© michael c. rawlins is xml ready for prime time? when to use xml for electronic transactions for...
TRANSCRIPT
© Michael C. Rawlins
Is XML Ready for Prime Time?
When to use XML for Electronic Transactions for Your Business
Michael C. Rawlins
Rawlins EC Consulting
© Michael C. Rawlins
Overview
• Organization types
• Factors– Standards– Tools– Complexity
• Conclusions
© Michael C. Rawlins
Organization Types
• Early Adopters
• Second Wave
• Mainstream
© Michael C. Rawlins
Early Adopters
• Large to medium enterprises
• XML programmers on staff
• High risk tolerance
• New applications
• Small trading communities
© Michael C. Rawlins
Second Wave
• Primarily large to medium enterprises, but some small
• Hubs and first tier suppliers
• Programmers or technical support on staff
• Moderate risk tolerance
• New and existing applications
• Moderate size trading communities
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Mainstream
• All sizes, including small enterprises
• Small or nonexistent technical staff
• Low risk tolerance
• Core applications
• Large trading communities
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Factors
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Factors
• Why XML?• Base XML Specifications• XML Tools• XML Business Standards• Application Support• On-line Marketplaces• Complexity• Market Timing
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Why: One Source, Many Uses
XMLDocument
XSLStylesheet
XSLStylesheet
DTD
PrintedDocument
WebPage
BusinessApplication
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XML Selling Points
• Separate content from presentation
• Applicable to many types of problems
• Generic tools
• Simplicity
• SME penetration
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XML : A Family of Specifications
• XML 1.0 - Feb 1998– Base language– Document Type Definition (DTD)
• XSLT for Transformations - 11/1999• XHTML 1.0 - HTML in XML - 1/2000• XSL for Display - In Progress• Schema for Data Definition - In Progress• Several Others
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XML Tools
• Browsers– IE 5 implements draft XSL– Netscape 6.0 pre-release uses CSS with XML
• Parsers and Utilities– Microsoft, Sun, IBM, many others
• Authoring Tools - few mainstream
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XML Specifications and Tools Impact
• Specifications not yet mature
• Tools depend on specifications
• Application developers depend on tools
• Conclusion:– Early adopters only– Not ready for mainstream or second wave
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Factors: Business Standards for XML
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Why Business Standards?
1) <BUYER_NAME> JOHN SMITH </BUYER_NAME>
2) <BUYER_NAME>
<LAST> SMITH </LAST>
<FIRST> JOHN </FIRST>
</BUYER_NAME>
3) <NAME type=”BUYER">
<SURNAME BSR_CODE=”NAM-01"> SMITH </SURNAME>
<GIVEN BSR_CODE=”NAM-01"> JOHN </GIVEN>
</NAME>
© Michael C. Rawlins
Business Standards for using XML
• Frameworks– ebXML– BizTalk
• Cross Industry– No voluntary standards (X12, EDIFACT) yet– Proprietary - cXML, xCBL
• Many Vertical Industries
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Application Support for Business Standards
• Ideally built-in, off-the-shelf
• Currently limited to:– Proprietary approaches– Vertical industry standards
• Impact: Necessary for second wave and mainstream
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Factors: On-line Marketplaces
• Will impact bilateral exchanges• No common business or technology profiles• Issues:
– Viability of ASP outsourcing– Business models– Cut out the middleman?
• Kill “rip & read” EDI• Delay XML adoption?
© Michael C. Rawlins
Factors: Complexity
XML Internet
E-mail or HTTP
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Complexity
XML
InternetXSL
XSLT
Schemas
Xpath
XLink
E-mail HTTP FTP
Security
Packaging
Internal RoutingUML
Meta-model
Core Components
Business Schema
BP Model
Registry & Repository
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XML Implementation: Naïve
BusinessApplication
Sender Receiver
BusinessApplication
Internet
XML XML
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XML Implementation: Realistic
BusinessApplication
Sender Receiver
BusinessApplication
Internet
XML XML
Management, Transformation,
Messaging XML
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Systems Complexity over Time
Time
Complexity
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Complexity of a Single Technology vs. Adoption
Complexity
Adoption
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Factors: Market Timing
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OSI: The Apocalypse of the Two Elephants
Time
Activity
Research
Standards
Billion dollar investments
Source: Dr. David Clark, head of Advanced Network Architecture research group, MIT’s Laboratory for Computer Science
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Elephants & XML Business Standards
Time
Activity
Foundation XML Specifications
XML business standards
Billion dollar investments
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Elephants & XML?
Time
Activity
B2B over the Internet
XML
Billion dollar investments
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Conclusions
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Effects on EDI Implementations
• Early Adopters– Phase out EDI
• Second Wave– Keep existing EDI– Few new applications
• Mainstream– Kill rip & read EDI
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Near Term Strategies
• Procurement - Prepare for migration to Marketplaces
• Other Applications– Retain existing EDI– 3 - 5 year ROI probably OK
• Experiment with XML
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Summary by Organization Type
• Early Adopters– Ready for Prime Time
• Go Forth and XML!
• Second Wave– Keep them on Saturday Night
• Wait for standards and major trading partners
• Mainstream– Cable Community Access Channel
• Wait for shrink-wrapped XML support
© Michael C. Rawlins
For More Information
Mike Rawlins, Rawlins EC Consulting
• www.metronet.com/~rawlins– “XML” and “Emerging Approaches” pages