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An XML Development Kit Even as Internet and intranet technologies gain
acceptance in the enterprise, they continue to fall short of solving
a crucial business problem: How to get the right information to the right
person at the right time. DataChannel's products are designed to enable effective
communication between humans and for business-to-business transactions. XML
is the strategic format for the encoding information. It allows for the preservation
of the richness and contextual information needed in order to provide an active
channel for communication. XML per se, however, does not solve any problems. This article describes
the state of the practice in XML and presents DataChannel's XML Development
Kit (XDK), a product suite that enables software developers and integrators
to make their applications XML-aware. In doing so, the XDK enhances
the web value proposition by ensuring that rich information reaches its appropriate
audience.
The Web can be seen as a worldwide file system. Anybody with access
to the Internet can use this storage system to publish and access electronic
documents. Organizing this information by building indexes and databases
that enable people to find the information they need was an important first
step toward successful exploitation of the medium. But as anyone who has spent
valuable time hunting for specific answers with a search engine knows, more
effective techniques are needed.
XML attacks this problem at the source: the lack of semantic structure in
most content. Documents typically contain information that goes way beyond
the actual letters and pictures comprising a text. Consider this article,
for example. It has a specific title, a specific subtitle, a specific abstract,
etc. If a user could make this information explicit and available to
search engines and other agents, that user could simply ask the database to
locate all documents that contain "XML" in the abstract.
Such a query would ensure more relevant results than a full-text search
on the same keyword.
Here's another example: You have a collection of brochures about different
sorts of used cars collected from different dealers web sites. Wouldn't it
be nice to be able to pose the query, "I am only interested in a Saturn
or a Dodge costing between $10,000 and $15,000"? This kind of search
would clearly add value over a series of far less efficient full-text searches
on "Saturn OR Dodge," followed by labor-intensive cost comparisons.
Where HTML
falls short <HTML>
<H1>Intranet Design and XML</H1>
<P>A discussion of XML and its role for Intranet design</P>
</HTML> Here we are saying that the phrase "Intranet Design and XML" is a header
(H1) at outline level 1, while the phrase "A discussion of …" is a normal
paragraph (P). These and a growing number of structural and formatting instructions
comprise the evolving HTML standard, which has been used to design and publish
millions of web pages. HTML's success is in its simplicity: it has fixed, relatively small number
of tags. HTML was powerful enough to enable web designers to engineer the
current generation of search engines. However, as the Web has grown so has
demand for features that enhance business communication. In this regard
HTML's simplicity is a weakness. For instance, standard HTML contains the tag For a human being, this is less of problem. We can understand the meaning
of "1999" because we understand the context, the phrase in which it
was used. For a machine it is difficult, if not impossible, to capture the
intended meaning. XML - Preserving
the Richness of Information XML - the Extensible Markup Language - was designed in order to go beyond
the boundaries of HTML. In XML, a document author can use his own tags. Take,
for instance, the example of "1999." An author could write Other intuitive examples are XML provides a means to preserve information that would otherwise
be lost. A typical word processor does not know whether you are talking about
a title or a subtitle, for instance. To a word processor it is simply a text
in a large font. Let's look at a few examples comparing XML and HTML. First, consider a simple
example for a book in HTML: A simple example for a book in XML: XML can be used for any kinds of documents, in any kind of industrial or
commercial environment. For instance if we look at a document that describes
cars, a typical XML segment might be: Clearly, the inclusion of context-specific XML tags makes possible programmatic
search and analysis of this kind of document. Metadata is data about data. Very often, we can say something about a document
that is not actually part of the document itself; for instance, how many pages
does a document have, who is the author, when was it last saved, etc. metadata
can be attached to a document or can be a document by itself. Metadata is very valuable information as it helps us to catalog, search,
and index information about a document without having to have access to the
document itself. Metadata is being used widely in libraries. Whenever you
look for a book, you query the computer or look in the physical registry,
based on metadata. You can search in a variety of ways for the same object:
Who is the author, who is the publisher, etc. For metadata to be a real utility in the World Wide Web, it needs to be exchangeable.
