Introduction to XML, SOAP and Biztalk

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Introduction to XML, SOAP and Biztalk
Arie Leeuwesteijn ariele_at_microsoft.com

• M

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Content

• XML use cases
• What is XML ?
• XML syntax
• Document definitions and validation
• XML parsers
• XSL translations
• SOAP, a.k.a. Web Services
• Biztalk overview

3
Objectives

• Reading XML documents
• Understanding XML terminology and acronyms
• Examples of XML applications

4
XML Use Cases

• Application integration
• Generic format for data transfer for E-commerce
  and other web applications
• Storing and accessing structured data

5
Application Integration

• High costs and effort because application data is
• Proprietary
• Incompatible
• Undocumented legacy data
• Different data formats

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Same data, different format
15
?
???
0x0F
fifteen
15.00
XV
1111
0001 0101
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The Internet

• The ultimate integration environment
• Many different systems and platforms
• Time to market measured in internet time
• Today XML is already integrated in
• Operating systems
• Applications
• Databases
• Development tools
• Browsers

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XML design goals

• Flexible, extensible and support for wide variety
  of applications
• Must be simple and light weight
• Straightforwardly usable over the internet

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What is XML?

• Meta language for self describing structured data
• Consists of data and tags
• Extensible language, users can define their own
  specific tags
• Version 1.0 specification approved by W3C as
  recommendation

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XML History

• Subset of Standard Generalized Markup Language
  (SGML)
• Far less complex
• 20 of SGML features
• 80 of SGML functionality
• (XML spec is 26 pages, SGML 500)

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XML vs. HTML

• XML
• Subset of SGML
• Extensible
• Focus on data

• HTML
• SGML application
• Fixed
• Focus on presentation

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XML Document Structure
XML declaration (processing instructions)

• lt?xml version1.0 ?gt

lt!DOCTYPE name gt
Document definition (optional)
ltdoc_root_elementgt ltdata_elementgt
lt/data_elementgt lt/doc_root_elementgt
Document data
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Basic XML syntax

• Human readable text
• Support for Unicode character set
• Syntax is stricter than for example HTML

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Tags And Data

• Document consists of data marked up by tags
• Tags describe meaning and structure of data
• An element is a group of start-tag/end-tag with
  the data in between
• ltBookgtEssential XMLlt/Bookgt

Start-tag
End-tag
Data
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Start- and End-Tags

• Element must have a matching start- and
  end-tagltonegthellolt/onegtlttwogtworldlt/twogt
  ?ltonegthello lttwogtworldlt/twogt ?
• Empty elements can be written as
• lttaggtlt/taggt ?
• lttag/gt ?
• Tags are case sensitive

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XML Basic Syntax

• XML elements can have nested child elements to
  structure to structure document in levels
• ltoutergt ? ltinnergttextlt/innergtlt/outergtltoute
  rgt ?
• ltinnergtlt/outergtlt/innergt

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Root element

• A XML document must have one root element
• ltlibrarygt ? ltbookgtXML in
  actionlt/bookgt ltbookgtEssential XMLlt/bookgtlt/
  library gt
• lt book gt XML in action lt/ book gt ?lt book gt
  Essential XML lt/ book gt
• What is the document root ?

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Comments

• Syntax for comments islt! -- This is a comment
  --gt
• Comments be placed everywhere in the document
  except inside element tagslttag lt!-- comment
  --gt gt ?

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Attributes

• Attributes associate named values to an element
• Attributes are part of the start-tag
• ltpublication typebookgt
• lttitlegtXML in actionlt/titlegt
• ltprice currencyUSDgt49.99lt/pricegt
• lt/ publication gt
• Values must be double or single quoted

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XML Example

• lt?xml version1.0 encodingUTF-8 ?gt
• ltlibrarygt
• ltbookgt
• lttitlegtXML in actionlt/titlegt
• ltprice currencyUSDgt49.99lt/pricegt ltisbngt0-735
  6-0562-9lt/isbngt
• ltrating scale5gt3lt/ratinggt
• lt/bookgt
• ltbookgt
• lttitlegtEssentail XMLlt/titlegt
• ltprice currencyUSDgt34.95lt/pricegt ltisbngt0-201
  -70914-7lt/isbngt
• ltrating scale5gt4lt/ratinggt
• lt/bookgt
• lt/ library gt

