Chapter 9. eXtensible Markup Language

779 - Chapter 9. eXtensible Markup Language <blockquote> <p><script> function OpenWin(url, w, h) { if(!w) w = 400; if(!h) h = 300; window. open (url, "_new", "width=" + w + ",height=" + h + ",menubar=no,toobar=no,scrollbars=yes", true); } function Print() { window.focus(); if(window.print) { window.print(); window.setTimeout('window.close();',5000); } } </script><span></span></p> <table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><tr valign="top"></tr></table> <table width="100%" height="20" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1"><tr></tr></table> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr valign="top"> <td align="center"><table width="95%"><tr><td align="left"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"> <tr><td valign="top" height="5"><img src="/books/2/551/1/html/2/images/pixel.gif" width="1" height="5" alt="" border="0"></td></tr> <tr> <td><b><font size="1" color ="#0000FF">Team-Fly<img border="0" src="/books/2/551/1/html/2/Fly-Logo.gif" width="81" height="25"></font></b></td> <td valign="top" align="right">     </td> </tr> </table> <hr size="1"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"> <tr> <td valign="top" width="76" rowspan="4"><img src="/books/2/551/1/html/2/images/0130409510/0130409510_xs.jpg" width="76" height="95" border="0"></td> <td valign="top">Internet-Enabled Business Intelligence<br>By William A. Giovinazzo<br> </td> </tr> <tr><td>Table of Contents</td></tr> <tr><td></td></tr> <tr><td valign="bottom">Part 3.  The Software of the Internet</td></tr> </table> <hr size ="1"> <br><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding ="0"><tr><td valign="top"> <h2>Chapter 9. eXtensible Markup Language</h2> <blockquote> <p><span>And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name , lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down and confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth.</span></p> <p><span>Genesis 11:19</span></p> </blockquote> <p>In the preceding chapters, when we looked at the information infrastructure as a complete entity, we included such devices as cell phones, pagers , and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). Including these devices in the organization's information infrastructure provides decision makers with instantaneous access to strategic information no matter where he or she might be. Consider how we might tie these devices into an information infrastructure. A Balanced Scorecard application, for example, can send notifications to a decision maker's cell phone when Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) fall out of range. C-level executives can query decision support systems from their PDAs, whether they are in a car on the way to the airport or in a meeting in a partner's conference room.</p> <p>These devices allow us to extend the reach of IEBI beyond the four walls of our organization to locations that may not be conveniently wired for Internet access. In reviewing the wireless option of Oracle's Application Server, 9iAS, we noted how it enabled the distribution of information to these devices using eXtensible Markup Language (XML). The Java platform J2ME is dedicated to developing applications that can be supported by these devices. J2ME can employ XML to distribute data to various wireless devices. The dissemination of information to an ever-expanding set of wireless devices, however, is just one use of XML. It exemplifies the ability of the markup language to act as a common language in the communication of data as well as in the structure in which the data resides.</p> <p>The universal delivery of information, both within the corporation as well as to its partners , requires system and device independence. The need, therefore, is to devise a common language for the communication of data while maintaining the structure and context of that data. The solution is a <span>metalanguage</span>, a language whose primary function is to express the metadata surrounding data. In Chapter 10, we discuss metadata in detail. For now, we can rely on the trite definition, that metadata is data about data. It defines for us the structure, format, and characteristics of the data. Typically, metalanguages are referred to as markup languages, but as we shall see, the markup aspects of a metalanguage are just one of many characteristics.</p> <p>Markup languages are not exclusive to the world of the Internet or even technology. The origins of all markup languages lie back in antiquitythat is to say, in the days of hardcopy. The squiggly lines and circles editors use to make corrections in manuscripts are an example of markup languages. These marks tell a compositor or typist how a particular section of text is to be presented. To see one form of markup language, simply view the hidden characters in a word processing document. These characters are all part of the markup language for that word processor. In the Internet age, we have extended this concept to develop a language that describes how data is to be displayed while allowing the device itself to decide the specifics on how to display it. The creator of the information is able to describe the format of the document while maintaining device-independence. The device displaying the document, however, can use the markup information to display the document in a way most appropriate to its own environment. In short, while the document is defined independently, it is displayed dependently.</p> <p>This chapter focuses on XML. This metalanguage combines a wide breadth of functionality while maintaining its simplicity. We begin this introduction with a brief view of its origin and history to provide a contrast to other markup languages and develop an appreciation for the simplicity and strength of the language. We then explore the details of XML and how to use it. Once we understand how it works we look at XML in action by reviewing the application of XML in the BI space.</p> <img src="/books/2/551/1/html/2/images/pixel.gif" width="1" height="1" border="0"> </td></tr></table> <hr size="1"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"> <tr><td valign="top" height="5"><img src="/books/2/551/1/html/2/images/pixel.gif" width="1" height="5" alt="" border="0"></td></tr> <tr> <td><b><font size="1" color="#0000FF">Team-Fly<img border="0" src="/books/2/551/1/html/2/Fly-Logo.gif" width="81" height="25"></font></b></td> <td valign="top" align="right">     </td> </tr> </table> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td valign="top" align="right">Top</td></tr></table> </td></tr></table></td> <td align="center">  </td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="3" align="center" valign="bottom"> <br><table width="100%"><tr><td height="25" valign="middle" colspan="4" align="center"> </td></tr></table> </td></tr> </table> </blockquote>


Internet-Enabled Business Intelligence
Internet-Enabled Business Intelligence
ISBN: 0130409510
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 113

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net