Press Release

[This local archive copy is from the official and canonical URL, http://www.oracle.com/cgi-bin/press/printpr.cgi?file=981111.25761.html&mode=corp&td=15&tm=11&fd=15&fm=10&status=Search&ty=98&limit=50&fy=98; please refer to the canonical source document if possible.]

Oracle Enhances Internet Platform with XML Support

(November 11, 1998)

Contact(s):
Paige O'Neill
Oracle Corp.
650/506-3429
poneill@us.oracle.com Nikki Houck
Applied Communications
415/365-0222
nhouck@appliedcom.com

Oracle8i(tm), Oracle(r) Application Server, and Internet Development Tools to Include Full Support for W3C Standard Data Language

XML Enables Portability, Scalability, and Interoperability of Data-Driven Systems

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 11, 1998-At Oracle OpenWorld(r) today, Oracle Corporation announced sweeping support for the eXtensible Markup Language (XML), the cross-platform data language now being defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and the clear emerging standard for defining, representing, and dynamically sharing information across the Internet. Integrating XML into Oracle's Internet platform will make it dramatically easier for companies to exchange and integrate information stored in databases and then repurpose the information for building Internet applications.

Comprehensive support for designing, building, deploying, and managing XML applications will be fully integrated into the Oracle8i(tm) database, Oracle(r) Application Server 4.0, and Oracle's Internet development tools. XML extends the interoperability of Oracle's recently unveiled Internet platform: the Oracle8i and Oracle Application Server 4.0 duo.

"XML has quickly emerged as a key enabling technology for improving communications between Internet, data warehousing, and e-commerce applications," said Mark Jarvis, senior vice president of marketing at Oracle Corp. "Oracle is committed to delivering comprehensive and coordinated XML support across all its divisions and product lines. This support will allow present and future Oracle customers to fully exploit the power, flexibility, and interoperability of Internet-standard computing."

In addition to the upcoming native XML support, Oracle's Internet platform integrates Java, JavaBeans, Enterprise JavaBeans, HTTP, IIOP, UML, and CORBA standards. This comprehensive technology lineup will enable IT organizations to build portable, scalable, and interoperable distributed Web applications that fully leverage open Internet standards in five key business areas:

Electronic commerce: XML will play a major role in the exploding market for business-to-business electronic commerce. XML allows organizations to quickly and easily define cross-platform data formats for Internet-based electronic data interchange, opening vast opportunities for entire industries to inexpensively transact business over the Internet. Oracle will provide complete and unparalleled support for defining, processing, and managing XML e-commerce data formats and transactions.
Internet content management and delivery: Oracle will provide native support for storage, retrieval, and querying of XML content, enabling database-driven Web sites to serve up more relevant search results, and truly personalized dynamic content. Also, by fully integrating XML support into its proven content management and delivery architecture, Oracle's Internet Computing platform will give XML applications all the security, administrative controls, performance, availability, and scalability IT leaders demand of professionally managed enterprise information systems.
Messaging and applications integration: One of XML's strengths is its ability to seamlessly integrate systems and applications. Oracle's comprehensive XML support will take full advantage of this inherent XML capability and enable corporations to fully leverage XML to smoothly integrate business processes. Oracle will provide application integration by applying XML to its enterprise messaging infrastructure, providing a robust, scaleable, open platform for transparently integrating front- and back-office systems.
Data warehousing: XML's natural interoperability will significantly impact enterprise data warehousing efforts in the future, by enabling automated exchange and transformation of enterprise metadata between competing vendors' databases, repositories, and business intelligence applications. Oracle's XML support will provide a complete and open platform for integrating enterprise data warehousing and analysis architectures with corporate applications.
Application development: Oracle's world-class family of development tools will provide managed, team-oriented support for robust XML development, debugging, testing, and maintenance. IT teams will be able to exploit Oracle8i's and Oracle Application Server's powerful XML capabilities to ease development of personalized, flexible, and extensible Web applications through Oracle's world-class family of development tools. Oracle tools will make it easy to build database-driven Internet applications that exploit XML on the Oracle Internet Computing platform.

Oracle XML Support Enhances Oracle8i and iFS; Crosses Entire Internet Platform

Oracle's comprehensive XML support, which will extend from Oracle8i to Oracle Application Server 4.0 to Oracle Tools, is based on industry standards that enjoy broad support throughout the computer industry, and firmly establishes Oracle's Internet platform as the platform of choice for IT executives, programmers, and third-party software providers pursuing XML's rich content and interoperability benefits.

XML support in Oracle8i is comprised of three key components: The Oracle XML Parser provides programmatic processing of XML documents or document fragments. Oracle iFS (Internet File System), the new next-generation file system included with Oracle8i that gives users "write once, read anywhere" content in a heterogeneous enterprise, will include XML support to automate parsing and rendering of data between XML and the database. In addition, XML-enabled "section searching" in Oracle interMedia will provide more precise searches over structured documents.

Oracle: Committed to Open Industry Standards

Today Oracle also announced several XML related initiatives underway within the company. Oracle is actively participating in the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) process with other corporations committed to furthering open standards, including IBM, Netscape, and Platinum Technologies. Together under the W3C banner, Oracle and other consortium members will help drive and shape XML standards such as XML-Data, XSL, XQL, and XLink.

Oracle is also a cosubmitter to the Object Management Group (along with IBM, Unisys, Platinum Technologies and others) for the Structured Metadata Interchange Format (SMIF), an XML-based proposed technology for transporting data between repositories.

Support for XML will be included with Oracle8i, which is expected to be available at the end of this year. Oracle Application Server 4.0 is expected to support XML in the first half of 1999. Oracle JDeveloper(tm) is expected to add support for XML in the first quarter of 1999. Oracle WebDB and Oracle Developer are expected to add support for XML in the second half of 1999. For more information about Oracle's XML strategy, go to (URL) http://www.oracle.com/xml/.

Oracle Corporation is the world's leading supplier of software for information management, and the world's second largest independent software company. With annual revenues of more than $7.5 billion, the company offers its database, application server, tools, and application products, along with related consulting, education, and support services in more than 140 countries around the world.

For more information about Oracle, please call 650/506-7000. Oracle's World Wide Web address is (URL) http://www.oracle.com.

# # #