RE: [xml-dev] Newbie confusion with xml

["Mark Seaborne" <MSeaborne@origoservices.com>]

Doesn't Ariba prvide any technical help, a FAQ perhaps? If not I am appalled, though not hugely surprised.

 

From my limited experience in the UK, one of the main problems many companies face when asked to send and receive XML instead of fax, or EDI, or email, or whatever, is that they are simply told, "Its easy, here are some web sites that can help you, get on with it." So a small IT department of just a few already busy people have to get to grips with XML and HTTP and ASP (or whatever) just to do differently what they were probably already doing to their own satisfaction anyway. Or they can buy some software, and probably some consultancy, to do it all for them - which is pretty much what happened when everyone just used EDI. And I bet some companies will end up buying different packages for each trading partner, just as they did with EDI.

 

A company I helped last year had been happily swapping EDI messages with a trading partner for years, when the trading partner decided to ditch EDI for XML. Exchange of EDI messages was fully automated, but using XML required my company to have someone log onto a web site and download the orders, which was naturally viewed as a step backwards. I knocked up something to automatically pick up the XML orders and tranlsate them so they could just follow the same route as incoming EDI. It was a day's work. Another, larger, well respected company wanted to charge 100,000 pounds to do the same thing (not including consultancy), and wrap something fairly simple in so many layers as to make it incomphrehensible enough to justify a large maintenance fee - just like companies do with EDI.

 

We are all told that XML equates to ebusiness for all, it lowers the cost of entry. And yet the only reason that EDI did not fulfill a similar promise was that vendors over-complicated something really very simple in order to be able to over-charge for their services, and lock customers into their products, so they could establish very lucrative recurring revenues. I'm afraid I have seen too much history already repeating itself to be terribly hopeful. If someone else would care to prove me wrong I would be very, very happy. Actually that isn't true, my happiness does not depend on the adoption of XML for ebusiness. I am already quite happy thank you.

 

Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: dale@qc.aira.com [mailto:dale@qc.aira.com]
Sent: 19 August 2002 16:06
To: xml . org
Subject: [xml-dev] Newbie confusion with xml

 

 

  Ok, I have a million and one questions for you guys but I'm going to take it step by step. The company I work for has an account on Ariba and orders are placed and sent to us through e-mail. We have the option of receiving it in cXML if we specify a URL to send it to. Our overall goal is to convert the info into csv format. We then need to be able to send back an order confirmation and order updates back to Ariba in response to the orderRequest.

 

This is an example of what we would be receiving in the orderRequest.xml, please take a look and I have a few question at bottom...

 

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
- <!--
    Ordering three line items for delivery on the same day (a few days
    after the order date).

 

  -->
  <!DOCTYPE cXML (View Source for full doctype...)>
- <cXML payloadID="32232995@ariba.acme.com" timestamp="2000-10-12T18:39:09-08:00" xml:lang="en-US" version="1.2.007">
- <Header>
- <From>
- <!--  The buying marketplace and member organization.
  -->
- <Credential domain="AribaNetworkUserId" type="marketplace">
  <Identity>bigadmin@marketplace.org</Identity>
  </Credential>
- <Credential domain="AribaNetworkUserId">
  <Identity>admin@acme.com</Identity>
  </Credential>
  </From>
- <To>
- <Credential domain="DUNS">
  <Identity>942888711</Identity>
  </Credential>
  </To>
- <Sender>
- <!--
 This document has passed through Ariba CSN to the
                 supplier.

 

  -->
- <Credential domain="AribaNetworkUserId">
  <Identity>sysadmin@ariba.com</Identity>
  <SharedSecret>abracadabra</SharedSecret>
  </Credential>
  <UserAgent>Ariba CSN 33</UserAgent>
  </Sender>
  </Header>
- <Request deploymentMode="test">
- <OrderRequest>
- <OrderRequestHeader orderID="DO1234" orderDate="2000-10-12" type="new" orderType="regular">
- <Total>
  <Money currency="USD">187.60</Money>
  </Total>
- <ShipTo>
- <Address>
  <Name xml:lang="en">Acme</Name>
- <PostalAddress name="default">
  <DeliverTo>Joe Smith</DeliverTo>
  <DeliverTo>Mailstop M-543</DeliverTo>
  <Street>123 Anystreet</Street>
  <City>Sunnyvale</City>
  <State>CA</State>
  <PostalCode>90489</PostalCode>
  <Country isoCountryCode="US">United States</Country>
  </PostalAddress>
  </Address>
  </ShipTo>
- <BillTo>
- <Address>
  <Name xml:lang="en">Acme</Name>
- <PostalAddress name="default">
  <Street>123 Anystreet</Street>
  <City>Sunnyvale</City>
  <State>CA</State>
  <PostalCode>90489</PostalCode>
  <Country isoCountryCode="US">United States</Country>
  </PostalAddress>
  </Address>
  </BillTo>
- <Payment>
  <PCard number="1234567890123456" expiration="2001-03-12" />
  </Payment>
  <Comments xml:lang="en-US">Anything well formed in XML.</Comments>
  </OrderRequestHeader>
- <ItemOut quantity="10" requestedDeliveryDate="2000-10-18" lineNumber="1">
- <ItemID>
  <SupplierPartID>1233244</SupplierPartID>
  </ItemID>
- <ItemDetail>
- <UnitPrice>
  <Money currency="USD">1.34</Money>
  </UnitPrice>
  <Description xml:lang="en">hello from item 1</Description>
  <UnitOfMeasure>EA</UnitOfMeasure>
  <Classification domain="SPSC">12345</Classification>
  <ManufacturerPartID>234</ManufacturerPartID>
  <ManufacturerName>foobar</ManufacturerName>
  <URL>www.foo.com</URL>
  </ItemDetail>
  </ItemOut>
- <ItemOut quantity="20" requestedDeliveryDate="2000-10-18" lineNumber="4">
- <ItemID>
  <SupplierPartID>1233245</SupplierPartID>
  </ItemID>
- <ItemDetail>
- <UnitPrice>
  <Money currency="USD">2.68</Money>
  </UnitPrice>
  <Description xml:lang="en">hello from item 4</Description>
  <UnitOfMeasure>EA</UnitOfMeasure>
  <Classification domain="SPSC">12346</Classification>
  <ManufacturerPartID>235</ManufacturerPartID>
  <ManufacturerName>foobar</ManufacturerName>
  <URL>www.foo.com</URL>
  </ItemDetail>
  </ItemOut>
- <ItemOut quantity="30" requestedDeliveryDate="2000-10-18" lineNumber="5">
- <ItemID>
  <SupplierPartID>1233246</SupplierPartID>
  </ItemID>
- <ItemDetail>
- <UnitPrice>
  <Money currency="USD">4.02</Money>
  </UnitPrice>
  <Description xml:lang="en">hello from item 5</Description>
  <UnitOfMeasure>EA</UnitOfMeasure>
  <Classification domain="SPSC">12347</Classification>
  <ManufacturerPartID>236</ManufacturerPartID>
  <ManufacturerName>foobar</ManufacturerName>
  <URL>www.foo.com</URL>
  </ItemDetail>
  </ItemOut>
  </OrderRequest>
  </Request>
  </cXML>

 

Now, I'm sure you can see how confusing this can seem to a beginner trying to teach himself.
How would I receive something like this?
What kind of page would I need to catch this information?
How would I send the response?
How can confidential information like this be sent to a URL and be secure from everyone else?

 

Hopefully one of you were once in my situation and can help. Whether you can help with one or all of the questions it would be appreciated because I have alot more than that.

Thank you

Dale Bryan