Another Example of How Web Services Can Help Resolve Interoperability Issues

Imagine a scenario where (1) an enterprise has several packaged or custom applications that contain data needed to create a specialized report, (2) each of these "back-end" applications has the capability of formatting and presenting that data in XML format, and (3) each could also communicate with a decision-support application using WSDL. In this scenario, Web services could be used to resolve communications issues related to sharing data as well as communicating data between diverse application environments.

Let's take a closer look:

WSDL enables applications to work cooperatively together, regardless of what hardware, operating environment, or programming language each application uses. For example, WSDL can be used as an intermediary for a decision-support application to access data held within disparate back-end application environments (for instance, XML data that is held in PeopleSoft, SAP, or custom application files). In this case, a decision-support application could ask WSDL to negotiate the interface to various back-end application programs in order to gain access to XML data. WSDL would then request the appropriate data from various back-end sources and return that data in a common readable form to the decision-support application (see Figure 5-7), which could easily process it.

Figure 5-7. WSDL Used to Enable Interoperability with Legacy, Packaged, and Custom Applications.

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It is reasonable to expect that more and more enterprises will start to use WSDL services to help integrate XML data from various application sources, because WSDL helps solve complex application integration issues. In the present example, not only are disparate applications able to communicate data, but end users are also able to automatically compile reports without having to have specialized applications created to access information that resides in differing application environments. (This saves time, increases productivity, and reduces custom development costs.) This use of Web services has real business benefit, enabling an enterprise to achieve new efficiencies (because gathering information is less manual and far easier than when using multiple interfaces to disparate applications).

Source: Intel Corporation: The Spider's Web; http://cedar.intel.com (Intel Developer Services). Copyright © 2002 Intel Corporation. Used with Permission.



Web Services Explained. Solutions and Applications for the Real World
Web Services Explained, Solutions and Applications for the Real World
ISBN: 0130479632
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 115
Authors: Joe Clabby

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