(May 6, 2003) - TIBCO Software Inc. describes the new TIBCO XML Canon 2.4 as "the first solution that gives customers the ability to manage and leverage their investment in XML enterprise metadata." The solution is designed to help build a robust information infrastructure, and lay the foundation to support industrial-strength business integration.

Metadata is methodology to describe a piece of data so it can be used and reused throughout an organization. A metadata description might include the data's name, location, perceived importance, quality or value to the enterprise, and its relationship to other data. The challenge is that each application has its own way of describing this data, so, to accurately catalog the relationships between them becomes a daunting task.

TIBCO has solved this problem by using an industry-standard "canonical" data model that maps each piece of metadata against a central repository or "canon." Any application can use or reuse that metadata without worrying about how it will affect other applications, which ultimately translates into savings for enterprise customers. Based on XML standards, this solution helps users quickly spot data dependencies, conflicts and issues, and perform an impact analysis.

"TIBCO XML Canon has proved invaluable for managing the development of business XML vocabularies by members of the HR-XML consortium. Used daily, as a central point of collaboration and metadata management for the ongoing development of these standards, TIBCO XML Canon facilitates the integration of disparate IT systems through shared XML vocabularies and metadata," noted Chuck Allen, director, HR-XML consortium.