Unisys Corporation today announced that it had demonstrated metadata interoperability between its Unisys Universal Repository (UREP) and the Microsoft Repository, using the World Wide Web Consortium`s XML (eXtended Markup Language), Object Management Group`s XMI (XML Metadata Interchange) and Microsoft`s XIF (XML Interchange Facility) specifications to support the interchange.
These efforts clearly show how developers can leverage the Web to exchange data between tools, applications and repositories to create secure, distributed applications built in a team environment. Pervasive support of such standards throughout the industry can significantly reduce the time and cost of development to provide product interoperability in distributed heterogeneous software environments.
The demonstration was undertaken as part of Microsoft`s XML Interchange Initiative, which also involved XML interoperability demonstrations by Microsoft, NCR, PLATINUM technology, Siemens, Softlab, Sybase and Viasoft.
"Users of workgroup-based and component development tools are finding it increasingly difficult to coordinate their software development efforts across the enterprise," said Art Sarno, business director, Object Management Program, Unisys Computer Systems. "Our work shows that heterogeneous, enterprise-wide interoperability among development tools, object repositories and data warehouses can provide users with substantial benefits in information sharing, flexibility and cost reduction."
An XMI Bridge to Microsoft Repository
The efforts announced today build on earlier demonstrations of XMI-based interoperability between Unisys, IBM, Oracle, Select and Rational tools and repositories and now extend the metadata interchange to support Microsoft Repository. The XMI specification aims to make XML - integrated with OMG`s Meta Object Facility (MOF) and Unified Modeling Language (UML) - the cornerstone of an open information interchange model. Unisys intends to provide an XMI-based bridge between Unisys UREP, Microsoft Repository and other development tools and environments when the XMI specification is formally accepted early in 1999. This will provide unprecedented interoperability between tools conforming to the OMG XMI specification as well as the Microsoft XIF interchange specification.
"One of the most significant features of the demonstration," continued Sarno, "is the tight integration XML and XMI permits between the two repositories. Users can store, interchange and retrieve data from the repositories to a level of detail that was never before possible - from the desktop to the enterprise."
Why XMI
The XML Metadata Interchange (XMI) specification is a proposed industry standard intended to give teams of developers working with object technology and using a diverse set of tools the ability to exchange programming data over the Internet in a standardized way. As a result, development teams using various tools from multiple vendors can still collaborate on applications. Pervasive support of standards such as XMI throughout the industry and widely available supporting technology, including repositories and databases, significantly reduce the time and cost of development to provide product interoperability in distributed heterogeneous software environments.
The proposal was recently submitted to the Object Management Group (OMG), an object technology standards body, by Unisys, Oracle, IBM and other software companies. Final OMG approval of the XMI specification is expected in first quarter of 1999.
For a description of the technical features and benefits of the XMI proposal, please visit the Unisys web site at http://www.marketplace.unisys.com/products/urep.
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The Unisys Universal Repository
Unisys Universal Repository (UREP) is a fully object oriented repository for metadata management, tool and application integration, and information sharing between heterogeneous repositories and data warehouses. Part of the Unisys IntegratePlus family of integration and interoperability software, UREP is being used by independent software vendors (ISVs) and large corporations such as BEA and Sybase in various domains such as client/server and object development environments, data warehousing, metadata management and business object management. Access the UREP home page at http://www.marketplace.unisys.com/products/urep for additional information.
Unisys UREP supports the sharing of information across development tools, made possible by an extensible object-oriented meta model, versioning services, configuration management and team-based development approaches ideal for supporting large projects. UREP implements industry-standard models and services such as the Object Management Group`s UML (Unified Modeling Language), MOF (Meta Object Facility), and XMI (XML Metadata Interchange), further advancing Unisys commitment to support industry standards.
Unisys
Unisys (NYSE:UIS) is more than 33,000 employees helping customers in 100 countries apply information technology to solve their business problems. Unisys solutions are based on a broad portfolio of global information services including systems integration, outsourcing, "repeatable" application solutions, consulting, network integration, remote network management, and multivendor maintenance and support, coupled with enterprise-class servers and associated middleware, software and storage. Repeatable solutions are focused on key vertical markets including financial services, transportation, telecommunications, government, publishing and other commercial markets. Headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, in the Greater Philadelphia area, Unisys 1997 annual revenue was $6.6 billion. Access the Unisys home page on the World Wide Web -- http://www.unisys.com -- for further information.
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