Using XML with Legacy Business Applications [Paperback]

Michael C. Rawlins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2003

"This volume offers relentlessly pragmatic solutions to help your business applications get the most out of XML, with a breezy style that makes the going easy. Mike has lived this stuff; he has a strong command of the solutions and the philosophy that underlies them." --Eve Maler, XML Standards Architect, Sun Microsystems Businesses running legacy applications that do not support XML can face a tough choice: Either keep their legacy applications or switch to newer, XML-enhanced applications. XML presents both challenges and opportunities for organizations as they struggle with their data. Does this dilemma sound familiar? What if you could enable a legacy application to support XML? You can. In Using XML with Legacy Business Applications, e-commerce expert Michael C. Rawlins outlines usable techniques for solving day-to-day XML-related data exchange problems. Using an easy-to-understand cookbook approach, Rawlins shows you how to build XML support into legacy business applications using Java and C++. The techniques are illustrated by building converters for legacy formats. Converting CSV files, flat files, and X12 EDI to and from XML will never be easier! Inside you'll find: *A concise tutorial for learning to read W3C XML schemas *An introduction to using XSLT to transform between different XML formats *Simple, pragmatic advice on transporting XML documents securely over the Internet For developers working with either MSXML with Visual C++ or Java and Xerces: *See Chapter 3 for a step-by-step guide to enabling existing business applications to export XML documents *See Chapter 2 for a step-by-step guide to enabling existing business applications to import XML documents *See Chapter 5 for code examples and tips for validating XML documents against schemas *See Chapter 12 for general tips on building commerce support into an application For end users who need a simple and robust conversion utility: *See Chapter 7 for converting CSV files to and from XML *See Chapter 8 for converting flat files to and from XML *See Chapter 9 for converting X12 EDI to and from XML *See Chapter 11 for tips on how to use these techniques together for complex format conversions The resource-filled companion Web site (www.rawlinsecconsulting.com/booksupplement) includes executable versions of the utilities described in the book, full source code in C++ and Java, XSLT stylesheets, bug fixes, sample input and output files, and more. 0321154940B07142003

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"This volume offers relentlessly pragmatic solutions to help your business applications get the most out of XML, with a breezy style that makes the going easy. Mike has lived this stuff; he has a strong command of the solutions and the philosophy that underlies them."
--Eve Maler, XML Standards Architect, Sun Microsystems

Businesses running legacy applications that do not support XML can face a tough choice: Either keep their legacy applications or switch to newer, XML-enhanced applications. XML presents both challenges and opportunities for organizations as they struggle with their data.

Does this dilemma sound familiar? What if you could enable a legacy application to support XML? You can. In Using XML with Legacy Business Applications, e-commerce expert Michael C. Rawlins outlines usable techniques for solving day-to-day XML-related data exchange problems. Using an easy-to-understand cookbook approach, Rawlins shows you how to build XML support into legacy business applications using Java and C++. The techniques are illustrated by building converters for legacy formats. Converting CSV files, flat files, and X12 EDI to and from XML will never be easier!

Inside you'll find:

• A concise tutorial for learning to read W3C XML schemas
• An introduction to using XSLT to transform between different XML formats
• Simple, pragmatic advice on transporting XML documents securely over the Internet

For developers working with either MSXML with Visual C++ or Java and Xerces:

• See Chapter 3 for a step-by-step guide to enabling existing business applications to export XML documents
• See Chapter 2 for a step-by-step guide to enabling existing business applications to import XML documents
• See Chapter 5 for code examples and tips for validating XML documents against schemas
• See Chapter 12 for general tips on building commerce support into an application

For end users who need a simple and robust conversion utility:

• See Chapter 7 for converting CSV files to and from XML
• See Chapter 8 for converting flat files to and from XML
• See Chapter 9 for converting X12 EDI to and from XML
• See Chapter 11 for tips on how to use these techniques together for complex format conversions

The resource-filled companion Web site (www.rawlinsecconsulting.com/booksupplement) includes executable versions of the utilities described in the book, full source code in C++ and Java, XSLT stylesheets, bug fixes, sample input and output files, and more.

0321154940B07142003

About the Author

Michael C. Rawlins has more than twenty years of information technology consulting experience in a variety of industries. He is the founder of Rawlins EC Consulting and has served as the vice chair of the Communications and Controls subcommittee of ANSI ASC X12 for three years. Before founding Rawlins EC Consulting, Michael worked as a consultant with the Digital Equipment Corporation.

0321154940AB07302003

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Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 1st edition (August 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321154940
• ISBN-13: 978-0321154941
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,463,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most usable book I read in ages, January 21, 2004

By 

Johannes de Jong (Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Using XML with Legacy Business Applications (Paperback)

A lot of IT people are busy making different applications running on different platforms "talk" to each other. XML was invented as the "Esperanto" of the IT world to get these systems to understand each other. In practice however it just isn't that simple, as most of these applications don't talk XML yet, until this book.

This book is a real do itbook. It does not teach you XML or XSLT but shows you how to use it. What I especially liked is that he discusses his design considerations, he wants you to understand the whys. Once he thinks you know the basics he goes back to his basic design and improves it to make it make it fully reusable and modular, making it even beter.

Mr. Rawlins gives you toolbox of utilities, with the source code, that can become the building blocks for your own application integration system.

I have not come across a book with as much usable code in my IT career. We have already redesigned quite a few of our systems because of it. If you are into connectivityyou cant be without this book.

Ps. The word Legacy in the title does not imply big mainframes.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unpretentious and Useful, December 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Using XML with Legacy Business Applications (Paperback)

Easy to read, in a refreshing unpretentious style, Rawlins explains numerous complicated concepts associated with using XML. Especially useful are the chapters covering the conversion of EDI formatted data into and out of XML and the converting of one XML format to another XML format. The inclusion of Java and C++ considerations in appropriate chapters provides excellent practical advice.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Necessary Travail, October 3, 2003

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Using XML with Legacy Business Applications (Paperback)

XML purists may well decry this book. XML has captured overwhelming mindshare amongst developers as the preferred means of data interchange between programs. Plus, for recording to and from files, if you are starting a project with no legacy hangups, XML is often used.

Notice the caveat. Unfortunately, you as a developer cannot often start with a blank page. You may have to cater to existing data being stored in various formats, like CSV (Comma Separated Values). Or you have flat files with each line like "a=b". Or perhaps existing apps talk via EDI, which is quite common in certain industries.

Most XML books gloss over such details. Usually for good reason. Typically, they are trying to educate a reader who has never used XML. So for pedagogic clarity they deprecate these impedance mismatches. Which is correct, but of little help to you right here and now.

Rawlins tries to fill this gap. He assumes you know XML. The book rapidly goes into the grubby little details of how to overcome those impedance mismatches. Mundane but necessary. Somewhat inelegant manipulations, by the very nature of the topic. The book fills a real need. Though I suspect that many readers, and maybe even the author, wish this need will eventually evaporate. The pragmatists amongst you won't see this as imminent. The reality is that we will all have to support legacy apps indefinitely. Which should generate a steady demand for this book.