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>So, at least where I work, I get the distinct impression (hopefully false)
>that organisations are actually wanting the data interchange format to be
>what they build new back end systems over, so they don't have to do bother
>with any transformation. This seems an amazingly short-sighted, and
>dangerous thing to do. A technology touted as an aid to loosely coupling
>disparate applications, is, ironically, leading to tighter coupling than
>existed before.
Does this tight binding mean that the only way customers can make
XML work for them is by pushing the XML transformations into their
persistent/proprietary data-store? Is this because they think
on-the-fly XML transformation tools/products (or homegrown solutions)
are not efficient enough?
regards,
anupam
>From: "Mark Seaborne" <MSeaborne@origoservices.com>
>To: "Paul Prescod" <paul@prescod.net>
>CC: "xml-dev" <xml-dev@lists.xml.org>
>Subject: RE: [xml-dev] What is XML For?
>Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 08:49:13 +0100
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>Where once we would design EDI (EDIFACT) messages, now we design XML
>messages. XML is just fine for representing the kind of hierarchical
>structures that EDI uses. I don't know that it does a better job of it than
>EDI, but it has the advantage of being ubiquitous.
>
>On the other hand, XML actually can have a big disadvantage over EDI, the
>same one that is its main advantage, actually. Not many people ever thought
>of using EDI everywhere, for for anything; it is okay over the wire, but it
>is normally transformed into something more malleable as quickly as
>possible, once received. In theory XML is a step up from EDI, because there
>is a whole raft of tools available to help you to transform it.
>
>Unfortunately, some organisations appear to be taking the position that
>because XML is now usable in every tool under the sun, that not only should
>it be used everywhere, but it can be used everywhere as is. So, at least
>where I work, I get the distinct impression (hopefully false) that
>organisations are actually wanting the data interchange format to be what
>they build new back end systems over, so they don't have to do bother with
>any transformation. This seems an amazingly short-sighted, and dangerous
>thing to do. A technology touted as an aid to loosely coupling disparate
>applications, is, ironically, leading to tighter coupling than existed
>before.
>
>I think this problem is exasperated by organisations such as the one I work
>for. If you sign up to use a standard within your vertical industry, and
>send people along to committees to influence message design, you get a
>false sense of being in control. This will presumably evaporate once member
>organisations begin exchanging data with organisations outwith the
>standards body, who refuse to use our standards. That'll learn 'em.
>
> >Paul Prescod wrote:
>
> >XML is weird for business data? Did you ever work with EDI?
>
>EDI isn't weird, it is actually very simple, it just looks terribly
>complicated. For a company wanting to sell EDI based software this is a
>godsend. The software is fairly trivial to put together, but because EDI
>looks hard to your average consumer, it is quite easy to convince them to
>part with lots of money, firstly to use the software, and secondly to have
>someone else set it up and maintain it for them. This gives the software
>vendor a nice, steady stream of recurring revenue for hardly any work.
>
>XML has suffered from the problem of looking too simple to the user. Whilst
>this has helped uptake, users of XML expect to get it for free, or less.
>Fortunately a lot of people are putting a lot of effort into making XML
>seem as hard as EDI, and I think their efforts are beginning to pay off.
>
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