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XMLTools: The tools, the categories, the leading players

Burman, Linda A.
 Canada 
 L. A. Burman Associates 
 Ontario 
 Toronto 
 		Linda A.  Burman
President,  L. A. Burman Associates 
 23 Hambly Ave.
Toronto  Ontario (Canada) M4E 2R5 
Email: linda@laburman.com

Biographical notice

Linda Burman is the president of L. A. Burman Associates, an XML consulting company that provides services to clients in areas including industry and market analysis, strategic market planning, business alliance development, market and competitive research, XML tools training, and journalistic coverage. L. A. Burman Associates also performs due diligence work for companies seeking to make an investment.

Prior to founding her own company, Ms Burman was Director of Worldwide Marketing at SoftQuad international and prior to that, the Publishing Evangelist at Apple Computer. Beginning her computer career as a Systems Engineer at Datapoint Corporation, she brought a strong technical background to her later positions in business management and product marketing at companies like MiCOM-interlan and Bitstream. Trained originally as an educator, Ms Burman also transferred her years of experience as an instructor to her new industry.

Ms. Burman is recognized as an industry expert and often speaks at conferences such as the Seybold Seminars, Documation, and SGML & XML conferences. She is also a contributing writer to the XML Files. L. A. Burman Associates is an active member of OASiS and of the GCA independent Consultants organization. She previously chaired the Marketing Research Committee of SGMLOpen and also served as a founding member of the Advisory Board for Documation.

 XML Tools 
 

Introduction

 Several centuries ago in internet time -- maybe last year -- we all knew how to categorize tools. Tools were discreet and behaved themselves in terms of their categories. They followed the traditional publishing model, or they were software development tools, or they were database tools and so on. The worlds overlapped very little. Now, new types of XML tools are emerging -- demanding categories which never existed before -- and we have to grapple with integrating them into our existing framework. We also have to understand the value of the new functionality that these tools provide.
 Along with the new types of tools have come new players. Not very long ago, it was easy to name the leading players in the XML space but that is no longer true. As XML becomes incorporated into many mainstream tools as an enabling technology, the list of players no longer fits on a couple of slides. The world of XML tools has exploded and thus it becomes even more useful to examine the various categories, the functions of the tools within them and the most important players.
 

Paper

 Why bother with models and tool categories?" That's easy! Tool models and categories are indispensable aids in choosing the right tools to fit a particular implementation. They provide the framework for determining requirements. They also predict trends in the industry, explain relationships between technologies and last, but certainly not least, assist the Press.
 

Tool Models

 One familiar tool model essentially represents the traditional publishing process or what one might today callpresentation oriented publishing  or "POP". (FOOTNOTE REFERENCE 1) See figure 1 below.

Figure 1: "Publishing Model"

 In this model, one uses authoring/editing tools to create content/information and/or data translation tools to convert content/information from some other document format. Content is then prepared for delivery/composition, presented, and then stored. Content management tools, with built-in database systems, take care of "chunking" and storing whole documents and/or document fragments so desired information can be easily and precisely retrieved and (re)assembled for reuse.
 POP means that the goal is to create a result orpresentation  that is perceivable by a human -- like a painting, or Braille, or a sign, or a printed/online document. Presentation oriented publishing can also represented by the "HARP"(TM) analysis model. (FOOTNOTE REFERENCE 2) Information begins with thehuman  creative process, is translated into someabstraction  which "describes the nature of information without binding it to a single rendition or presentation", is then translated into a machine readablerendition  which then has a one-to-one relationship with a correspondingpresentation  .

Figure 2. "HARP"

Presentation Oriented Publishing
XML Tool Categories for POP
message oriented middleware
 		These are the information states which relate to various aspects of requirements and also correspond to tool categories. The tool categories that fit this "POP" world are:
 
 
  • Design tools
    •  
  • Authoring/editing tools
    •  
  • Style Sheet Editors
    •  
  • Data validation tools
    •  
  • Data conversion tools
    •  
  • Electronic Delivery tools (which used to be known as CD ROM preparation tools and now include tools for Web delivery)
    •  
  • Print Composition Engines
    •  
  • Document management (including underlying storage) systems
    •  
  • Developer Tools and Middleware
    •  Recently, another model has emerged which requires additional types of tools. The applications that fit this model can be referred to as "data-centric", meaning that XML data is generated by programs for other programs as opposed to "document-centric" applications where data is designated for stylesheets or humans. In the "data-centric" model adocument  does not necessarily have any persistence. In fact, it may exist only for the life of a single transaction.
     These new categories all fit into the broad category called "message oriented middleware" or "MOM". (FOOTNOTE REFERENCE 1) MOM applications serve as negotiators between unlike data sources and also as data aggregators.
      These tools conform to a three tier architecture model which separates "back end" resources from server processes that operate on data according to business logic and also from client processes which display and manipulate data on the desktop. The example below describes the information flow in an application that is mostly MOM and conforms to the Three Tier Architecture Model.

