Message text written by "John Evdemon"
>Most vendors have defined a canonical XML representation for
transforming EDI (since there can be an infinite number of XML2
representations).
Once the data is transformed into XML1 format, user-specific
requirements for XML2 can be implemented. In other words, there
are two types of transformations that occur:
EDI --> XML1 is a syntactic transformation
XML1 --> XML2 is a semantic transformation
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
John,
Yep - this DOES describe what you are doing - but I'd argue that
the better approach adopted by some vendors is to simply
treat all data sources as information points and allow seamless
any-to-any mapping regardless of the rendering format.
Particularly if the approach is a declarative approach where the
business user can simply designate the "From" and "To" rules
to move information from one information source to another.
The vendor provides pre-built format handlers that remove the need
for the user to custom configure by hand the input and output
structures for known data formats - such as TXT, SQL, EDI, XML, and
so on.
In this system the user can select the input/output format - HTML, SQL,
EDI,
XML or whatever - and using the same business rules - render into
the target format.
This declarative approach is what technologies like ebXML Registry
are now enabling.
Some sample of the XML script that enables this is instructive,
see below. Notice the use of output="..." input="...." and the outer
@PARENT() group mechanism.
You can of course continue to hack around with XSLT instead,
but then most people prefer to ride cars along highways instead
of mountain bikes over trials. Mountain bikes are great for
recreational use of course, but not serious business transportation.
Cheers, DW.
=============================================
<MapStructure>
<Table>
<Rules>
<MapRule output="Country" input="@PARENT()" visible="true"
loop="Agg"/>
<MapRule output="Population" input="Population_in_1000s" />
<MapRule output="Size" input="Area_Size_in_km2" />
<MapRule output="Country" input="@ENDPARENT()" />
</Rules>
</Table>
</MapStructure>
------ XML/edi Group Discussion List ------
Homepage = http://www.XMLedi-Group.org
Unsubscribe = send email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Leave the subject and body of the message blank
Questions/requests: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To receive only one message per day (digest format)
send the following message to [EMAIL PROTECTED],
(leave the subject line blank)
digest xmledi-group your-email-address
To join the XML/edi Group complete the form located at:
http://www.xmledi-group.org/xmledigroup/mail1.htm