XML has been designed to make information exchangeable. Thus, the use of XML
to express metadata is a very logical step. To make the remainder of the discussion somewhat more concrete, I will illustrate
how XML is being used today in a successful implementation: DataChannel RIO.
This product uses metadata in a variety of different ways. DataChannel provides
information about documents and about the way documents are organized in order
to provide easy access and easy navigation. Metadata about documents Metadata about structures DataChannel RIO provides a sophisticated navigational interface that allows
a user to access information with only a few mouse-clicks. This navigational
framework can also be seen as metadata. The Channel Definition Format
(CDF) is an XML-based standard that can be used for the description of a navigational
paradigm as being used by DataChannel RIO. DataChannel RIO uses CDF in order to send this sort of metadata to client
software. CDF is also being supported by Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0.
Thus Internet Explorer can be used as one of the many possible clients to
the DataChannel system architecture. CDF is one example of how XML can be
used to describe metadata that can be used and interpreted by different systems
regardless of operating system and platform. Imagine a database that needs to exchange data with another database operating
on a different system from a different vendor. Think about data on a spreadsheet
that needs to be sent to a database, or a workflow application that needs
to integrate with a spreadsheet. It is a simple concept: Take data from system A and transfer it to system
B. Not being able to perform this action severely hinders any attempt to make
the World Wide Web a platform for open information exchange. However, we do
not yet have the ability to exchange data from system to system. The exchange
of pure data, not within the context of a document, is still a fundamental
challenge for the software industry. XML promises to be the platform that can make this vision become reality.
XML is about preserving context and semantics. Let's take a look at a very
simple database example, a (very) simple employee database. An employee has
a name, an address (street, number, zip code, state), and a position. How can we use this data in order to send it to a spreadsheet located across
the Atlantic? Here's one way: This information can easily be interpreted by any XML-aware spreadsheet
and used to populate its cells. XML-based object serialization can be done with two objectives in mind. We
can serialize objects in order to provide persistency for our data-structures,
or we can make our in-memory objects interchangeable over the Internet/Intranet. The DataChannel XML Parser (DXP) and the DataChannel DOM Module form the
two components that are needed in order to use XML for object serialization. XML for distributed computing Distributed computing, especially in the context of a global Intranet needs
to be build upon open industry standards. One of the biggest challenges is
to find a means for the effective exchange of information. XML can be used as a format for message interchange between software components.
The idea is to have the actual messages coded in XML. This allows any application
that can read XML messages to participate in this global computing model. The XML modules found in the DataChannel XML Development Kit form some of
the basic software components needed to create such inter-networked architectures. The DataChannel XML Development Kit contains all the important components
that are needed to XML-enable applications. The core components are: DataChannel XML Parser (DXP) This Java-based validating XML parser is the leading cross-platform system
of the industry. A parser is a module that an application needs in order to
consume XML data and integrate it into its own data structures. Based on NXP
(Norbert's XML Parser), this parser has been with XML since its early
days. DXP supports standard industry interfaces such as SAX (Simple XML API) and
the W3C Document Object Model (DOM). DataChannel DOM Module The DataChannel DOM Module is a component that can be used to create XML
data as well as to consume XML data. The DataChannel DOM Module can be used
with DXP or without DXP. Used as an XML creation API, the DataChannel DOM
Module can be used to build and export XML data from within virtually any
application. Through the DataChannel DOM Module and the DataChannel XML Parser you can
use XML as a standard format for your object serialization. DataChannel XML Generator The DataChannel XML Generator is built on top of DXP and allows you to transform
comma-delimited files into rich XML. Comma-delimited files had to be used
for decades in order to exchange information between applications. With the
DataChannel XML Generator, these applications can be integrated to make use
of the new world of XML. To be able to XML-enable applications is the first
step toward unleashing the full power of the Internet/Intranet. The biggest
challenge is to publish documents/data and to route the appropriate metadata
to the right consumer of information. In other words, the challenge is to
get the right information to the right person at the right time. The DataChannel XML Development Kit - Professional contains, in addition
to its XML-enabling components, DataChannel RIO and the XML-based DataChannel
RIO integration APIs. DataChannel RIO is a next-generation publishing, metadata routing, and
navigation system based on XML message exchange. DataChannel RIO's API
allows software developers as well as integrators to build powerful applications
based on DataChannel RIO functionality and the tools provided by the DataChannel
XML Development Kit. There are many different ways in which the development kit can be employed.
