Excelon Adds XML Content-Management Capabilities

Excelon Corp. debuted a new release of its Extensible Information Server native XML database Monday. The vendor says the third generation of the software provides improved XML content-management capabilities and performance enhancements.

XML databases, such as those developed by Excelon, NeoCore, and Software AG, are designed to store XML-based data, documents, and other information. As XML gains traction as a data interchange standard, the volume of XML data is growing. Backers of XML-specific databases say they're better suited for storing XML content than mainstream relational databases.

"I don't think relational databases today do a very good job of supporting XML," says Andre Alguero, engineering director at GRX Technologies Inc., which builds risk-management applications for the property and casualty insurance industry around Excelon's software, in Providence, R.I. IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle, however, are all developing technology to boost the XML storage capabilities of their relational databases.

The new Excelon software is capable of managing "nodes" or segments of XML data, such as segments of a document, rather than the entire document as most other XML databases do. That speeds data throughput, according to the company. The new release also includes support for the latest XML standards, support for JDK 1.3 Java development standard, and enhanced user management and user authentication capabilities. Pricing starts at $30,000 for five developer seats and a development server.