Re: [xml-dev] XML-standard

[Mike Champion <mc@xegesis.org>]

3/11/2002 3:22:56 AM, Mozhgan Moussavi <Mozhgan.Moussavi@tribon.com> wrote:


>
>I'm wondering if anybody perhaps could help me to make right decision, i.e.
>choose the right 
>standard for the company's messaging system. Which aspects are most
>important to take into considerations?

There are two competing considerations: On one hand, a business messaging
system needs to preserve those unique features of a company that give it
its competitive advantage.  On the other hand, it needs to facilitate
standardized communication with suppliers and customers.   Any "out of the
box" system such as BizTalk will favor the latter over the former.

Another consideration is the technological sophistication of the IT
people at the company.  If they are capable of building the messaging
infrastructure themselves using "raw" Web and XML technologies, 
many possibilities are available.  If they need an "out of the box"
solution, the choice will (for the time being) come down to
finding the least limiting of the unappealing alternatives, at
least for now, or unless they have extremely generic needs.

Another consideration is whether the industry the company is in has a 
reasonably mature data exchange standard.  As I understand it, 
the electronics industry has RosettaNet and would be a fairly obvious
choice; on the other hand, the financial industry has a great
variety of more or less competing "standards" and deciding on one
depends on a lot of detailed knowledge of the particular nich the 
company is in, who it exchanges messages with, etc.  

Of course, the most important consideration is that you have
skill in fortunetelling to predict which standards will ultimately
predominate!  And not to mention that it takes advanced training in
anthropology, political science, group psychology, AND business
AND technology to make any sense out of how all the various standards
effort you mention compete and/or complement one another <grin>