Data Exchange Through XML

1. Data Exchange Through XML IPMA Forum 2003 May 21, 2003 St Martins College Lacey, Washington Presentation by: Guy Outred – Windsor Solutions, Inc. Louis Sweeney – Ross and Associates Tom Clarke – Office of Administration of the Courts

2. Data Exchange Thru XML • Guy Outred – Windsor Solutions • Challenges and History of Data Exchange • What is XML? How will it improve exchange? • Louis Sweeney – Ross & Associates • The National Environmental Information Exchange Network (NEIEN) • Tom Clarke – Office of Administration of the Courts • Justice Information Network (JIN)

3. Data Exchange Thru XML From a government perspective Challenges and History of Data Exchange What is XML? How will it improve data exchange? www.windsorsolutions.com

4. Data Exchange Thru XML From a government perspective Challenges and History of Data Exchange What is XML? How will it improve data exchange? www.windsorsolutions.com

5. Processes Span Many Organizations

6. G2G Examples • Environmental data • Judicial data • Procurement data • Financial data • Business and tax information (e.g., UBI) • Demographics / GIS data • Federal agency inter-change

7. B2G Examples • Tax returns • Environmental reporting • Productivity information • Financial reporting • Real estate history

8. 5 Steps for Data Exchange • Define and agree what data to exchange • Specify the agreed definition to ensure quality of exchange; i.e., Data Structure + Data Rules • Develop an extraction and transformation process to procure the data • Develop a transformation (and loading) process to use the data • Develop a repeatable process to facilitate exchange

9. History of Data Exchange Technologies 1975 • Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) • First standard way to communicate over a network • Complex and costly, only major implementations • 80s and 90s • Universal conduits attempted • CORBA, DCOM, Unix RPC, Java Remote Method Invocation • Inadequate momentum gained

10. Historical Lesson Learned Standards and their Adoption is a two way street.

11. Web to the Rescue • A low level transport standard was born • The web has been adopted using TCP/IP and HTTP • Has become a universal business standard • Messaging and data encapsulation missing • Feb 1998 draft XML 1.0 by W3C • Provided the platform-independent data description • Dec 1999 SOAP revealed • Provided a protocol to process data exchange • Fall 2000 WSDL announced • Standard to invoke and service web data exchange • Cross-vendor support unprecedented

12. What about flat files? • The cheap (non-EDI) way to share data • Flat files provide the data Structure • The Rules can be captured by: • A specification document of the rules • A parser application used after receipt • A parser application for use during file generation • Simple, technology independent, but messy

13. Data Exchange Thru XML From a government perspective Challenges and History of Data Exchange What is XML? How will it improve data exchange? www.windsorsolutions.com

14. XML in a Nutshell XML supports Step 2: Specify the agreed definition to ensure quality exchange Reusable Good Information = Structure + Rules + Data An XML Schema defines the Structure and the Rules An XML Document contains the Data (and references the Schema) Create an XML document, open it with IE and it validates itself

15. Underlying TechnologiesXML Is the Glue XML HTML TCP/IP Technology Connecting Applications Connectivity Presentation FTP, E-mail Innovation Web Pages Connect the Web Web Services Browse the Web Program the Web

16. XML Overview • eXtensible Markup Language • XML is designed to represent and transfer structured data • In HTML: <p>Jan 15, 2000 </p> • In XML: <OrderDate>Jan 15, 2000</OrderDate> • XML does not display or transform data

17. XML OverviewXML Syntax • XML is composed of tags and attributes • Tags can be nested • Representing entities, entity properties, and entity hierarchy <ROOT> <Orders OrderID="10643" CustomerID="ALFKI" EmployeeID="6" OrderDate="1997-08-25T00:00:00" RequiredDate="1997-09-22T00:00:00" ShippedDate="1997-09-02T00:00:00" /></ROOT>

18. XML Schemas • XML schemas describe the structure of an XML document • XML schemas describe the tag and attribute specifications • XML schemas also describe constraints • Schemas can reference other schema (inheritance) • Encourages reuse of data definitions • Enables cross-fertilization of data exchange

19. Step 5: Develop a repeatable process to facilitate exchange Publish & Find Services: UDDI Formal Service Descriptions: WSDL Service Interactions: SOAP Universal Data Format: XML Ubiquitous Communications: Internet

20. SOAP • SOAP is the protocol used by Web Consumers for sending requests and receiving responses • It enables cross-platform interoperability • OS, object model, programming language neutral • Hardware independent • Protocol independent • Works over existing Internet infrastructure

21. SOAPMessage Structure The complete SOAP message SOAP Message Protocol binding headers Headers <Envelope> encloses payload SOAP Envelope <Header> encloses headers SOAP Header Individual headers Headers <Body> contains SOAP message name SOAP Body Message Name & Data XML-encoded SOAP message name & data

22. Data Exchange Thru XML From a government perspective Challenges and History of Data Exchange What is XML? How will it improve data exchange? www.windsorsolutions.com

23. Example: Washington’s TurboWaste • Regulatory reporting of hazardous waste activities • Old way • Dept of Ecology provided flat file capability in 1995 • Software distributed to validate data with rules • New way • XML Schema provided to reporters, web submission ability • Structure + Rules encapsulated • The Future • States to exchange monthly data exchange to identify missing trans-state hazardous waste • Faster, better quality data interchange

24. XML is not a silver bullet • Agreement on the definition of data is still the same old challenge • Standards are still maturing • Infrastructure for XML exchange is non-trivial • It takes two to tango • And government agencies prefer to rumba • Adoption amongst constituents will take time