During the 1990s, tools from many developers were used. The major ones, which are still in widespread use, are discussed briefly. XML has become the fastest-growing tools for networked data interchange.

As you get more familiar with data management, you'll hear a number of tools mentioned. Let's take a look at a few of the more important ones, and the names you'll hear them called:

Data Management Tools of the 1990s

ODBC: Open DataBase Connectivity

Microsoft and the SQL Access Group has made this set of standards publicly available to make it easier for software developers to exchange information between database programs. ODBC "drivers" are programs that allow one database to be updated from another, even if they are designed for use with different database software. [For more detail visit WhatIs.com: http://whatis.com/odbc.htm]

JDBC: Java DataBase Connectivity

Java, the programming language most widely used on the Internet, allows access to multiple databases through a programming initerface called JDBC. This makes access to databases across the World Wide Web relatively easy for programmers - and they, in turn, can make it easy for us. A database could be asked a question through a Web address such as jdbc://www.somecompany.com:400/databasefile. [For more detail visit WhatIs.com: http://www.whatis.com/jdbc.htm]

CORBA: Common Object Request Broker Architecture

As networked computing sweeps the world, CORBA was developed to allow one program on one computer to ask a second program on another computer for information, without necessarily understanding the second computer's language or how it likes requests to be made. The key is an "object broker" that, in effect, acts as a translator between the two systems. [For more detail visit WhatIs.com: http://www.whatis.com/corba.htm]

XML is useful for data interchange (and other applications) because it's:

• Designed for Internet
• Designed to be shared
• Designed to be flexible
• Do-it-yourself
• Simple to implement (text editor)
• Open process (not proprietary)
• Decentralized
  

These are the organizations that have done the most to help spread the use of XML:

The World Wide Web Consortium originally proposed XML, and maintains the standards for XML through several subgroups:

• XML: eXtensible Markup Language
• InkML: Ink Markup Language
• MathML: Math Markup Language
• SMIL: Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language ("smile")
• SOAP: Simple Obect Access Protocol
• SVG: Scalable Vector Graphics
• XLink: XML Links
• XML Encryption
• XML Key Management
• XML Protocols
• XML Query
• XML Schema
• XML Signature
• XPath: XML Path Language
• XSL: eXtensible Stylesheet Language family

Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (http://www.oasis-open.org/home/index.php) "is a not-for-profit, international consortium that drives the development, convergence, and adoption of e-business standards. Members themselves set the OASIS technical agenda, using a lightweight, open process expressly designed to promote industry consensus and unite disparate efforts. The consortium produces more Web services standards than any other organization along with standards for security, e-business, and standardization efforts in the public sector and for application-specific markets. Founded in 1993, OASIS has more than 3,500 participants representing over 600 organizations and individual members in 100 countries." [From "About OASIS", http://www.oasis-open.org/who/]

DCMI (http://dublincore.org/) is formed around a community of individuals and organizations "committed to building and developing metadata standards, practices, policies and technologies. The organization is dedicated to promoting the widespread adoption of interoperable metadata standards and developing specialized metadata vocabularies for describing resources that enable more intelligent information discovery systems." [From "Cover Pages", http://xml.coverpages.org/ni2005-03-21-a.html]

National Information Standards Organization (US)
(http://www.niso.org/)

NISO, the National Information Standards Organization, a non-profit association accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), identifies, develops, maintains, and publishes technical standards to manage information in our changing and ever-more digital environment. NISO standards apply both traditional and new technologies to the full range of information-related needs, including retrieval, re-purposing, storage, metadata, and preservation. [From http://www.niso.org/about/index.html]

IDEAlliance
(http://www.idealliance.org/)

The goal of IDEAlliance is to enable publishers and other information-driven enterprises to "Strategize, Innovate, Standardize, and Implement". [From http://www.idealliance.org/membership/]

Several major sub-fields have emerged within the XML data exchange community world-wide. Many of these center around standards or subset of XML that address specific data interchange problems or sub-communities. In this rapidly-growing area, other emerge into prominence year-by-year.

Simple Object Access Protocol: simple XML based protocol to let applications exchange information over HTTP.
SOAP http://www.w3.org/TR/soap/

With the Google Web APIs service, software developers can query more than 8 billion web pages directly from their own computer programs. Google uses the SOAP and WSDL standards so a developer can program in his or her favorite environment - such as Java, Perl, or Visual Studio .NET. http://www.google.com/apis/

Web Services Description Language
http://www.w3.org/TR/wsdl
WSDL is an XML format for describing network services as a set of endpoints operating on messages containing either document-oriented or procedure-oriented information.

