Chapter 3: Interoperability Fundamentals

Introduction

Chapter 2, “Understanding Enterprise Platforms,” shows many similarities between Microsoft .NET and J2EE. However, although the two platforms share certain concepts that appear equivalent, a detailed examination shows significant differences. These differences are particularly important when you look at how the two platforms describe data at the most basic level.

This chapter covers the basics of interoperability techniques. It focuses on a discussion of interoperability fundamentals, mainly concerning the exchanging of data types and formats between J2EE and .NET. Without this understanding, you cannot expect either platform to consume data from the other platform.

The chapter then moves on to discuss ways to enable interoperability by standardizing on data types. Finally, it describes recommendations for overcoming the challenge of exchanging data.