Netfish Technologies yesterday unveiled an application server for converting business documents into XML.
The Netfish XML Data Interchange (XDI) server, based on the Enterprise Java Beans specification, can take data from either an Oracle or SAP enterprise resource planning system and convert it into XML. An emerging standard from the World Wide Web Consortium, XML is a neutral format for data, allowing it to be converted into HTML, proprietary formats or Electronic Data Interchange.
Each business document received by the XDI server is stored in a mailbox designated for a trading partner.
The XDI server can be set up to schedule encrypted delivery of these documents over the Internet via Secure Sockets Layer or S/MIME to another XDI server. The XDI's workflow capabilities let the user set up a business process within the document to ensure it's sent to specific people or departments in a particular order.
"You can also use the workflow feature to extract the price from an incoming purchase order, for example, make sure it's correct according to your ERP system, and then alert shipping," says Gary Kingburn, Netfish's director of marketing.
The XDI server can also send an XML-converted document on to a scaled-down version of the XDI server, which Netfish calls the XDI client. "It's a misnomer, I admit, because it actually runs on a server," Kingburn explains. "This 'client' only runs one mailbox, but it does have the ability to set up these custom workflows."
One reason Netfish decided to build its XDI server system around Enterprise Java Beans is that the specification gives developers transaction-processing power, such as roll-back, without the developer having to write that code on his own.
To really make use of XML, trading partners have to agree on how XML metatags will be used in the business documents they exchange. Netfish XDI will support the XML tagging conventions and so-called Partner Interface Processes specified by RosettaNet, an industry consortium.
In theory, Netfish XDI should be able to process business documents sent by other vendors' XML application servers that also conform to the RosettaNet specifications. These vendors include WebMethods and Extricity. GE Information Services and Sterling Commerce are involved in RosettaNet pilot projects as well. Kingburn says the RosettaNet interoperability tests are proceeding well, but he claims other servers don't support the Netfish workflow features.
Netfish XDI is expected to ship in mid-November at a cost of $100,000 for the XDI Server, with the XDI clients free. Netfish hopes to add modules for supply-chain management and forecasting early next year.
Netfish: www.netfish.com
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