Entries would include administrative documents, sales presentations, company forms, corporate-wide communications, and information on mergers and competitors. Proprietary local area networks can do some of this, but they reject different applications. Wells decided to convert the knowledge base from HTML and use system software from eXcelon Corp., a leading XML-technology provider. Users can add updates and new information at will. The system integrates them into the knowledge base immediately.
Users can extract selected data for targeted presentations.
Services include personal financial management software, banking, bill presentment and payment, stock purchases, investments, 401-k plans, and tax preparation. Among other XML applications, the system will enable any member to publish product catalogs once and have them accessible by thousands of members, regardless of what software they use inhouse. This could lead to thousands of narrowly defined models that would defeat the main purpose of enabling any business to work seamlessly with many trading partners. To meet that objection, Microsoft announced BizTalk, a broadbase language that could be adapted to many industries. Hewlett-Packard and IBM have followed with similar announcements.