REDMOND, Wash. - Sept. 13, 1999 - Microsoft Corp. today expanded its industry-leading commitment to eXtensible Markup Language (XML) with a series of announcements for far-reaching XML support in Windows^® Distributed interNet Architecture (Windows DNA) 2000, the next generation of the Microsoft^® platform for building distributed Web applications. XML, an industry-standard technology developed by the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C), enables heterogeneous interoperability of data, components, business processes and applications over the Internet.

The Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system, the cornerstone of Windows DNA 2000, is the first operating system with integrated, end-to-end XML support. Key products of the Windows DNA 2000 solution will offer new features and functionality based on XML, including Microsoft SQL Server, the "Babylon" Integration Server, Microsoft Commerce Server and Microsoft BizTalk™ Server.

The key enabler for Microsoft's vision of integrated, programmable Web services is XML. Through the exchange of XML messages, services can easily describe their capabilities and allow any other service, application or device on the Internet to easily invoke those capabilities. To help realize that vision, Microsoft today is submitting to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) an Internet draft specification for the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), an XML-based mechanism that bridges different object models over the Internet and provides an open mechanism for Web services to communicate with one another.

"XML is a key enabler for a new generation of Internet opportunities, linking together applications, services and devices," said Paul Maritz, group vice president, Developer Group, Microsoft. "Through our universal support for XML, Microsoft is making these opportunities a reality for Web developers today."

Microsoft Builds on Long-Standing Commitment to XML

To date, Microsoft has actively participated in the W3C's creation and standardization of XML and has aggressively delivered XML support in its products. For example, Microsoft Internet Explorer was the industry's first browser software to support XML. For developers, Microsoft provides a standalone, redistributable version of MSXML, a general purpose XML parser that lets any application easily manipulate XML information. In addition, Microsoft recently created the MSDN™ XML Developer Center, which offers developers tools and resources to help them take advantage of XML. Finally, with dozens of industry partners, customers and standards bodies, Microsoft has helped develop the BizTalk Framework to accelerate the adoption and use of XML for e-commerce and enterprise application integration.

Following is a summary of Microsoft initiatives and products supporting XML:

• Windows 2000. Windows 2000 is the first operating system with integrated, high-performance XML support for easy data exchange between disparate businesses and enterprise systems. XML support can be found throughout Windows 2000, which includes a built-in, high-performance parser, support for XML streaming and persistence, XML record-set translation, and support for building XML data islands in Internet Explorer 5.0.
• SOAP. To help developers build Web services and link heterogeneous components over the Internet, Microsoft worked with industry experts to create the Simple Object Access Protocol. SOAP provides an open, extensible way for applications to communicate using XML-based messages over the Web, regardless of what operating system, object model or language particular applications may use. SOAP facilitates universal communication by defining a simple, extensible message format in standard XML and thereby providing a way to send that XML message over HTTP. Microsoft is soliciting industry feedback on version 0.9 of the SOAP specification, which can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/xml/.
• SQL Server 7.0. Microsoft is tightly integrating XML into the SQL Server RDBMS to help developers build the next generation of Web and enterprise applications and plans to deliver a technology preview with XML integration and direct URL access to SQL Server 7.0 on the MSDN XML Developer site in the fourth quarter of 1999. This will enable queries to be sent directly to SQL Server 7.0 via a URL, with the results returned as XML-formatted documents. The technology preview will be available in the fourth quarter of 1999 and will be downloadable from the MSDN XML Developer Center. The next version of SQL Server, code-named "Shiloh," will be fully XML-enabled and will include a superset of the features available in the technology preview for SQL Server 7.0. SQL Server "Shiloh" is scheduled to be available in mid-2000.
• "Babylon" Integration Server. Microsoft announces XML Transaction Integrator (XML-TI), a new feature of the forthcoming "Babylon" integration server that enables customers to easily integrate and commerce-enable their existing enterprise applications via XML. XML-TI allows developers to easily invoke transactions on a host with XML without having to change any existing host code or write any new code. XML-TI consists of a runtime proxy and a component builder that generates an XML document interface for executing legacy CICS and IMS transactions. In addition, a Babylon SDK will provide the ability to create XML-TI components for other legacy transaction environments. The "Babylon" integration server is scheduled to be available by mid-2000.
• MSDN XML Developer Center. Microsoft has launched a new Web site to centrally provide developers with all the tools and resources they need to be successful leveraging XML in their Web and enterprise applications. The new MSDN XML Developer Center, at http://msdn.microsoft.com/xml/, will bring together the rich set of tools and resources Microsoft provides to make it easier for developers to work with XML, including the MSXML parser, the fastest XML parser available on the market today. This will allow developers to create flexible and open solutions that easily enable data interoperability and exchange.
• BizTalk. The BizTalk Framework makes it easy for businesses to exchange information between software applications, integrate business processes, and conduct business over the Internet with trading partners and customers. With today's announcement of the opening of the BizTalk.Org schema library on http://www.biztalk.org, customers and partners can get started today using the BizTalk Framework. Today's related announcement provides more details. The forthcoming Microsoft BizTalk Server will provide the tools and infrastructure to support the efficient interchange of BizTalk-compatible business documents.

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