• Mapping of Excel 2007 (OOXML) data is now supported. This will allow you to move data to and from the new Excel data format (XLSX) and allow you to develop solutions for those who use Excel 2007.

• Support for data streams in generated code now lets you apply mapping code to Web servers and other data exchange scenarios where transmissions are conducted and processed in packets rather than files.

• Expanded support for relational database functionality gives direct support for SQL SELECT statements to create virtual tables and refine the data exposed in their data mapping components. Primary and foreign keys can be inserted directly in a mapping when they are missing in the underlying database as well.

• Support for SOAP 1.2 has been added to the support for SOAP 1.1.

• Global resources have been added to allow users to define, share, and access file, folder, and database resources across multiple projects.

MapForce 2008 is available from Altova. It is $1090.00 USD for the Enterprise version, $539 for the Professional version, and $269 for the Personal version. It is also part of the combination MissionKits that are also available. Still unsure?  You can download a 30-day trial version as well.

I found MapForce to be incredibly easy to use and very effective. The visual nature of the program will make it easy for almost anyone to do conversions. There is a lot of online help and an 850-page PDF User and Reference manual that takes the time to spell it out. If you are unsure if this product is for you, there is also a video that walks you through what all MapForce can do.

If you regularly have to convert data from one format to another then you really need to check out, MapForce 2008. It will begin to save you time and money in making sure that your data conversions are correct. As you progress in your learning of MapForce 2008, you will find yourself using more and more of the toolset and becoming even more productive. I highly recommend MapForce 2008.