What XML Master does

XML Master is a vendor-neutral certification program for XML technology skills, operated by the XML Engineer Training Promotion Committee (XML技術者育成推進委員会), a non-profit industry consortium founded in 2001 and headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. The program certifies IT professionals across three tiers: XML Master Basic V2 (covering XML fundamentals, DTD, XML Schema, XSLT, and XPath), XML Master Professional (Application Development) V2 (covering DOM/SAX programming and XML system construction), and XML Master Professional (Database) V2 (covering XML databases, XQuery, and XML data management, launched in December 2007). Certification is delivered through proctored exams administered via the official xmlmaster.org website, with supporting instructor-led training courses at partner institutions, official textbooks published by Shoeisha, and a content series ('XML Master Point Lessons') carried in DB Magazine and other media.

The committee comprises 29 member companies from the Japanese IT industry, including IBM Japan, Fujitsu, NEC Soft, Infoteria, Hitachi Systems and Services, Canon Software, and Panasonic Electric Works Information Systems. Exam fees are set uniformly at ¥15,750 (tax included) per attempt, and as of September 2011 the program had certified over 20,000 professionals. Enterprise adoption is evidenced by Hitachi Systems and Services' internal '1,000 XML Master Personnel Training Project' which produced 6,000+ certified employees (as of 2003) with bonus incentives tied to credential acquisition. The program has also been ranked #1 in the Nikkei Computer 2011 survey as the IT certification most desired by user-company IT managers for their vendor engineers, up from #6 the prior year.

Leadership combines academic and standards-organization authority: Chairman Saito Nobuo (Keio University Professor Emeritus and W3C Associate Chair for Asia), Vice Chairman Hirano Yoichiro (President of Infoteria Corporation), and Advisor Murata Makoto (the only Japanese member of the W3C XML Working Group). Day-to-day operations are run by Certpro Corporation as the secretariat. Marketing channels include the official website, monthly email newsletter, Facebook page (launched September 2012), DB Magazine serial content, and participation in industry events such as Developers Summit 2012.

Name

XML Master

Legal name

XML技術者育成推進委員会 (XML Engineer Training Promotion Committee)

Website

https://xmlmaster.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

XML Master is a vendor-neutral certification program for XML technology skills, operated by a Japanese non-profit industry consortium. It offers three certification tiers (Basic, Application Development, Database) to individual IT professionals and corporate engineering teams across Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT Professional Certification

NAICS

Computer Training (611420), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Information Technology (IT) & Cybersecurity Certifications (EDAAANAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cloud, DevOps & Software Engineering Certifications (EDAAANAH)

Keywords

• XML certification programs
• IT professional certification
• XML technology training
• Vendor-neutral certification
• XML database certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Certification Exam Fees: XML Master generates revenue primarily through certification examination fees. Candidates pay to take the XML Master: Basic and XML Master: Professional certification exams. The exam fee is ¥15,750 (tax included) for both Basic and Professional levels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

XML Master is a vendor-neutral certification program for XML technology skills, administered by the XML Engineer Training Promotion Committee. It offers three certification exams (Basic V2, Professional Application Development V2, and Professional Database V2) covering XML document creation, DTD, XML Schema, XSLT, XPath, XML Namespaces, DOM/SAX programming, and XML database technologies. The program supplements exams with instructor-led training courses, official textbooks, and a serialized Point Lessons educational series.

