XML, XSLT, and Application Integration http:www.w3.orgStyleXSL

1
XML, XSLT, and Application Integrationhttp//www.
w3.org/Style/XSL

• XML Features
• Simple, self-defining message structure format
  for information interchange and use among
  cooperating applications
• A robust, commonly agreed, standard for
  humanly-readable semantics (metadata) and
  contents
• Evolution of derivatives such as ebXML, SOAP, and
  XML/edi, and also leading to RosettaNet, BizTalk,
  etc.
• http//xml.coverpages.org/ebXML.html
• Serves as a tactic (method), rather than a
  strategy for IS integration
• XSLT
• A transformation standard for XML

2
A View of XML

3
Essence of IS Integration Value of XML

• IS integration
• Binding of applications and data stores for
  aggregated (cooperative processing)
• Constructs infrastructure that supports the flow
  of information between trading partners, next EDI
• XML provides a common data-exchange format for
  data and metadata

4
XML Document Content Structure Specification
5
Parsing XML Documents

• XML parsers read XML documents and extract data
  for access by other applications
• XML parsers can be embedded in the middleware
• XML is being used common enterprise metadata
  repository
• Individual industries such as pharmaceuticals and
  automotives can define their separate industry
  specific product metadata and document structure

6
XML Namespaceshttp//bertram.bourdrez.org/lecture
15.pdf

• Namespace
• A collection of domain-associated names used in
  an XML document.
• Same name may be used for two different meanings
• A Uniform Resource Indicator (URI) makes each
  namespace to be unique, e.g.
• http//www.bank.com.account
• http//www.hotel.com.account

7
Some XML Limitations

• For integration, enterprise information has to be
  externalized
• Existing applications need to be modified for
  producing and consuming XML, or leverage
  XML-enabled middleware.
• XML is text based, requiring more space than the
  enterprise information normally existing in
  binary format.
• Middleware often moves XML information into
  binary for format for exchange.

8
XML and Middleware

• XML needs middleware and middleware needs XML
• Middleware becomes the mover of information and
  dealing with application interfaces
• XML is playing a pervasive role in middleware.
  Products can be easily XML enabled by simply
  embedding a parser.

9
XML Enabled Standards

• Standards organizations are developing standards
  for e-business that are being used increasingly
  by vendors
• Overabundance of standards organizations and
  standards is problematic until a few widely
  accepted standards are in use.
• Examples
• RosettaNet consortium of vendors and users for
  high tech industry
• XEDI how to map EDI versus XML
• BizTalk Microsoft founded consortium to define
  grammar for XML-based messaging and metadata
• XFRML Advanced by American Institute of
  Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
• XMLSchema W3C working group for improved
  mechanisms for determining XML document structure
• XML-Query - W3C for creating a common set of
  operations and language to access persistent data
• XSLT provides a standard for XML document
  transformation using style sheets as the common
  processing engine. Provides for alteration of
  information in exchanges.

10
XSLT and B2B Application Integrationhttp//www-12
8.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-xslt

• B2B requires services such as routing, rules
  processing, and transformation
• XSLT provides a standard approach for rules and
  transformation processing
• Developed by W3C, it could become the preferred
  standard
• XSLT is simple and tightly integrated with XML
• XSLT allows for creation of transformation
  services

11
XSLT and B2B (continued)

• XSLT can also be used to perform other types of
  text processing and transformations for comma
  delimited files such as PDF, Excel, etc.
• XSLTs requires textual rather than binary
  information. Building text processing into
  existing binary messaging systems extra effort.
• Biztalk manages information in XML and makes use
  of XSLT
• XSLT fits in the middleware

12
XSLT Processors

• XSLT requires a SAX or DOM compliant for
  processing nodes of the XML document tree
• XSLT processors are also enables to handle
  multiple document inputs, multiple style sheet
  inputs, and multiple document outputs

13
XSLT Applications

• In addition to application integration, XSLT has
  other applications
• In schema conversion
• Extracting data
• Validating data
• Persisting data
• Converting attributes to elements
• Converting elements to attributes
• Changing the metadata and content of an incoming
  XML document to creating a new XML document
• Converting to other forms
• EDI/XML
• XML/PDF etc.
• Publishing information in the text format
  required by publishing systems