Product update XML Composer

1. Product update XML Composer Peter Prager Canam Software Labs, Inc. Session 2F EDGE 2003 Barcelona, Spain

2. Agenda • Overview of XML Composer • Architecture of XML processing • Review of product features • XML based external system interfaces • Value proposition • How is it different then the Proxy XML capability?

3. Overview of XML Composer • What it is • A Windows based development tool that generates XML processing External Action Blocks (EABs) for Advantage Gen applications • There are two types of XML processing EABs • XML Reader • At runtime, parses XML document • XML Writer • At runtime, creates XML document BI-DIRECTIONAL

4. Overview of XML Composer • Transforms data between XML and Advantage Gen views • Enables XML data to be manipulated as regular Advantage Gen views • Allows visual design of XML data structure • Visually map attribute views to XML elements and attributes • Works in all platforms by generating External Action Block code (COBOL, C, Java) • High performance, specialized code generated • No other runtime objects required

5. Architecture of XML processing xml_reader_eab Reading an XML document Import Proc Step Message Queue buffer_view … Read data source containing XML xml_doc (text 4096) 1 3 Export RDBMS data_view … Use bank_name (text 32) bank_id (numeric 9,0) … 2 6 4 Sequential File xml_reader_eab status_view 7 8 xml_return_code (text 2) xml_message (text 80) xml_position (numeric 15,0) xml_source (text 120) Process XML data now in regular views using action diagram statements … 5 Web service XML reader logic (parses XML)

6. Architecture of XML processing xml_writer_eab Writing an XML document Import Proc Step Message Queue buffer_view xml_doc (text 4096) 1 Gather data that will make up XML content Export RDBMS data_view … Use bank_name (text 32) bank_id (numeric 9,0) … 2 3 4 6 Sequential File xml_writer_eab status_view 7 … … Write XML to data source xml_return_code (text 2) xml_message (text 80) xml_position (numeric 15,0) xml_source (text 120) 8 Web service 5 XML writer logic (creates XML)

7. Review of product features • Design • Code generation • Runtime features • Runtime error handling • Maintenance • Dictionary

8. Designing XML handlers • Need two sides to create XML handler • Advantage Gen EAB with import/export views • EAB source code analysis • Use Advantage Gen plug-in interface • XML document • Build manually node by node with built-in editor • Import XML schema • Import sample XML document • Validate XML document • Map attribute views to XML nodes • Additional documentation: schema, mapping

9. Generating code for XML handlers • Generate source code for all Advantage Gen language environments • COBOL • C • Java • Java requires JAXP compliant parser installed on the target JAVA runtime environment • Single or batch generation

10. Runtime features • Can read and write formatted nodes • Date, Time, Timestamp, Numeric • Decimal symbol set on document level • Number of decimal places set on node level • Field Domain Compatible formats • Date - text, date ,number • Time - text, time, number • Number - text, number, date (if length>=8),time (if length>=6) • Text – text, timestamp (if length = 20) • Timestamp – text, timestamp

11. Runtime error handling • Error handling needs special work attribute set • CANAM-XML • XML-RETURN-CODE (2 characters) • XML-MESSAGE (80 characters) • XML-POSITION (numeric 15 digits) • XML-SOURCE (120 characters) • Possible error codes returned by XML handler • ‘OK’ - Successful. • ‘EB’ - End of buffer. • XML Reader: parsing was OK so far but end of buffer is encountered while more data was expected. • XML Writer: buffer is exhausted while more data was needed to be written out. • ‘IC’ - Invalid character. • ‘ER’ - Unknown error • ‘MN’ - Missing node. A mandatory node is missing. • ‘UE’ - Unknown entity. • ‘UN’ - Unknown node. A foreign node has been encountered within a ‘non-extensible’ element or attribute list boundary. • ‘DA’ - Duplicate attribute. • ‘PE’ - Pattern error. A date/time/timestamp field value could not be parsed from the input source based on the desired pattern format.

12. Maintaining XML handlers • XML handlers appear in HE or CSE as EABs • Can perform change impact analysis quickly • How to migrate changes quickly to XML handler? • Adoption • View changes • Generate EAB source code as usual

13. Using the dictionary • Use standardized node names across XML handlers • Important for data architects • Can have multiple dictionaries • Can import/export dictionary content

14. XML doc XML doc XML doc XML based external system interfaces • Most XML based document processing requirements are to communicate with external (non-Advantage Gen) systems • Can employ similar development practices for external systems with AG Transaction 1 AG Transaction 2 XML writer EAB* XML reader EAB* RDBMS 2 Message Queue RDBMS 1 RDBMS 3 Non-AG Transaction XML reader subroutine*

15. Value proposition • Allows developers to focus on the business logic instead of the XML handling code • Use regular Action Diagram Statements to manipulate XML data in traditional views • Reduced learning curve • Easy to use interface for XML – Advantage Gen view mapping • Learn to use one tool for • all types of XML applications • varied architectures • for all supported platforms (COBOL, C, Java) • Much faster development and maintenance • Visual design • External Action Block (EAB) source code generation • Version control (adoption) • Hi return on investment (ROI) • The XML Thunder companion product is available for the “other side” (non-Gen systems) for easy integration

16. Differences from Proxy XML support

17. Demonstration • Thank you!