Product overview

XML Master is a vendor-neutral certification program for XML technologists operated by the XML Technologist Training Promotion Committee. The program offers three certification tiers: XML Master Basic V2 (covering XML fundamentals, DTD, XML Schema, XSLT, and XPath), XML Master Professional (Application Development) V2 (covering DOM/SAX programming, XSLT, XML Schema, and XML system construction), and XML Master Professional (Database) V2 (covering XML databases, XQuery, and XML data management). Supporting services include instructor-led training courses, study materials, point lessons (technical articles), and exam preparation resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• XML Master Basic V2 Entry-level certification for IT professionals covering XML fundamentals including XML document creation, DTD, XML Schema, XSLT, XPath, and XML namespaces. The exam is 60 minutes, 50 questions, with a 70% passing score.
• XML Master Professional (Application Development) V2 Advanced certification for IT professionals building XML applications, covering DOM/SAX programming, XSLT, XML Schema, and XML processing system construction. The exam is 90 minutes, 40 questions, with an 80% passing score.
• XML Master Professional (Database) V2 Certification focused on XML database technologies, XQuery, and XML data management. Covers XML database fundamentals, XQuery processing, and XML schema integration with databases.
• XML Master Training Courses Instructor-led training courses aligned with XML Master certification exams, conducted by XML Master certified instructors with hands-on exercises and practical demonstrations, jointly delivered through partner institutions such as Infoteria Training Center.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20,000 XML Master certified professionals in Japan as of 2011
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Infoteria Corporation (インフォテリア株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001Infoteria Corporation is a founding promoter company of XML Master and provides training courses through its Infoteria Training Center. Company President Yoichiro Hirano serves as Vice Chairman of the XML Technology Promotion Committee. Infoteria provides educational content authors for XML Master Point Lessons series.
• Certpro Corporation (株式会社サートプロ)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCertpro Corporation handles the operations secretariat of the XML Technology Promotion Committee. Managing Director Mitsuru Chikamori serves as Acting Secretary-General. Certpro manages day-to-day operations including exam administration and member communications.
• XMLDB.JPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerXMLDB.JP is listed as a supporting company on the XML Master official website, promoting XML database certification and XML technology education.
• Shoeisha (翔泳社)minorOthersShoeisha publishes official XML Master textbooks and study guides, and hosts the XML Master Point Lessons series in DB Magazine. Provides educational content distribution channel for the certification program.
• Keio University / W3CcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChairman Nobuo Saito serves as Professor Emeritus at Keio University and W3C Associate Chair for Asia. This provides high-level international standards influence and academic credibility to the certification program.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Prometric: Prometric is a global testing services provider that delivers proctored certification exams for IT and professional credentials. It is a relevant ecosystem peer as the testing infrastructure partner that certification bodies rely on for secure, multi-site exam delivery.
• Pearson VUE: Pearson VUE is a global testing and certification delivery network that proctors IT certification exams on behalf of vendors and certification bodies. It is a relevant ecosystem peer as the third-party testing infrastructure that enables scale for certification programs of XML Master's type.

Broad incumbents

• CompTIA: CompTIA is a leading global vendor-neutral IT certification body offering credentials such as A+, Network+, and Security+. It is a comparable as a larger, more diversified peer in the vendor-neutral IT certification category, but operates at significantly greater global scale and breadth than XML Master's single-technology focus.
• (ISC)²: (ISC)² is a major global non-profit information security certification body offering CISSP and related credentials. It is comparable as a non-profit, vendor-neutral certification organization with a standards-driven governance model similar to XML Master's committee structure.
• Linux Foundation: The Linux Foundation operates vendor-neutral open-source certifications such as CKA and CKAD, governed by a multi-stakeholder foundation structure. It is comparable as a non-profit standards-adjacent certification body, but in a more strategically growing technology area.

Direct peers

• PMI (Project Management Institute): PMI is a non-profit professional association that administers the PMP and related project management certifications globally. It is a comparable as a non-profit, vendor-neutral certification body with a multi-tier credential framework, but serves a different technical domain (project management rather than XML).
• Certiport: Certiport delivers and proctors vendor-neutral and vendor-specific IT certifications including IC3, Microsoft Office Specialist, and Adobe certifications through a global testing network. It is a comparable as a certification delivery and credentialing infrastructure operator, but with a broader portfolio of exams.

Regional players

• IPA Japan (Information-technology Promotion Agency): IPA operates the Information Technology Engineer Examination and other national IT certifications in Japan under government auspices. It is a direct comparable as a Japan-based, vendor-neutral IT certification provider, but at a larger governmental scale and broader scope than XML Master's XML-specific focus.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/XML-Master/376648402405046
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xml-technology-certification-committee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about XML Master