Java and XML

The Real World

There is very little to say in regard to business-to-business that we have not covered. Our examples in this chapter were pulled right out of the project deliverables and mission statements of today’s top companies, and may solve problems you are faced with in your current job! We will now look briefly at how this XML-centric approach differs from Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), as well as other uses of RSS channels.

XML Versus EDI

With the increasing need for communication between companies, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) has become a hot topic. Expensive products and heavy-duty solutions have had “EDI” slapped on their label, and are selling like mad. However, these expensive solutions may quickly fall out of favor with companies that do not have deep pockets. In fact, with the rise of XML, even companies that can afford enterprise-level EDI solutions are deciding to go with an XML-based approach instead. While this is certainly due in part to the standardization that XML provides, it is also a testament to the ease of use of XML. In a single chapter, you have acquired the skills to enable disparate systems to communicate in complex ways, something that ten years ago would have required an entire team of developers and still would have resulted in a proprietary solution.

In fact, it is arguable that XML totally replaces the need for EDI. Legacy systems, proprietary applications, massive databases, and tightly secured products can all interchange data by using ...