XML-Digital Glue for the Modern World-Electronic Business Standards Fuelling Intra- and Inter-Enterprise Interoperability for Global Collaboration

Abstract

This chapter provides information about current XML-related standards for the electronic interchange of business documents. The reader is introduced to the principles of the major standards in this area, such as XML, DTDs, XML Schema, XSL, XSLT, XPath, XPointer, DOM, and SAX. Furthermore, it is discussed why XML is not only an ideal data interchange format, but is very likely to earn its merits as a very effective format for persistently storing XML-based documents required in the modern e-business world. Finally, the chapter provides a brief introduction to industry initiatives aimed at optimizing the standardized exchange of business documents, such as BizTalk, ebXML, and others.