Microsoft 'XDocs' Takes Aim at Forms

October 15, 2002

Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) announced last week that it will expand its Office productivity suite with the mid-2003 release of an XML-based product designed for data collection. Code named "XDocs," the product will reportedly have the look and feel of a traditional word-processing program, but it will have "all the sophisticated data-capture capabilities of a forms package."

Redmond-WA-based Microsoft says Xdocs will allow users to define their own XML schema and then integrate the data gathered through Xdocs-designed forms with existing databases and servers. Validation capabilities will reportedly ensure that data is accurate and compliant with predefined business criteria.

Microsoft's announcement promises to shape up the market for data collection tools. That market currently includes a mix of imaging-based forms processing systems, e-forms suites and underexploited forms creation and data collection capabilities within mainstream products including Word, Lotus Notes and Adobe Acrobat.

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