The application of XML in e-commerce

Xml| e-commerce

The development of electronic commerce

The earliest e-commerce is the traditional EDI (Electronic data interchange, electronic exchange). In the the late 1960s, the concept of EDI was introduced almost simultaneously by Europe and the United States. The early EDI was done by direct communication between two business partners, and the development of digital communication technology accelerated the maturity of EDI technology and the expansion of application scope, and also led to the emergence of cross-industry EDI system in the 70 's. The internationalization of EDI standard in the 80 has made its application leap into a new stage.

Traditional EDI standardizes and formats data information, and facilitates data exchange and exchange between different companies, enterprise applications or commercial operations through network interconnection. However, with the popularization of EDI, some of its shortcomings also appear accordingly. Traditional EDI uses private network or value-added network services, high cost. A standard set based on strict transaction processing, which contains business rules that apply only to specific applications, does not apply to frequently changing business rules, and is difficult to achieve across-platform data exchange across systems.

In the early 90, with the rapid popularization of the Internet, Internet-based E-commerce emerged. It uses the Internet's global, expands the transaction scope, the cost is greatly reduced, uses the data encryption, the electronic authentication, the safe electronic transaction and so on a series of measures, enhances the transaction the security. However, it is not very convenient to realize the data exchange between Cross-platform and Cross-platform, and it still needs to be converted among multiple file formats.

In the late 90, the advent of XML has injected new vigor into E-commerce. The combination of XML and EDI provides a widely understood business specification, information such as documents, forms, and so on can be exchanged among different systems, increasing the sustainability of data, reducing the additional cost of application due to changes in business rules, ensuring connectivity to old systems and protecting existing investments. Of course, the current Xml/edi technology is not fully mature, needs further development and improvement.

XML overview

Extensible Subscript Language XML (extensible Markup Language) is a SGML workgroup of the United SGML experts in the Consortium, for SGML (Standard to General Markup Language) is trimmed to form a condensed subset of SGML. It provides Internet developers with a brand new tool to implement e-business and EDI solutions for electronic data interchange.

XML has the following 4 main features:

1. Simplicity

XML provides a friendly environment for programmers and document authors. The rigorous definition of XML and the set of rules make it easier for both humans and machines to read documents. The XML document syntax contains a very small set of rules that allows developers to start working immediately. Depending on the structure of the document, the DTD (document Type definition, the format definition of documents) can be created either through a standard procedure or by an expert.

An XML document is built on the base of a core set of basic nested structures. As the level of detail increases and the structure becomes more complex, the effort of the author or developer to complicate the internal structure will be minimal. These basic structures can be used to represent complex sets of information without changing the structure itself. The parsing of XML is also very easy to create.

2. Scalability

XML is extensible in two sense. First, it allows developers to create their own DTDs, effectively creating "extensible" sets of flags that can be used in a variety of applications, and second, by using several additional criteria, XML can be extended to add styles, links, and referential capabilities to the core set of XML features. As a core standard, XML provides a solid foundation for other standards that may arise.

3. Interoperability

XML can be used on a variety of platforms and can be explained with a variety of tools. Because the structure of the documents is compatible, the parser that interprets them can be built at a lower cost. XML supports many of the main criteria for character encoding, allowing it to be used in many different computing environments around the world.

XML is a good addition to Java, and many of the early XML developments were done in Java. A simple API (SAX) for common Application interface--xml for parsers, available free of charge, and also available in syntax parsers written in C + +, C, JavaScript, Tcl, and Python. At present, the development of XML parser concentrates on the free Plug-ins (Plug-in), which provide parsing ability for XML application, and greatly reduce the cost of establishing practical application with XML.

4. Openness

The XML standard is completely open on the Internet and can be obtained free of charge. The XML document itself is also more open, and anyone can parse a well-formed XML document, and if a DTD is provided, you can validate the document. Companies still create the XML for their application in a specific way, and the data in the XML document is available to any application. While developers can create semantically ambiguous DTDs or encrypt data in their own way, they will lose many of the benefits of using XML. XML does not prohibit the creation of private formats, but its openness is one of its greatest advantages.

XML simplify publishing of databases

When dealing with HTML pages and databases, it is much more difficult to go through complex conversion procedures and to exchange data between one type of database and another. In view of XML, because it uses structured data, it is very easy to store or exchange between different databases. It can be foreseen that XML will become the standard way for data to be exchanged between different databases in the future.

As we all know, when you transmit a large amount of data on the Internet, you often encounter the significance of data representation, that is, the format of the data is uncertain. In particular, in a remote report project, each report has a large amount of data, including information about the report itself and the location of the data in the report, and the format of the report is varied, which increases the difficulty of data representation. At this point, the best approach is to use XML to format the data.

Usually XML format can well represent the structure of the report, not only can transfer the data of the report, but also accurately represent the position of the data in the report. So, when such two XML files are delivered to the client, we can easily revert them back to the original report.

When we need to implement offline operations on the client, it requires a large amount of information to be kept on the client, but the database is not in line with the thin client's principle. If you look at it from another perspective, the structured description of the data in XML is a database represented by a tree structure. Of course, we need an admin XML to connect them so that multiple XML files can be connected to form a file database, and the space is small and the update is convenient.

XML with EDI Fusion --xml/edi

Established by the Internet in July 1997, the Xml/edi group aims to nurture and develop open and widely applicable next-generation e-business standards for Xml/edi. The goal of Xml/edi is to allow organizations to configure smarter, cheaper, and more maintainable systems for global users.

EDI is the ancestor of E-commerce, with the ability to express structural data in a simple format, so that data can be transmitted to other people, and the receiver can interpret the received information. In the process of EDI transfer to next generation products, Xml/edi provides 100% backward compatibility for existing EDI transactions. This means that we do not have to discard existing EDI investments and knowledge.

