Altova (http://www.altova.com) has announced the availability of MapForce Version 2009 (v2009). Available as a stand alone product or as part of the Altova MissionKit, an integrated suite of XML, database, and UML tools, Altova MapForce 2009 adds a host of new features and functionality, including support for the Health Level Seven (HL7) and Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) standards. Additionally, MapForce 2009 delivers native support for additional databases, including SQL Server 2008, Oracle 11g, and PostgreSQL 8; new grouping capabilities; functionality for working with distinct-values and positions; enhanced document generation capabilities; and more.

"In MapForce 2009 we've added functionality that gives users -- from developers to systems integrators to IT power users -- more power and flexibility for working with their existing data. Whether its legacy EDI files or data that needs to be converted into a standards-based format such as HL7 or XBRL, MapForce helps to make the process as easy and cost-effective as possible," said Alexander Falk, President and CEO for Altova. "With the adoption of XBRL already in full swing and the expectation that HL7 will become a part of the United States' Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the future, organizations need affordable tools for transforming data between legacy formats, backend systems, and modern standards. MapForce does all this with an easy-to-use, graphical interface, making it an invaluable tool for complying with these new mandates."

Some of the new features now available in Altova MapForce 2009 include:

-- Support for HL7 v2 EDI and HL7 v3 XML - Comprehensive mapping of HL7 data is available in MapForce 2009 with the addition of support for HL7 v2.x EDI messages. HL7 (Health Level 7) is a collection of message formats used by healthcare organizations to comply with international mandates for the secure transmission of clinical data. HL7 support in MapForce 2009 allows users to insert an HL7 message as the source or target of any data mapping project and then translate it to and from XML, databases, flat files, Excel 2007 (OOXML), Web services, and other EDI formats such as HIPAA X12. MapForce 2009 ships with the complete configuration files for HL7 v2.6 and inherently supports HL7 v3, an XML format. Additionally, the MapForce HL7 installer, which is a free download, contains the additional configuration files for HL7 v2.x messages and the XML Schemas for HL7 v3. Built-in support for all the messages covered by the HL7 standard in MapForce means that members of the healthcare community can seamlessly and efficiently transform incoming and outgoing healthcare transactions to promote accuracy, transparency, and processing speed across disparate information systems.

-- Support for XBRL Taxonomies & XBRL Dimensions - MapForce 2009 provides support for mapping XBRL taxonomies, including dimensional taxonomies, as a source or target component for data integration, adding to the long list of mapping and transformation capabilities already available in Altova's data mapping tool. With its graphical interface, MapForce 2009 users can map XBRL data to or from any other supported data formats including, XML, databases, flat files, Excel 2007 (OOXML), EDI, and Web services. This allows users to easily extract data from backend systems such as databases, Excel files, accounting systems, or XML, and convert it into fully compliant XBRL filing documents. Support for XBRL mapping also allows users to aggregate and transform received XBRL data for storage and analysis in backend systems. Conversions can be run on a one-time basis or automated for periodic filing through code generation in Java, C#, or C++, or via the command line.

-- Native Support for Additional Databases - For mapping, converting, and transforming database data, MapForce 2009 now includes support for the latest versions of SQL Server® and Oracle®: SQL Server 2008 and Oracle 11g, as well as support for mapping XML fields in SQL Server. Native support has also been added for the PostgreSQL 8 database. MapForce supports all major relational databases, a complete list of which is available on the Altova Web site, as the source or target of any data mapping project.

-- Additional Usability Features - MapForce 2009 adds a host of additional usability features, from new data processing functions for grouping and filtering data, to detailed documentation of mapping projects and much more.