Security Assertion Markup Language
(http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=security)

SAML enables the secure exchange of authentication, attribute, and authorization information between disparate security domains, making vendor-independent Web single sign-on and secure e-business transactions possible within federated networks.

Information Content and Exchange
(http://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-ice)

This is an open, XML-based protocol that standardizes the controlled distribution of data and content among business partners. The ICE protocol creates a universal platform for the automatic exchange, update, supply and control of information assets in a trusted fashion without requiring manual packaging of content or knowledge of remote Web site or database structures. As with most successful standards initiatives, ICE is based not only on the contributions of technology companies, but also on a unique combination of online content providers. The team that designed the ICE protocol included leading companies like Adobe, Microsoft Corporation, National Semiconductor, News Internet Services, Sun Microsystems (Java-soft), Tribune Media Services and Vignette Corporation.

Electronic Business using eXtensible Markup Language
(http://www.ebxml.org/geninfo.htm)

ebXML is a modular suite of specifications that enables enterprises of any size and in any geographical location to conduct business over the Internet. Using ebXML, companies now have a standard method to exchange business messages, conduct trading relationships, communicate data in common terms and define and register business processes.

ebXML is a worldwide project initiated and driven by the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) and the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT). Its very purpose is to map out a common framework as well as a set of well defined and widely adopted specifications to enable interoperable electronic business expressed in XML. Since its launch in November 1999, the development of ebXML has brought together business professionals and technical experts of hundreds of standards bodies, public service associations, industry organizations, companies and solution providers.
http://www.ebxml.org.tw/en/index.jsp

Several impelementations of ebXML have bee listed in the next section; you can see a more complete list at: http://www.ebxml.org/implementations/index.htm

Here are examples of some XML-derived data exchange languages. Most make use of one or more of the sub-types discussed in the previous sections.

Automotive ebXML Messaging Interoperability (cooperative effort of bTrade, Cyclone Commerce, Drummond Group, Sterling Commerce and Sybase)

Dealersphere is a Web services-based integration hub for the auto industry that enables car dealerships to hook into a central integration engine by way of an ebXML-compliant system.

European openXchange
The openXchange project builds a framework for the exchange of business objects to enable complete business process integration and tests that framework in real life pilot applications. The "Electronic hiring of temporary staff" pilot defines information according to ebXML specifications and transports it with HR-XML messages.

India Trade and Shipping
As part of its efforts to promote adoption of ebXML and global e-business standards in general, ebXMLIndia.org is involved in pilot efforts in different domains.

Industrial Bank of Korea
InnoDigital is currently building a messaging interface of the Bankassurance system of the Industrial Bank of Korea using ebXML.

KIEC
Korea Institute for Electronic Commerce delivers a prototype ebXML registry & repository service with its Korea ebXML Central Registry & Repository.

Thailand Electronics Commerce Resource Centre (ECRC)
Interbank Transaction Management and Exchange (ITMX)
Internet Paperless Trading (IPT)
Collaborative e-Tourism
ECRC has mapped the use of ebXML and ebXML Messaging Service (ebMS) to different industries as a standard for data and service exchange.

The UK's National Programme for Information Technology (NPfIT) is the world's largest civil IT project. A central component of the NHS Care Records Service is the Transactional Messaging Service (TMS) Spine using the ebXML Messaging Service OASIS Standard. It is likely to become one of the largest applications of this technical specification.

Publishing Requirements for Industry Standard Metadata (PRISM): automating, repurposing, archiving, production, aggregation, rights tracking and redistribution of publishable content both within and outside the enterprise. http://www.prismstandard.org

Specifications for Publisher & Agency Communications Exchange XML (SPACE/XML): electronic business transactions for ad space reservation, insertion orders, creative material, job tickets, and invoices. http://www.idealliance.org/spacexml/

papiNet: facilitates computer to computer communications among all parties engaged in the buying, selling, and distribution of forest, paper and wood products. http://www.papinet.org

XML Book Industry Transaction Standards (XBITS): facilitates bi-directional electronic data exchanges between publishers, printers, paper mills, and component vendors. http://www.xmlbits.org