* Interoperability between Java and .Net. The product previously was only Java-based.

* A Web services interface to access database and service-oriented resources via SOAP. BPEL (Business Process Execution Language for Web services) applications or workflows can be supported with version 5.0.

* Improvements in the product's metadata language for describing service methods.

* The capability of calculating the cost of execution plans to access data. Developers can dynamically tune, load-balance or redirect system access based on needs.

XIC 5.0 is available now, although the .Net interoperability feature does not ship until late December.