Tokyo's Two Space Co., Ltd., has announced the Office Storage Hub, a tool that uses XML to link corporate and office data created in Microsoft Office within a network environment. Official worldwide sales of the product begins May 2005. The company plans to offer a 50-license fee priced at approximately $3,150.

The tool was developed in response to anticipated features in Microsoft Longhorn. Two Space has focused on popular Microsoft Office applications, envisioning a tool that allows its users to convert documents  to XML.

The company notes that XML data conversion and exporting for existing office systems "generally requires compiling and rewriting of the system as well as a large server or database. This can cost several hundred thousand to several million dollars." Its product, in contrast, "manages data without programming and eliminates the need for expensive system construction and large databases or servers."

The Office Storage Hub uses its MS-Office translation engine to save data respectively in Excel, Word, Microsoft Office InfoPath (which includes a function that creates a data input format and outputs the data as XML), and other applications.

At this time, target items are set for the template in the Hub that relays the data, and the user saves the file on the PC. Next, just by setting an aggregate template within the network environment, the file is created in a PC folder of the person requesting the data and the data appears. Even if a different master is created, the data can be extracted with just the item name.

The company notes that a wide variety of business management tasks are made possible just by setting the date, time, branch name, and other key data for individual data and saving them in Excel or other applications. With OfficeHub, the data is converted to XML and can be used across management categories.

For example, operation of master data, etc., is possible within each management category just by saving the data in any location, eliminating the need for centralizing data. In addition, processing of contracts, personnel skill sheets, and other labor management duties is made easy with input of variables into Word templates.