1. Increasing Profitability by Exposing or Consuming XML Web Services
Phil Wolfe
Werner Enterprises
MCSD.NET, MCDBA, MCAD,
MCSD(VB6), MCT, MCP+SB

2. Agenda Discussion XML Web Services Overview
Internal applications of XML Web Services
External applications of XML Web Services
Current XML Web Services in operation
Next Steps
Questions

3. XML Web Services Discussion
What do you know?
What have you heard?
What are your experiences?
What opportunities do you see?
What concerns do you have?
What will propel you to use XML web services?

4. Agenda Discussion XML Web Services Overview
Internal applications of XML Web Services
External applications of XML Web Services
Current XML Web Services in operation
Next Steps
Questions

5. XML Web Services Overview
What are XML Web Services
XML Web Services History
Standards Supporting XML Web Services
Companies Enabling XML Web Services
Organizations Using XML Web Services

6. What Are XML Web Services?
Formal Definition
Exposing data using web standards in a structured format
Distributed computing using the web model
Natural evolution of your web site
Cutting through the Media hype and criticism
Bottom Line

7. XML Web Services History
In the beginning there were many vendors…and these vendors did not play well with each other…and the customers were very displeased
XML + HTTP + SOAP + Great Idea = XML Web Services
See W3C or WhatIs.com site for more information

8. XML Web Service Standards
Sending a letter
XML Web Service
Language
English
Letter
Envelope
Address Book
Address
USPS
ASCII Text
XML
SOAP
UDDI
WSDL
HTTP
Message
Container
Discovery
Description
Transport
WS-Security, DIME (
World Wide Web Consortium (
WS-I Group (

9. XML Web Service Enablers

10. Current Adopters

11. Agenda Discussion XML Web Services Overview
Internal applications of XML Web Services
External applications of XML Web Services
Current XML Web Services in operation
Next Steps
Questions

12. Internal Applications of Web Services
Internal Application (App-to-App)
Legacy Integration
Database Interaction
Business Rules Reuse
Knowledge Worker Applications
Internal Benefits

13. Internal Applications
Home-grown LOB to new reporting software
One vendor’s sales application to another’s Business Intelligence
Use to ease migration
ASP to ASP.NET, Cold Fusion to Java
Use for technologies that don’t normally talk to each other

14. Legacy Integration
Think of your old sales/inventory/tracking/ accounting system
Most can read and write text files
A service could watch a directory for a file and send/receive XML to/from a web service
The web service could be the new system replacing the old one or any other system

15. Database Interaction Database makes the web service call
Many databases now support calling web services: SQL, Oracle, DB2, Informix
They can call web service enabled applications
Calling the database as a web service
Some databases can accept SOAP messages directly and return properly formatted XML

16. Business Rules Reuse Where do you store your business rules now?
Stored Procedure, Objects, Code, Other
Locked into that application or technology
What if they were in an XML web service?
Callable by any technology and platform that can call web services
Now technology/database/platform doesn’t matter

17. Knowledge Worker Applications
Ask yourself:
Which applications do our employees use concurrently?
What features of one app could be exposed to another app as an XML web service?
Excel Demo: Basic Database Lookup

18. Internal Benefits Speedier migration and integration
Use existing investment in older systems
Databases can interact with non homogeneous technologies
Simplified business rule management
Applications make more sense to knowledge workers as they integrate better

19. Agenda Discussion XML Web Services Overview
Internal applications of XML Web Services
External applications of XML Web Services
Current XML Web Services in operation
Next Steps
Questions

20. External applications of XML Web Services
Exposing our ability
Our Application, Our XML Web Service
Their Application, Our XML Web Service
External Benefits

21. Exposing our ability Think of your core business processes.
Does it make sense to expose this to other organizations?
Examples
Transportation
Insurance
Can it be done through XML web services?

22. Our Application, Our Web Service
So, you have decided to charge for your web service
You could require that the users use your provided application to access the web service.
As you update the web service the client can discover those changes and update itself as necessary.

23. Their Application, Our Web Service
You still own the process inside the web service, this time the clients are responsible for exposing the web service to their users.
As you change the web service logic the clients continue to work.
Major changes have to be coordinated

24. External Benefits
You are doing the work, why not generate more revenue for it
The web service that may have been created for internal use can be modified for external customers in most cases
You can choose to write or not write the client application

25. Agenda Discussion XML Web Services Overview
Internal applications of XML Web Services
External applications of XML Web Services
Current XML Web Services in operation
Next Steps
Questions

26. Current XML Web Services
/ uddi.Microsoft.com
Post Office – Address/Zip Lookup
FedEx – Package Lookup
Google.com - Searching
MapPoint.NET
Weather
Others…

27. Agenda Discussion XML Web Services Overview
Internal applications of XML Web Services
External applications of XML Web Services
Current XML Web Services in operation
Next Steps
Questions

28. Next Steps
Research if our current technologies can consume or expose XML web services
Experiment with some internal web services that will save time and money in the short term
Examine what processes could be exposed to gain new customers as a long term goal

29. Questions / Thoughts / Discussion

30. Thank you for attending
Phil Wolfe