio 5.1— it supports many full and proposed XML and Web service standards, including XPath 2.0, a key standard for retrieving information from XML, and support for updated specifications for XQuery. The updated XQuery support adds to what was probably the biggest new feature in the previous (5.0) release of Stylus Studio—namely, its excellent XQuery environment. The tools in Stylus Studio 5.1 provide one of the best visual environments for creating XQueries and mapping between data sources and end documents.

      While weve always thought the mapper in Stylus Studio was good, it has seen some nice improvements in this version. In general, we found Version 5.1s mapper much easier to work with than previous versions, and we were able to create templates for complex Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations mapping.

      We especially like that Stylus Studio can work with XML content and JSP (JavaServer Pages)—a traditional strong suit of the product. Although Stylus Studio wont replace any dedicated JSP development tool, the ability to work with both formats is a welcome feature because we often find ourselves having to work with both file types at the same time.
      eWEEK Labs Director Jim Rapoza can be reached at jim_rapoza@ziffdavis.com.

      Jim Rapoza
      Jim Rapoza, Chief Technology Analyst, eWEEK.For nearly fifteen years, Jim Rapoza has evaluated products and technologies in almost every technology category for eWEEK. Mr Rapoza's current technology focus is on all categories of emerging information technology though he continues to focus on core technology areas that include: content management systems, portal applications, Web publishing tools and security. Mr. Rapoza has coordinated several evaluations at enterprise organizations, including USA Today and The Prudential, to measure the capability of products and services under real-world conditions and against real-world criteria. Jim Rapoza's award-winning weekly column, Tech Directions, delves into all areas of technologies and the challenges of managing and deploying technology today.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×