ALEXANDRIA, VA -  June 14, 2004 - The OFDA Technology Committee announced that the OFDACatalog schema has been advanced to Candidate Recommendation status; a step signifying that this first release of the schema is stable and ready for review, testing and feedback from the office furniture industry.

The OFDACatalog schema is designed to provide manufacturers, dealers and software providers with a common environment for delivering electronic catalogs consistently and in real-time. The schema includes all of the existing SIF data requirements, but in an improved easy-to-understand structure while providing significant advancements over the limitations, redundancies and inconsistencies associated with SIF data today. 

The Catalog schema is the second OFDAxml release developed by the OFDA Technology Committee. The OFDAOrder schema was recently approved as an official OFDAxml standard.

“The OFDACatalog schema will make it possible for all manufacturers, regardless of size, to provide electronic catalog data,” said Mark Duros, OFDA director of research and technology. “As the OFDA Technology Committee continues to develop and rollout new standards, the entire industry will benefit from improved connectivity, compatibility and accuracy. In the end, the new OFDAxml standards will help to free manufacturers, their dealers and customers from the difficulty and expense of having to deal with an endless array of proprietary software and data platforms.”

The schema is now available for download at www.ofdaxml.org . The OFDA Technology Committee encourages all dealers, software providers and manufacturers to review and provide feedback on the schema.

Comments can be posted to the OFDAxml forum of the www.ofdaxml.org website. All comments will be reviewed by the OFDA Technology Committee and implemented as warranted when the schema is advanced to Proposed Recommendation, the next step along the way to becoming an approved OFDAxml standard.

The OFDACatalog schema is scheduled for release at the OFDA Dealer Strategies Conference & Expo, slated for Oct. 27-29, 2004 in Memphis , TN.

About the OFDA Technology Committee
The OFDA Technology Committee was formed in December of 1999 with a goal of creating industry standards to simplify the process of transmitting both graphical and non-graphical data across different computer platforms and software programs. The initiative presents an opportunity for dramatic productivity gains and cost-savings for all segments of the industry. 

Spearheaded by the Office Furniture Dealers Alliance (OFDA) industry trade association, the OFDA Technology Committee is comprised of leading office furniture manufacturers and software developers.For more information on the OFDA Technology Committee, please visit www.ofdaxml.org or contact Mark Duros, OFDA Director of Technology and Research, at mduros@ofdanet.org.