GE Global eXchange Services
Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
(or Bill’s view of the wonderful world of XML)
Bill Cafiero
972-231-2180
jcaf@airmail.net
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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Credits
GE Global eXchange Services
My thanks to the following experts for contributing
ideas, material and advice in the development of this
material:
• Bob Angrisano, Microsoft Corporation, for the style sheet
examples
• Joe Kellett, Legendary Systems, for much of the XML vs EDI
material
• John Ousterhout, Scriptics Corporation , for the XML
application integration discussion
Any errors or omissions introduced into their material are solely my
responsibility
Bill Cafiero
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
Session Outline
This Session has five sections:
1. Introduction - Why XML?
2. Technical Section - For the “Pony Tails” the mechanics of XML
3. Current Standards Development Section What work is underway at the present
4. The Role of XML - For the “Grey Hairs” Where XML might fit in B2B commerce
5. Observations for the EDI Professional
A good web site for general XML information is
www.xmlinfo.com
An XML Tutorial may be found at
www.ge.gxs.com
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
Section 1 - Why XML?
• EDI is “B2B” (Business-to-Business) electronic business
process integration, fine-tuned by knowledgeable and
talented people over many years, and it works now.
– Rich and sophisticated business semantics.
– Mature supporting technologies.
– Reliable.
– Large available pool of technical talent.
• So why “reinvent the wheel” with XML? The promise is:
– Faster time-to-market for TP connectivity, faster end-toend communications.
– Cheaper to create and maintain TP relationships.
– Better quality of TP relationship, since XML
“extensibility” makes it easier to design and implement
new solutions.
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
EDI Tradeoffs
• EDI was designed when storage and network costs were
more important factors, and is therefore “cryptic” and “hard
to understand”.
• This “cryptic” quality also means that specialized standalone translation software is required.
– It is quite impractical for business applications to be
programmed to “speak and understand” EDI natively.
• Therefore a specialized staff is required who understands
the cryptic encoding methods used, and who can program
(“map”) the specialized software.
• A “specialized staff” means development bottlenecks and
training/recruitment issues.
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
EDI Tradeoffs
• At runtime, the required translation software is also a
point of delay, and sometimes a point of failure.
• High-level business process exchanges are only
loosely standardized. High-level business-process
analysis and design is required for each TP
relationship (at least for the non-dominating partner).
• EDI “standard” documents are highly configurable no two need have the same structure. Therefore,
lower-level data analysis and design is also required.
• The final custom design must be custom
programmed (“mapped”) by the specialized staff on
the specialized software.
• In other words, a one-off custom software
development effort is required to bring up a TP
relationship.
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
“EDI or Die”?
• “EDI or Die” never happened and never will.
• Some industries are so time-constrained and
interaction-rich that EDI did become a survival
requirement.
• Big hubs love EDI for its cost savings; they enjoy
economies of scale that easily recoup EDI investment.
• Everyone else resists EDI unless forced because their
cost/benefit ratio is too high.
XML to the Rescue???
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
Section 2 - For the “Pony Tails”
Let’s look at the details of XML...
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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XML Highlights
Data that in X12 is defined by its position in a
predefined structure is, in XML, given a label
(tag) that describes the data in the
transmission itself.
<Price>9.95</Price>
This is the essence of XML!
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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Where Does XML Fit?
GE Global eXchange Services
platform
presentation
Internet
HTML
The Internet creates a
need for platformindependent
technology.
