1. XML/EDI Overview for Electronic Standards in Higher Education Michael C. Rawlins Rawlins EDI Consulting

2. XML/EDI - Michael C. Rawlins2 Accompanying Text: I was born in the great state of Oklahoma, a state known across the country for oil and cattle. Now, I didn’t grow up on a ranch, but I spent a fair amount of time tromping through pastures when I went fishing with my dad. What does that have to do with anything? I’ve read a lot in the last year about how XML is going to fix all of our problems with EDI. To me, most of it bears a very strong resemblance to what I used to step in out in those pastures. What I would like to do for you all this morning is get out the brush and saddle soap, and clean off some of the … hype about XML; to tell you a bit about what it is, what it will and won’t do for EDI, and what it may mean to you as people concerned with electronic standards for higher education.

3. XML/EDI - Michael C. Rawlins3 Topics XML Technology Overview XML/EDI Standards Overview

4. XML/EDI - Michael C. Rawlins4 XML - Extensible Markup Language A “markup” language: This is Italic becomes This is Italic Subset of ISO SGML More powerful than HTML World Wide Web Consortium approval 2/98

5. XML/EDI - Michael C. Rawlins5 XML as an Integration Technology Define tags for data Rawlins Many tools for software developers Can use mature file-oriented technologies “Mind share” advantage

6. XML/EDI - Michael C. Rawlins6 XML/EDI - X12’s Effort 2/98 - 9/98 Joint Report with CommerceNet and the XML/EDI Group 10/98 - Began X12 Technical Report 6/99 - Technical Report planned completion 6/99 - Start phase 2

7. XML/EDI - Michael C. Rawlins7 X12-XML Goal - “represent X12 semantics in XML syntax” Enable XML as an alternate syntax Primary target - small to medium enterprises

8. XML/EDI - Michael C. Rawlins8 One Approach for X12-XML Encoding Native X12 ST*850*0001 BEG*00*KC*999**19990514 N1*SE*MIKE RAWLINS N3*PMB 29*14 CANYON CREEK VILLAGE N4*RICHARDSON*TX*75080 PER*CD**TE*972-783-9573 line items, and so on … SE*25*0001 Equivalent X12-XML ORIGINAL CONTRACT 999 19990514 MIKE RAWLINS PMB 29 14 CANYON CREEK VILLAGE RICHARDSON TX 75080 972-783-9573 line items, and so on… …

9. XML/EDI - Michael C. Rawlins9 An X12-XML Architecture

10. XML/EDI - Michael C. Rawlins10 Data Exchange using Browsers Ima Scholar 33 MAPLE STREET

11. XML/EDI - Michael C. Rawlins11 Other XML/EDI Efforts Proprietary –CBL - Common Business Language –cXML - Commerce XML –BizTalk - Microsoft Voluntary Standards –EDIFACT –HL7 in Health Care

12. XML/EDI - Michael C. Rawlins12 Two X12 Implementations

13. XML/EDI - Michael C. Rawlins13 Many Implementations

14. XML/EDI - Michael C. Rawlins14 Preventing Chaos XML/EDI Group UDEF Repository Work with X12 Education Subcommittee OO-edi

15. XML/EDI - Michael C. Rawlins15 A Possible Evolution Technology X12-XML OO-edi by XML OO-edi via Object Technology Problems Addressed Integration and Mapping (somewhat) Business processes, Implementations Mapping

16. XML/EDI - Michael C. Rawlins16 Summary XML may ease some technical problems, but it’s still EDI Standards are needed Avoid technology-specific business standards For more information, visit http://www.metronet.com/~rawlins