This is a really big deal, folks. Office 2007’s file format has just been made a standard by ISO.
You might not recognize it now, but the impact of this standardization on IT will be huge. It will make documents consumable by applications – both client-side & web-based. It will make it easy for documents to be self-populated with information stored online in databases. It will be easy for documents to include workflow within them and have decision trees built into them so that information is always formatted correctly. It’ll be easy to publish documents and have it be searchable and index-able by any search engine. It’ll be easy for organizations to fully extend documents to contain data specific to their business while remaining interoperable with other applications and exchangeable between other companies and themselves. And it’ll work with the world’s most commonly used Office suite.
And as much as they don’t want to admit it, it’s better than Open Document Format – the ‘other’ standard. More on that later.
Announcements:
- Ecma Office Open XML Document Format Wins Approval as an ISO/IEC Standard
ISO/IEC DIS 29500, Information technology – Office Open XML file formats, has received the necessary number of votes for approval as an ISO/IEC International Standard. Approval required at least 2/3 (i.e. 66.66 %) of the votes cast by national bodies participating in the joint technical committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, to be positive; and no more than 1/4 (i.e. 25 %) of the total number of ISO/IEC national body votes cast to be negative. These criteria have now been met with 75 % of the JTC 1 participating member votes cast positive and 14 % of the total of national member body votes cast negative.
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/apr08/04-01OpenXMLVotePR.mspx
http://www.iso.org/iso/pressrelease.htm?refid=Ref1123
Formal Documentation & Whitepapers around Office Open XML Architecture:
- ECMA Office Open XML File Formats Overview
By default, documents created using 2007 Microsoft Office products will be based on new, XML-based file formats. Distinct from the binary-based file format that has been a mainstay of past Microsoft Office releases, the new Office XML Formats are compact, robust file formats that enable better data integration between documents and back-end systems. An open, royalty-free file format specification maximizes interoperability in a heterogeneous environment, and enables any technology provider to integrate Microsoft Office documents into their solutions. On December 8, 2006 Ecma International ratified Ecma 376 (the output from the standardization of the Office Open XML formats by Ecma TC 45) by an overwhelming vote of 20 to 1. For more information on the Ecma process related to the Office Open XML formats, see Ecma International standardization of Open XML file formats frequently asked questions.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/HA102058151033.aspx - DOWNLOAD: ECMA Office Open XML Formats Architecture Guide (149KB)
By default, documents created in the next release of the Microsoft Office system of products will be based on new, XML-based file formats. These new formats are distinct from the binary-based file format that has been a mainstay of past Microsoft Office releases. The new Office XML Formats introduce a number of benefits that will accrue not only to developers and the solutions they build, but also to individual users and organizations of all sizes.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/HA102057841033.aspx - DOWNLOAD: ECMA Office Open XML Formats Guide (64.6KB)
With the next release of the Microsoft Office system of products, Microsoft will introduce new XML-based file formats for Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Office Excel, and Microsoft Office PowerPoint. These new formats will enable organizations to integrate Microsoft Office completely and successfully into their enterprise architectures. This change represents a large step forward in extending the Microsoft commitment to XML, industry-standard integration technologies, and to open, published file format specifications.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/HA102058001033.aspx
Frequently Asked Questions & Policy-related Discussion (Non-technical) about Office Open XML:
- ECMA Office Open XML Formats Frequently Asked Questions
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/HA101723691033.aspx - PODCAST: Microsoft Office Audio File: Interview with Gray Knowlton about Microsoft Office Open XML File Formats (17.3MB)
These audio files contain an interview with Senior Product Manager Gray Knowlton about Microsoft Office Open XML file formats.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=C2722280-F3A9-4F0E-B2CD-5B004A90C0AA&displaylang=en - Open XML Policy Briefing (LOTS of Documentation)
Microsoft offers this library of materials to help government officials and other decision makers understand the implications of the Ecma Office Open XML file formats for citizens, businesses, and governments in areas such as economic growth and pro-innovation policies.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/HA102547511033.aspx
Blogs & Community Web Sites dedicated to Office Open XML:
- Open XML Community Web Site
The Open XML community is a group of public institutions, businesses, technology professionals, academics, and developers who support ECMA Office Open XML and its approval as an ISO/IEC standard. This community believes in the promotion of choice, interoperability, innovation, and technical excellence in document standards. Read on to see how Open XML is being used across a broad set of technology platforms, integrated with diverse systems, and adopted as a standard in businesses and governments across the globe.
http://www.openxmlcommunity.org/ - Brian Jones’ Office Open XML Blog
http://blogs.msdn.com/brian_jones/ - Doug Mahugh’s Open XML Resources for Developers
http://blogs.msdn.com/dmahugh/archive/2008/03/31/open-xml-resources-for-developers.aspx
Kurt Shintaku's Blog 