B2B Integration : A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce

Extensible Markup Language (XML) 181
support XML should also support XML/EDI messages. EDI information
within an XML/EDI message is explicitly labeled using tag names.
DTDs that contain the structure declaration and relevant sets of code
values can be referenced over the Internet.
XML/EDI is a fusion of many concepts. XML/EDI:
• Uses the XML and XSL for data interchange and presentation
respectively;
• Provides a standard for formatting documents;
• Can be integrated with traditional methods of Electronic Data
Interchange (EDI)
• Can be used with all standard Internet transport mechanisms such as
IP routing, HTTP, FTP and SMTP;
• Uses modern programming tools such as Java and ActiveX to allow
data to be shared between programs; and
• Uses agent technologies for data manipulation, parsing, mapping and
searching.
6.6.4. Benefits of XML/EDI over traditional batch EDI
The benefits of XML/EDI over traditional batch EDI are:
• XML/EDI is more dynamic, less costly and simpler than traditional
EDI. It significantly reduces the entry costs for small and medium size
companies, which cannot afford expensive EDI-based communication.
• XML standards significantly reduce the number of trading partnerspecific
maps required.
• XML transforms static EDI tasks such as inventory management and
production scheduling into dynamic processes, by using real-time
XML-encoded information obtained directly from customers' and
suppliers' business systems.
• XML/EDI does not require extensive changes in the application layer
which produces and consumes the data, as it keeps the information
structure of EDI intact. The transition from EDI to XML using
XML/EDI is done more at the transport layers.
• The open architecture of XML allows the support of multiple
standards.