DataDirect Technologies announced the latest release of its DataDirect XML Converters and DataDirect XQuery products.

With version 3.1 of its XML products, it offers even greater scalability and performance; broadens its support of popular databases and industry standards; and offers a highly scalable streaming architecture to exceed the most demanding data integration and enterprise system requirements.

DataDirect XML Converters are high-performance Java and .NET components that provide bi-directional, programmatic access to virtually any non-XML file including EDI, flat files and other legacy formats. Extending the product s support for B2B integration standards such as X12, EDIFACT, EANCOM, and IATA, version 3.1 of the DataDirect XML Converters includes added support for Health Level Seven (HL7) the health industry s standard for the exchange, management and integration of healthcare information to support patient care. DataDirect XML Converters version 3.1 for both Java and .NET include a robust implementation of the HL7 standard from the draft 2.1 to the current 2.5 release, across all messages and events.

Whether an organization s HL7 data needs are in EDI, XML, or a mixture of both, the DataDirect XML Converters allow for scalable, high-performance conversion between formats. Add to this built-in support for X12 and other data formats, version 3.1 is an ideal technology solution for healthcare organizations looking to ease the HL7 update burden. Using DataDirect XML Converters, healthcare payers and providers can expedite common data-interchange scenarios to deliver timely and effective patient care.

Other features found in the DataDirect XML Converters version 3.1 include API support to dynamically fetch the XML schema corresponding to a conversion (as output or input) and Standard Exchange Format (SEF) support for custom EDI needs. These changes are designed to provide developers with the most information possible regarding conversions, allowing them to be more productive with less code, even in custom EDI situations.

DataDirect XML Converters offer broad support for XML industry standards to maximize developer productivity and provide a fast, scalable solution for converting between EDI and other legacy formats, said Dr. Carlo Innocenti, XML program manager at DataDirect Technologies. This is especially important to the healthcare industry where the exchange of electronic information is a critical component to ensuring excellence in patient care.