XML and Application Integration

XML and application integration are joined at the hip. Application integration represents the larger problem of moving information between applications and data stores for any business purpose. XML provides a common mechanism for data exchange and integration, with a variety of applications supporting a variety of design patterns.

Even with all the promise and "presence" of XML, we've also learned that it is not a panacea. Users must understand the limits as well as the potential of the technology before leveraging it for their application integration solution. The real power of XML is the notion of the standard information interchange it brings between one or many applications existing within a single organization or within a trading community.

In the next several chapters, we'll take a closer look at important application integration standards based on XML and how they fit into your application integration solution.