    Figure 3. Example of Three-Tier Architecture

    3 Tier Architecture
         		 Many functions of existing tools still apply, like data conversion or encoding, component management, database integration, precise search and retrieval, and so on. But these functions are applied to solutions like financial management or electronic commerce like automated purchasing and supply chain integration rather than publishing. Also, new tools include brand new technologies like Interface Definition Languages, (IDLs) which make certain kinds of interapplication communication possible.
     Some of the "MOM" categories that have developed to leverage the versatility and extensibility of XML are:
     
  • Application Servers
    •  
  • Website Management Tools
    •  
  • Complete Web Frameworks
    •  
  • Business to Business Integration Servers
    •  
  • EDI Applications
    •  
  • Shopping Applications
    •  
  • Tools for ERPs (Enterprise Requirements Planning)
    •  It's true that not all of these application categories are actually new. Many have existed for some time as expensive, proprietary solutions. However, the difference is that today, with XML as the standard data-interchange format, the cost is reduced and all the applications can interact.
     A good example of business to business integration using XML is displayed below. It also conforms to the three tier model.

    Figure 4. Business to Business Integration

     With all these new exciting tool categories coming into existence, one might ask if the publishing oriented categories are still valid in today's crazy Web World?
     Absolutely! in fact, in reality, MOM and POP are really two ends of the same continuum.

    Figure 5. MOM and POP working together

     Most implementations require both human-perceivable data and data designated for machines. For example, content providers are seeking ways to integrate their vast data stores into their publishing processes to produce personalized and custom vehicles and to automate billing and ordering. Since XML is easier to implement than its parent SGML, and much richer than its cousin HTML, content developers are migrating (albeit, somewhat slowly) towards XML.
     

    The Tools and The Players

     The list below demonstrates the overlapping of the two tool models.
     
  • Authoring/Editing: Client
    •  
  • Editing + Composition: Client + Middle Tier
    •  
  • Browsing/Client Tools
    •  
  • XSL Stylesheet Editors, Data Schema Design Tools: Client
    •  
  • Data Validation Tools: XML Parsers and SDKs: Client or Middle Tier
    •  
  • Conversion and Transformation: Client and/or Middle Tier
    •  
  • Electronic Delivery: Client + Middle Tier
    •  
  • Document Management: Middle Tier + Back-end Resources
    •  
  • Middle Tier Developer Tools
    •  
  • Web systems: Middle Tier + Client
    •  
  • Back-end Resource Tools: Object Databases that support XML
    •  Since the number of XML tools is large and ever-expanding, this document does not attempt to capture the actual tools and the vendors who produce them. However, this information will be available in the presentation slides at URL www.laburman.com after the conference.
     Some other websites, which are excellent resources for information about XML are:
     
  • Robin Cover's page on the Oasis website, (www.oasis-open.org), is a wonderful source of ongoing information about all XML events.
    •  
  • An excellent source of tool information is Steve Pepper's Whirlwind Guide to SGML/XML Tools: www.infotek.no/sgmltool/xmltool.htm
    •  
  • www.w3.org/XML/Activity is, of course, the World Wide Web Consortium website discussing all the standards activities
    •  
  • An outstanding editorial site is www.xml.com which is co-edited by Tim Bray, co-editor of the XML specification, and Mark Walter, editor of the Seybold Report on internet Publishing
    •  
  • For more definitive coverage one must not forgetThe XML Files  , edited by Dianne Kennedy, which can be found on the GCA site at www.gca.org
    •  
  • Anothermust visit  is www.microsoft.com/xml. The pages include XML scenarios, demos, educational pieces and commentary
    •  Also there are now a huge number of excellent XML books -- and more being written every week, it seems. Recommended starting texts are:The XML Handbook  by Charles F. Goldfarb and Paul Prescod in the Definitive XML Series from Charles Goldfarb, published by Prentice Hall; andXML for Dummies  , by Ed Tittel, Norbert Mikula & Ramesh Chandak published by iDG Books Worldwide. Amazon.com carries these and many other XML titles.
     

    Summary

     It is clear that tool models and categories are critical to the process of selecting the right tools for a particular situation. It is also important to note that tools in the same category are not all created equal; they have varying levels of functionality and are optimized for different purposes. Therefore, if requirements are well known it is easier to determine if a particular tool is the right one.
     In summary, consider MOM and POP and pick the best of each for your implementation. And have fun!!!
     Note: Footnote Reference 1 The XML HandbookTM, by Charles F. Goldfarb and Paul Prescod, Prentice Hall, June 1998
     Note: Footnote Reference 2 SGML Buyer's GuideTM: Choosing the Right XML and SGML Products and Services, by Charles Goldfarb, Steve Pepper, Chet Ensign, Prentice Hall, November 1997
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