XML and Data ExchangesIS617Fall 2012Dr. Dwyer

IS Principles• IS provides methods to increase the efficiency and

effectiveness of business processes• This requires the use of Enterprise Systems• Enterprise Systems require internal standards as to how data

is structured and organized• This allows all parts of a process to be managed by the ES• Concept of interoperability, concept of platform neutral, both

depend on enabling data generated by one system to be used by another

• Within divisions of a company• Within members of a supply chain• Between regulators and companies

Data, data, data• Most ES cobble together already existing functional

information systems (accounting information systems, procurement information systems, customer information systems)

• These are sometimes referred to as “legacy systems”• Like the Tower of Babel, the data inside legacy systems is

“provincial” and the format may be unique to that system

An example – from one company• Customer

information system• CustName – 30

characters• CustID – 10 character

account number

• Accounting information system• CustomerName – 25

characters• CustomerNo – 8

character combination of letters and numbers

How to connect these systems?• Require Customer Information System to change all its

programs to conform to the Accounting Information System format

• Require Accounting Information System to change all its programs to conform to the Customer Information System format

• Or …

Use XML• XML is text based method of describing data• Uses tags (similar to HTML)• Can use XML to create a generic version (XML Schema) of

customer information record that is consistent with both systems

• Write an XML parser to convert Customer Information Systems data to the generic version, and vice versa

• Write an XML parser to convert Accounting Information Systems data to the generic version, and vice versa

XML (and its Associated Technologies)

All about data:– structuring the data– accessing and manipulating the data

Computer 1 Computer 2data

Passing Data between Systems

Suppose that you’ve got book data that you want to pass between some systems

“My Life and Times” Paul McCartney July 1998 94303-12021-43892 McMillin Publishing.“Illusions The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah”Richard Bach 1977 0-440-34319-4 Dell Publishing Co..“The First and Last Freedom” J. Krishnamurti 19540-06-064831-7 Harper & Row.

Passing Data between Systems

First thing you might do is agree on how you will structure your data:

“My Life and Times”/Paul McCartney/July 1998/94303-12021-43892/McMillin Publishing.“Illusions The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah”/Richard Bach/1977/0-440-34319-4/Dell Publishing Co..“The First and Last Freedom”/J. Krishnamurti/1954/0-06-064831-7/Harper & Row.

Title / Author / Date / ISBN / Publisher

Here we are using a slash to delimit (separate) each field and acarriage return to delimit each record.

Alternatively <Book> <Title>My Life and Times</Title> <Author>Paul McCartney</Author> <Date>July, 1998</Date> <ISBN>94303-12021-43892</ISBN> <Publisher>McMillin Publishing</Publisher> </Book> <Book> <Title>Illusions The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah</Title> <Author>Richard Bach</Author> <Date>1977</Date> <ISBN>0-440-34319-4</ISBN> <Publisher>Dell Publishing Co.</Publisher> </Book> <Book> <Title>The First and Last Freedom</Title> <Author>J. Krishnamurti</Author> <Date>1954</Date> <ISBN>0-06-064831-7</ISBN> <Publisher>Harper &amp; Row</Publisher> </Book>

Here we are delimiting each data item with a start and end tag.We are enclosing each record also within a start-end tag.

Uses for XML• RSS feeds• XBRL and financial statements• Setting standards for exchange of data across companies,

industries and individuals

XBRL example• SEC requires all publicly traded companies to file their

financial statements in XBRL format• http://xbrl.sec.gov/• Examples of online financial statements:

Medical Health Records• XML can be used to merge records from different medical

health record systems• This is a wiki being used to coordinate the exchange of

electronic health information http://wiki.siframework.org/