At 20:01 5/03/02, you wrote: >Most traditional EDI tools are able to generate source and destination >data definitions automatically through stored standard formats (X12, >EDIFACT, etc.,) from source or destination data files or from application >interfaces like the SAP IDOC API. Those with XML capability can read >either a DTD or schema. This leaves only the mapping. I'm still trying >to understand what is so special about the X12 to XML1 to XML2 approach.
There's nothing special but you're comparing apples and pears. From an architectural/logical standpoint, there are no differences in the two solutions. The difference is the openness of the technology used. With more open technology (as opposed to proprietary), you can look under the hood at the implementation. Which is precisely what we did in this discussion. We have looked under the hood of an XSLT-based X12 converter and learned how it is implemented. But, and that's key, in practice the user does not see XML1. You mention that Mercator converts X12 to XML2 in one step. Well, that's the *user* view. If you were to open the Mercator box and look at Mercator code, you would find that Mercator convert X12 to a special data structure (that the user never sees) from which it produces XML2. It might even use two or three additional data structures. The XSLT-based conversion is conceptually identical. It reads X12, convert it to a special data structure (that the user never sees) and from there produces XML2. So, you see, no architectural differences. The one difference is that Mercator is a proprietary product. For you it's a black box and, unless you know somebody at Mercator very well, you'll never have a chance to review its code. XSLT-based converter built on more open technologies and open source components (the most important such component being the XSLT processor) so, if you're curious, you can have a look at the code. If you were to do so (which I would *not* recommend for a user), you would find that the special data structure mentioned above is in fact XML1. Conclusion: if you're a user, both proprietary and XSLT-based converters are capable of "one step" transformations. If you're a programmer, you know that conversions always require several steps. --ben Applied XML Solutions at www.marchal.com "concise, useful, and illuminating," Dr Dobbs Journal ------ 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