Both EDI and XML are essentially data and metadata encapsulated in tag formats and structures. Therefore, the existing EDI mechanism can be expressed in XML syntax, and new and more flexible methods can be created. EDI traditionally separates and identifies data items in messages using a unique, similarly marked paragraph identifier, which uses the same markup based approach, but allows dynamic markup and object structures. Therefore, replacing the paragraph identifier with an Internet token enables XML to fully represent EDI, and it can transmit EDI documents over the Internet.

It is not enough to simply redefine the message format so that the message can be passed over the Internet, and the traditional EDI document organization will face the danger of being eliminated because of its own fixation and inflexibility. To this end, the Xml/edi team added 3 additional key components:

Processing templates (Process Template)

Software agent (Software agent)

Global entity Knowledge Base (Entity repositories)

These 3 additional components transform traditional EDI into Xml/edi, allowing full dynamic e-business between business partners, and each component adds a unique tool for leveraging other components. In the past, EDI was static, and Xml/edi provided a perfect dynamic process that can be extended indefinitely.

The processing template provides a binder that binds the entire xml/edi together. Without processing templates, users will not be able to use XML syntax alone to express all the work details that need to be done. A template is a global application, or is propagated forward as a special paragraph or tag set in XML, and is easy to read and interpret. They centralize the traditional Process Control language syntax in layout and content, and supplement the document type definitions claimed in XML. The DTD (document type definition, the file types definition) provides the interoperability of transactions by defining the structure and content. The DTD also allows two organizations to understand each other's data. The processing template defines the actions that occur on the data and provides transaction processing.

The software agent not only interprets the processing template, performs the necessary work, but also interacts with EDI transaction data definition, user business application, and creates a new template for each specific task. The agent can also access the global repository and locate and secure the appropriate template for existing work. Software agents can also refer to DTDs to determine the display characteristics of a form. This is the domain that Java and ActiveX are good at. Currently, these two technologies provide the best intermediary for creating agents.

The Global Internet Knowledge Base (repositories) has been applied to traditional EDI, for example: BSI's beacon system. It uses the Beacon dictionary, where users can manually find the meaning and definition of EDI elements. At present, the global Internet Knowledge Base concept has entered the next level, provides the automatic lookup function, just like the current higher level Internet search engine. This component provides a semantic basis for global business transactions and provides support for the right entity cross-references for software agents.

Xml/edi provides information to the system, not just data, but also the information processing logic needed.

Xml/edi also defines a standard for encoding data behavior for performance features, structures, and supporting business transactions (catalogs, order forms, and legal requirements), which facilitates the exchange of key transaction information, resulting in automated execution and document based transactions.

Xml/edi's basic idea is to add enough intelligent processing information to the document to make the document (and document-centric document processing tool) a framework for e-business.

For example: In the enterprise supplier Supply chain management, customer service support, resource integration and logistics management applications, often involve many different processes and procedures, files need to be transferred to many departments, and the document content and structure of the different, these work HTML is not competent. XML provides a variety of complete solutions and functions, including data transmission, data gathering, data structure and data presentation, so that the design process greatly simplified. XML enables e-business to have more resource choices and to maintain closer and more efficient relationships with consumers or suppliers and partners.

The implementation of the specific Xml/edi system is discussed below, and the basic framework of the system is as follows:

XML interpreter: Java programming is implemented in view of platform compatibility. It is between EDI server and WWW server, and is responsible for the conversion between EDI standard transaction processing set and XML based on X12 and EDIFACT, such as document format, information format, etc.

WWW server: Use Apache server and compile into XML-supported modules;

Processing Template: The use of XML DTD to write various templates to meet the traditional EDI system for business rules and standards of the requirements (such as various documents standards), and by the software agent control;

Software agent: Use Java to write, use CORBA technology to communicate with XML translator and EDI server;

EDI Server and global entity Knowledgebase: The use of traditional EDI system, to increase the corresponding support CORBA interface.

The system organically combines the electronic commerce system which supports traditional EDI with the non-EDI internet-based e-business system through XML language. Effective use of existing networks and facilities, greatly reducing the cost of customers, to meet the needs of SMEs for E-commerce.

currently based on XML of electronic commerce standards

The following is a list of existing xml-based e-business standards:

1.cXML specification (Commerce XML)

August 1999, Ariba Technologies formally launched the cxml/1.0 standard. This standard is an industry standard based on XML standards for business-to-business E-commerce transactions in the Internet. The main content of the specification is to define the E-commerce transaction DTD, involving orders (order), procurement (Punchorder) and catalogs (Catalog).

2.eConcert Planning and PIP specification set

The 1998 Industrial Standards Organization RosettaNet launched the Econcert program. The specification includes: PIP General e-business Process standard, canonical description form DTD.

3.xCBL 2.0 specification (XML Common Business Library)

January 1999 was presented by CommerceOne. The canonical description is a DTD, a cross-industry xml-based e-business standard and framework. Mainly for small and medium-sized enterprises to provide a quick solution to e-commerce.

4.BizTalk Frame

December 6, 1999, Microsoft launches BizTalk Framework 1.0 specification. The framework is the core of Microsoft E-commerce solution, the canonical description is schema, and the main way of information transfer is to send messages and transform data between BizTalk Server.

With the combination of Internet and traditional EDI, the new generation of Internet edi,html brings the development of Internet, www and internet edi, but it is not easy for web development because it is too simplified. XML adaptation needs, its excellent performance brings a new generation of web, but also brings the real web-style edi. The more far-reaching implications of developing XML have yet to be further studied.