Java
XML
processing
data
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
Orders
Order_Number
Order_Date
Customer
Detail
Detail
Line_Number
Line_Number
Item
Item
Quantity
Quantity
Price
Price
Shipment
Shipment
Shipment_Number
Shipment_Number
Shipment_Date
Shipment_Date
Shipment_Detail
Shipment_Detail
Line_Number
Line_Number
Quantity
Quantity
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
An Order in XML
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE Order SYSTEM "Orders.dtd">
<Order>
<Order_Number>1001</Order_Number>
<Order_Date>04/24/00</Order_Date>
<Customer>Bill's Supply Company</Customer>
<Detail>
<Line_Number>1</Line_Number>
<Item>A-123</Item>
<Quantity>10</Quantity>
<Price>1.50</Price>
</Detail>
<Detail>
<Line_Number>2</Line_Number>
<Item>B-987</Item>
<Quantity>20</Quantity>
<Price>2.00</Price>
</Detail>
<Shipment>
<Shipment_Number>1</Shipment_Number>
<Ship_Date>3/15/00</Ship_Date>
<Shipment_Detail>
<Line_Number>1</Line_Number>
<Quantity>10</Quantity>
</Shipment_Detail>
<Shipment_Detail>
<Line_Number>2</Line_Number>
<Quantity>15</Quantity>
</Shipment_Detail>
</Shipment>
</Order>
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Sender
Receiver
Receives
PO
Sender’s
Application
Generates
XML
Purchase Order
<?xml version=“1.0” ?>
<Purchase_Order>
<Order-Type> newOrder =
“True” Quoted = “Yes”/>
<Bill-To>
Bill-To Info
</Bill-To>
<Ship-To>Ship-To
Info<Ship-To>
<Line-Item>Line Item
Info</Line-Item>
<Line-Item>Line Item
Info</Line-Item>
<Terms>Some Payment
Terms</Terms>
<PO-Total>PO value
info</PO-Total>
</Purchase_Order>
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
Simple XML Document Processing
<?xml version=“1.0” ?>
<Purchase_Order>
<Order-Type> newOrder =
“True” Quoted = “Yes”/>
<Bill-To>
Bill-To Info
</Bill-To>
<Ship-To>Ship-To
Info<Ship-To>
<Line-Item>Line Item
Info</Line-Item>
<Line-Item>Line Item
Info</Line-Item>
<Terms>Some Payment
Terms</Terms>
<PO-Total>PO value
info</PO-Total>
</Purchase_Order>
Passes
to
XML
Parser
XML Parser
executes and
checks for
well-formed
document
and if OK,
creates
PARSE TREE
Sends to
Receiver
Receiver
Application
processes
PO
PARSE
TREE
to
application
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GE Global eXchange Services
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
Orders.xml Parsed
http://msdn.microsoft.com/xml/notepad/intro.asp
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Viewing XML
What about displaying XML documents?
• XML itself does not describe how a document
is to be displayed for human interpretation
(i.e., screen, paper, audio)
• XML documents are just plan text files - you
use a text editor to create and view them but
there’s no formatting
• Internet Explorer 5 and Netscape
Communicator 6 browsers will handle XML
directly.
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
Style Sheets
What is a Style Sheet?
• You can combine a style sheet with an XML
document to display the document
• Style Sheets contain the rules that declare
how the document’s information should
appear
• Style Sheets are like “templates and styles”
in MS Word
• Extensible Styling Language (XSL) is the
language of Style Sheets
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
The Power of Style Sheets
table.xsl
bar.xsl
art.xsl
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
Use the Same Data Multiple Ways
ie5.xsl
ie4.xsl
nav3.xsl
nokia.xsl
sony.xsl
edi_x.xsl
sap_y.xsl
flat_z.xsl
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
XML Processing
XSL
Processor
DTD
XML
Parser
XSL
Style Sheet
Web
Browser
Other
(e.g. Directly into
Application)
XML
Data
Source
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
Section 3
Current Organizational Developments
Why use XML for E-Commerce?:
• XML bridges the gap between traditional EDI and Webbased applications.
• Most of high-tech industry has espoused XML:
– Virtually all new software from Microsoft, GE Global
eXchange Services, Netscape, IBM, and others are
going to be enabled to use XML.
• XML could make EC/EDI more available to the SME and
other non-traditional EDI users.
Many approaches are under development:
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
Sampling of Current Initiatives
• XML/EDI
• Open Applications Group Integration Specification (OAGIS)
• Collaborative Planning Forecasting and Replenishment
• Open Trading Protocol (OTP)
• Open Financial Exchange (OFX)
• Commerce Interchange Pipeline (CIP)
• SAP’s BAPIs
• IE and Netscape browsers
• MS-Office
• DLA Emall
• Extensible Forms Description Language (XFDL)
• Common Business Language (CBL)
• Web Interface Definition Language (WIDL)
• Bank Internet Payment System (BIPS)
• XML Metadata Interchange (XMI)
• Simple Workflow Access Protocol (SWAP)
• Information Content & Exchange (ICE)
• Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETM)
• Standard Exchange for Product (STEP)
• Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information
• etc., etc., etc...
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
ebXML
The ebXML Approach
• Adopt existing specifications where appropriate
• Utilize what worked in EDI
• Understand the underlying reason for failure in EDI
• Bridge needs for application-to-application versus
application-to-human
• The approach supported by ANSI ASC X12
ebXML
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
Section 4
The Stuff for the “Grey Hairs”
XML and EDI
Where will XML fit in B2B EC?
