xTuple Connect Enables Enhanced EDI and Real-time Connectivity with other Enterprise Software

NORFOLK, VA, August 19, 2010 (Press-News.org) xTuple, the leading provider of commercial open source business management software for growing companies, today announced the general availability of xTuple Connect. This powerful new tool is a standards-based, completely open platform that enables deep integration with xTuple's open source ERP system without the typical proprietary middleware or associated vendor lock-in.

Solutions supported by xTuple Connect include Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) - both legacy networks and more modern XML-based systems; any number of web-based e-commerce solutions; and product lifecycle management (PLM) systems such as Arena.

"xTuple is known for bringing powerful, big-company ERP solutions to growing businesses of all sizes," stated xTuple CEO Ned Lilly. "xTuple Connect builds on that same philosophy, and delivers a robust, standards-based integration platform that gives power users the tools to connect to any third party business software."

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EDI options range from simple emailing of basic documents (invoices, statements, purchase orders, quotes, sales orders, credit memos) to highly complex XML input and output driven by XSLT style sheets automatically processed in the xTuple ERP system. xTuple Connect includes support for xTuple's powerful MetaSQL scripting language which can be embedded in standard SQL queries, and EDI profile templates for trading partners in the xTuple system.

The major enhancements around automating import/export in multiple formats (CSV, XML, etc.) were driven by several customers in the food and beverage industry, whose interactions with their trading partners such as large grocery chains are increasingly automated. For example, with deliveries to hundreds of supermarkets generating thousands of EDI invoices each week, Cedarlane Natural Foods had requirements for significant additional automation in its order process.

Daniel Baroco, IT Director for Cedarlane noted, "We worked with xTuple to develop a fully automated solution, allowing us to do away with paper-based methods. The xTuple system receives the standard grocery industry purchase order, creates the demand and the order in the xTuple production system, and automatically invoices the customer electronically, while creating a printed backup for Cedarlane's own files. xTuple has saved our company significant time and money as well as minimized errors that comes with manual data entry."

In addition to the multiple integration solutions and automated data transport over email and FTP, xTuple Connect also enables traditional batch processing functionality, such as the scheduling of long-running reports and database maintenance tasks, and setting up and running repeating jobs.

xTuple Connect is included in the xTuple Manufacturing Edition and is available separately as a loadable Package for the PostBooks and Standard Editions on the xChange online app store. Pricing is $1,995. For more information please visit http://www.xtuple.com/connect.

Training for xTuple Connect is available as part of the Power User class meeting at xTuple's Norfolk, Virginia offices next week, from August 24-27. For more information on the class, please visit http://www.xtuple.com/training202.

About xTuple
xTuple business management software gives growing companies control over operations and the tools to power that growth. xTuple integrates all critical functional areas in one system: sales, accounting, and operations- including customer and supplier management, inventory control, manufacturing and distribution.

As a commercial open source company, xTuple works with a global community of over 25,000 professional users. xTuple gives customers the ability to tailor solutions to meet their needs with multi-platform support for Mac, Windows and Linux, and flexible licensing and pricing options. For more information, please visit the company web site at http://www.xtuple.com or the community web site at http://www.xtuple.org.

Media Contact:
Cindy Akus
cakus@crossroadspr.com
919-414-6082