In the following sections we will look at a few, generic examples. XML Development Kit for databases Enabling all kinds of databases systems, be it relational or object-oriented,
to exchange data in an open fashion opens up a new world for Internet and
Intranet applications. One of the biggest obstacles to overcome is to find
a single, accepted and powerful encoding convention that is rich enough to
provide the syntactical elements needed to achieve this. XML is a solution to this basic problem. The DataChannel XML Development
Kit provides the building blocks that database vendors and database developers
can use to allow easy integration of these powerful information sources into
the world of XML. XML Development Kit for spreadsheets Spreadsheets are the heart of millions of office applications throughout
the computing world. It must be one of the primary goals for an XML development
kit to enable these kinds of applications to read and write XML data. Using
open import and export facilities or programmatic interfaces that allow dynamic
creation and consumption of XML information enable these applications to migrate
toward powerful Intranet and Internet integration. Having spreadsheet data serialized into XML does not only allow spreadsheet-to-spreadsheet
communication. XML data does not make any assumptions about its intended use.
Conversely, XML content created from a spreadsheet can be consumed by database
systems, workflow systems, and any other kind of application that can read
XML data. XML Development Kit for generic applications Having a standard format for data exchange between applications, for configuration
files, and for the persistency of application data, was on the wish list of
application developers for decades. XML seems to offer solutions to this type
of problem. The XML Development Kit provides the components and documentation an application
developer needs in order to use XML to solve some of the problems mentioned
above. XML-enabled applications will certainly change the way information is being
dealt with across the World Wide Web. However, the real power lies in the
effective dissemination of information. DataChannel RIO offers a system that
can be used for powerful XML-based metacontent routing. What does that mean? When two or more applications need to exchange information,
they often are able to do it based on the type of information each recipient
needs and when they need it. For instance, a system that monitors supply
chains might need to inform certain parties, be they software processes
or people, that a certain component is running low and needs to be ordered.
Not everyone in the entire organization needs to know this. Only certain parties
need to be informed, but they MUST be informed, and promptly. Again, recipients
involved are machines and/or humans (via machines). The challenge is twofold, how to integrate custom applications into this
framework and how to administer these multidimensional relationships. DataChannel
RIO provides means to help with both. A powerful XML-based API allows for easy integration. In conjunction with
this, via a sophisticated administrative user interface, the flow of information
can be controlled directly by a human party as well. A recipient/group approach allows for the bundling of processes, as well
as human users to groups, based on a common interest (i.e., data required
in order to carry out a job). © 1998 DataChannel,
Inc. |
XML is the strategic format for the encoding information. It allows for
the preservation of the richness and contextual information needed in order
to provide an active channel for communication.
XML can be used as a format for message interchange between software components. The idea is to have the actual messages coded in XML, which allows any application that can read XML to participate in the global computing model.
Having a standard format for data exchange between applications, for configuration files, and for the persistency of application data has been on the wish list of application developers for decades. XML seems to offer solutions to this type of problem. The Company DataChannel Inc., based in Bellevue, Washington, is the leader in XML-enabled active content technology. DataChannel's flagship product, DataChannel RIO, simplifies the process of delivering critical information to the right people at the right time through instant distribution of organized content, the ability of anyone to save content directly to the Web, and the provision of an open API (application program interface). To find out more, visit the company's web site at www.datachannel.com.
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