How will XML and EDI interact?
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
XML-EDI Visualized
< XML >
+
EDI
Syntax and Standards
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
XML and B2B
What XML does for B2B:
• Format for data interchange
• Standard protocols for trading
communities
– CXML: Ariba
– RosettaNet
What XML can’t do for B2B:
• Integration with enterprise resources
• Business rules
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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XML Infrastructures
GE Global eXchange Services
Database
Internet
??
What XML Doesn’t
Provide
•
•
•
•
Integration
Translation
Business rules
Management
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
EAI or Enterprise
Middleware
XML-enabled
Application
Non-XML
Application
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Where XML Might fit
GE Global eXchange Services
Enterprise Application
Integration (EAI):
• Apps within Enterprise
Application Server:
• Browsers over Internet
XML Integration
Server:
• B2B over Internet
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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Section 5
GE Global eXchange Services Observations for the EDI Professional
What does all this
mean to the EDI
Professional?
Is EDI Dead?
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
XML Utopia
• XML proponents think they’re going to dramatically reduce
the expense and time-to-market factors associated with EDI.
• Also, the “XML vision” sometimes goes far beyond “B2B” to
include revolutionizing the way all electronic process
interfaces are done.
• The XML “Utopia to Come”…
• Faster
• Cheaper
• Better
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
TANSTAAFL
• “There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch”.
• XML document standards aren’t shaken out yet.
• And for quite awhile you’ll still have your existing nonXML-speaking back-end systems.
• Most applications won’t speak XML natively for
quite awhile. Too many rapidly evolving
“standards” for one thing.
• So the XML analogs of “translators and gateways” will
be used (although not named that, too “EDI-ish”.)
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
TANSTAAFL
• So in addition to “EDI experts and specialized translation
software” you’ll also need “XML experts and specialized
translation software”.
• A significantly different technology with non-trivial learning
curve.
• XML by itself is pretty simple, but things like “XSLT”,
“XML Namespaces”, and “XML Schema” are non-trivial.
• But XML and ancillary technologies will fast become a
fundamental universal data-processing skill, rather than an
esoteric specialized skill like EDI.
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
TANSTAAFL
• And for awhile you will still have to interface between
an XML “translator” and the back-end systems, just as
with EDI.
• Bolting XML on the front will not change your existing
back-end.
• XML helps at “lower layers” of the protocol stack, not
at “higher layers”.
Back-end integration will still be
the major challenge!
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
So Why Bother?
• However, your new XML environment will still be
significantly “faster, cheaper, better” for the tasks it is
given (once you’re over the learning curve!) and will
increasingly make your business more competitive.
• More applications will be able to speak XML natively
“out of the box”, especially as standards solidify, thus
further improving XML’s cost/benefit ratio.
• “Plug-and-play” standards (e.g., RosettaNet) will have
big payback if they in fact meet business needs as
planned.
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
Whither EDI?
• EDI will stay relatively undisturbed for quite awhile.
• EDI does what it was designed to do and does it reliably.
• No need to disturb existing huge investment in
technology, custom-developed software (“maps”), and
staff expertise.
• B2B via XML will start penetrating areas that EDI has not
touched due to EDI cost/benefit ratio.
• Large enterprises will be compelled by the need to
compete in “Internet time” and to achieve new
functionality.
• SME’s will be able to play cost-effectively in B2B as turnkey solutions arise (more likely/doable in XML).
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
Whither EDI?
• Eventually B2B via XML will start encroaching on EDI.
• But only after XML is much better established.
• XML cost factors, time-to-market factors, and
functionality will gradually dictate “XML” rather than
“EDI” for new/updated TP relationships in traditional
EDI roles.
• An evolution, rather than a revolution.
• And much of EDI’s sophisticated business semantics
may be merely transferred into the XML world.
XML - It’s just like EDI, only different.
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
Whither EDI?
• What about EDI professionals?
• Again “it’s just like EDI, only different.” It’s “faster,
cheaper, better” only at the lower techie levels.
• It’s a very natural thing to have the EDI group absorb
“B2B via XML” along with existing EDI.
• “Just” ramp up on XML-specific skills and all other
skills (business knowledge, analytical skills, project
management, ability to interact with business folk
and implement what they need) still apply as before.
Is EDI dead? To paraphrase Mark Twain:
Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated!
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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GE Global eXchange Services
Thank you
Copyright © William G. Cafiero, 2000
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