One of the challenges of writing both books and articles is that by the time the item is published, the technology world has moved on.  It’s similar for other items such as training materials and testing materials although I have less to do with such materials.

My most recent article for SQL Server magazine, a product comparison, was written this Spring and is part of the July issue of SQL Server magazine.  The article is also available online at: http://www.sqlmag.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=96080&DisplayTab=Article  (Subscription Required (currently))

The focus of the article is to look at two products for working with XML: XMLSpy 2007 and Stylus Studio 2007 XML.  I found both tools to be very capable and obviously the point of the article is to explain why.  So when you are thinking about looking at tools one option is to check out my review so you can match your needs to the tool which will best fit those needs.

 Of note since for the purposes of the magazine having people check out the vendors which support the magazine is important here are links to the actual vendors:

·         http://www.altova.com/products/xmlspy/xml_editor.html

·         http://www.stylusstudio.com/

One item to note is of course that after the article was complete and on it’s way to the printer, Altova let me know that they were releasing updates to their current tool set.  The new R3 (Release 3) upgrade to the 2007 version of their product includes several new features including support for the Microsoft Office 2007 Open XML standard.   Since my most recent projects have been VSTO related this is a feature I’m looking forward to really checking out.  There are several other new features in this update including better database functionality (including support for IBM's DB2 9 pureXML data server) and CSS support.  You can check out the announcement of the features from the Altova web site at: http://www.altova.com/v2007r3_053007.html