XML, Web Services, and the Data Revolution [Paperback]

Frank Coyle (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0201776413 | ISBN-13: 978-0201776416 | Publication Date: March 15, 2002 | Edition: 1

XML is a disruptive technology: one that has already upset the balance of power throughout the technology industry, and offers organizations powerful opportunities for competitive advantage. In this book, Frank Coyle puts XML in context for both business and technical professionals, focusing on the big picture: the real value of XML, and the new Web services paradigm it has spawned. Coyle explains how XML makes it possible to deliver distributed computing solutions via loosely-coupled networks centered on the Web and XML -- and how this, in turn, transforms the way organizations manage data, build software, and assemble software systems. He introduces XML's simple rules for defining data vocabularies and its tools for structuring data, showing how XML's simplicity is the source of its power. He introduces the family of technologies surrounding XML, including namespaces, schema, and standards for presentation, transformation and meta-description. Next, Coyle shows XML at work in a wide array of applications, from financial services to wireless. He introduces SOAP, UDDI, and WDSL; shows how Web services enable an entirely new generation of software; and explores how the software is reacting to the radical changes brought about by XML-based technology. Coyle concludes by introducing three new XML-related initiatives designed to address the challenge of securing business-critical XML traffic.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Frank Coyle's XML,Web Services, and the Data Revolution does a great job of explaining the XML phenomenon by clearly describing where it came from, why it has proved so useful, and where it is likely to take us."—Michael Champion

XML, Web Services, and the Data Revolution presents a revealing view of XML that places this emerging technology in the context of the ongoing Web revolution. Written for business and technical professionals, this book reveals the true value of XML for distributed information systems, explaining how it is transforming the way organizations manage data and build software systems, and the opportunities it offers for those organizations that understand its significance and impact.

This book places XML at the heart of a paradigm shift that is bridging the gap between traditional tightly coupled proprietary networks (DCOM, CORBA) and the dynamic, loosely-coupled, data-driven Web. The author explains how XML's simple rules for defining data vocabularies and protocols have opened up new possibilities for server to server interaction in the form of Web services for dynamic discovery and interaction. He goes on to discuss how frameworks such as .NET and J2EE(TM) provide important messaging, transaction, and security services for leveraging Web services in enterprise computing. The book also discusses how XML and Web services reflect a fundamental shift in software construction from monolithic applications to software based on the composition of simple parts. In addition, the book showcases XML at work in a wide array of applications, and explores how major software organizations have responded to the changes brought about by XML-based technology.

Specific topics include:

• XML and its role in the expanding enterprise
• The XML family of technologies including:
•       CSS, XFORMS, XHTML, and VoiceXML presentation technologies
•       DTDs and XML Schema technologies for structure and typing
•       XSLT, XPATH, and XQUERY technologies for manipulating XML
• The three waves of XML in practice:
•       Vertical industry-specific data vocabularies
•       Horizontal industry vocabularies (SVG, SMIL, EJB descriptors)
•       XML protocols (XML-RPC, SOAP)
• UDDI and WDSL (Web Services Definition Language)
• XML security, including XML Encryption, XML Signature, and XML Key Management Specification
• How .NET and J2EE(TM) fulfill the need for transactions and security for Web services
• ebXML and process-based Web interaction
• A new role for mainframe-based legacy applications
• A future where Web services meets P2P (peer-to-peer) computing

Containing both technical details and a broader perspective, XML, Web Services, and the Data Revolution provides the insight organizations must have to understand and harness this powerful technology for a successful venture into the evolving, Web-based enterprise computing environment.

0201776413B03012002

About the Author

Frank P Coyle is Director of the Software Engineering Program at Southern Methodist University, Dallas. He is a frequent speaker at XML DevCon, XML One, and Wireless One. He is co-author of Object-Oriented Cobol published by Cambridge University Press and has published numerous articles on Web and object technologies.

0201776413AB11202001

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 1 edition (March 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201776413
• ISBN-13: 978-0201776416
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #894,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly unbiased and gives complete picture, April 10, 2002

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: XML, Web Services, and the Data Revolution (Paperback)

In many respects this book extends David Linthicum's B2B Application Integration by focusing solely on the data aspects, and explaining the web services approach that has matured after Mr. Linthicum's book was published.

This book defines the tools, cuts through the hype and sorts out the pieces needed to design and deploy enterprise-wide solutions. What makes it particularly valuable is that it doesn't side with the two major factions espousing web services - the Microsoft .NET and Sun-sponsored J2EE approaches are presented without bias (refreshing in itself considering the hype and industry posturing). The same objective treatment of approaches by IBM, BEA, HP Oracle is given, which ensures that you have ample insights into the available approaches to developing web services. Of course, SOAP, the XML-family of protocols, and UDDI are also covered in depth using clear writing and excellent illustrations.

What I particularly like about this book are:
- the way Chapter 1, Extending the Enterprise, presents a coherent picture of the complexities of web services and enterprise integration. This is done in less than 30 pages and packs an amazing amount of information into those pages.
- Chapters 3 (XML in Practice), 4 (SOAP) and 5 (Web Services) drill down into the guts and sort out the complexities - especially the discussion of web services, which doesn't [yet] seem to have a standard definition.
- Chapter 7's discussion of XML security, which is a nice and needed touch that rounds out the information provided in the book.

You won't find specific development information in this book, and that makes it more valuable in my opinion. If that is what you're seeking there are other books that address that topic. I do believe that Linthicum's B2B Application Integration and William L. Oellermann's Architecting Web Services will complement this book - Linthicum's for the big picture (especially for legacy system integration) and Oellermann's for the process-oriented approach. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is involved in architecture, specifications or development.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Distributed Data: Past, Present and Future, September 19, 2002

By 

Cameron O'Rourke (San Ramon, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: XML, Web Services, and the Data Revolution (Paperback)

There are about 230 pages of actual content that provide a high-level tour of what the author calls the "data revolution." There is a crisp and concise overview of the XML technology family, along with some examples of XML in use. There is broad yet concise description of SOAP and Web Services. Common implementations like .Net, J2EE and other vendor implementations are discussed along with some of the issues in the industry. XML Security is discussed in enough detail to give you a good grasp of the issues. The book wraps up with some ideas about where this technology could take us.

The best thing about this book is that it shows how XML and Web Services overcome many of the problems that plagued RPCs, DCOM, CORBA and RMI in a way understandable by anyone.

This book is a quick read, in the concise, bulleted, margin-annotated style of Object-oriented Technology: A Manager's Guide. There are lots of really excellent visuals. This book will not help you actually write code or implement Web Services -- it is good for a semi-technical reader, or a technical reader who wants a better grasp of the big picture. Highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Picture Perfect, October 23, 2002

By 

Chandra Rathnakaram "Chandra" (Wilmington, DE United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: XML, Web Services, and the Data Revolution (Paperback)

If one can't manage to complete a book in a week, then it is not a book. It is a reference that you occasionally use. XML, Web Services, and the Data Revolution by Frank P. Coyle definitely comes under my 'book' category. If one wants to learn what XML and Web Services are in a week, this is a book to read.

Lot of information yet concise presentation accomplished with self explanatory pictures depicting various XML technologies.