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Valid vs. Well Formed XML

• Well formedValid XML syntax
• Valid documentContent of document valid conform
  specification of document
• A valid document is automatically a well formed
  document
• A well formed document is not always a valid
  document

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Document specifications

• Describes structure and contents of XML document
• Parsers can use schemas to validate a document
• Validation is optional
• Think if/where validation should take place
• Document Type Definitions (DTD), part of XML 1.0
  standard

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DTD example
lt?xml version1.0?gt lt!DOCTYPE CATALOG
lt!ELEMENT BOOK (TITLE, PRICE)gt lt!ELEMENT
TITLE(PCDATA)gt lt!ELEMENT PRICE(PCDATA) gt lt
CATALOG gt ltBOOKgt ltTITLEgtXML in
actionlt/TITLEgt ltPRICEgt49.95lt/PRICEgt
lt/BOOKgt lt/ CATALOG gt
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DTD Issues

• Good DTDs are difficult to write (Extended
  Backus Naur Form notation)
• DTDs are not extensible and many limitations
• Most important limitation is lack of data types

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XML Schemas

• Alternative for DTDs
• XML is used to describe the structure of the
  document, no need to learn new language or use
  other tools
• Lifts most limitations of DTDs (data types )
• XSD,
• XML schema specification
• W3C recommendation
• XDR
• Early MS version of XSD

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XML-Data Schemas simple example

• ltSchema gtltElementType nametitle"
  content"textOnlygt
• ltElementType nameisbn" content"textOnly/gt
• ltElementType namebook" content"eltOnly"gt
• ltelement typetitle"/gt ltelement typeisbn"/gt
  lt/ElementTypegt
• lt/Schemagt

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XML Parsers

• Parse XML document
• Validate XML syntax (always)
• Validate content (optional)
• Access data
• Update data
• Translate data (XSL)

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XML Parser types

• Two different parser models
• Document Object Model (DOM)
• Complete document in memory
• Easy access for applications
• Queries on data
• Translations
• Simple API for XML (SAX)
• Generates event per parsed element
• Large documents
• Batch processing
• More difficult to use than DOM

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Document Object Model

• DOM defines logical structure of a parsed XML
  document
• DOM defines how data can be accessed and
  manipulated
• Provides standardized API (level 1, 2 and 3)
• DOM can also be used to create or modify XML
  documents

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Document Object Model
document
A node can contain child nodes or text
root node
Node lists
node
node
node
node
node
node
node
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Querying the DOM through XPath

• XPath declarative language for locating nodes and
  fragments in XML trees
• Allow you to locate nodes by
• Absolute or relative position
• Element or attribute types
• Element or attribute values
• Combinations using boolean operators
• Also used in XSL, XPointer and XLink
  specifications

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XPath examples

• All books in the current contextbook (equal to
  ./book)
• All books anywhere in the document//book
• All books with specified element
  valuebooktitleEssential XML
• or a specified attribute valuebook_at_typepaperba
  ck
• or just having the attributebook_at_type
• The first 3 booksbookindex()lt4

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Extended Stylesheet Language XSL

• Similarities with CSS, but more powerful
• Applies translations to data that matches a
  pattern
• Close to becoming a standard (draft status W3C)

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XSL translations

• XSLT is based on pattern matching and templates
• A template rule consist of a pattern and a
  template
• Processor finds best matching pattern and applies
  related template for translation

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XSL stylesheet example
lt?xml-stylesheet type"text/xsl
hrefbooks.xsl"?gt ltbooksgt ltbookgtlttitlegtEssent
ial XMLlt/titlegtlt/bookgt ltbookgtlttitlegtXML in
actionlt/titlegtlt/bookgtlt/booksgt
XML Data

ltxslstylesheet.gt ltxsl-template
matchtitlegt lttrgtlttdgtltbgtltxsl-value-of
selecttext()/gtlt/tdgtlt/trgtlt/xslstylesheetgt
XSLstyle sheet (partial)

HTML output
lttrgtlttdgtltbgtEssential XMLlt/tdgtlt/trgtlttrgtlttdgtltbgtXML
in actionlt/tdgtlt/trgt
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XSL usage

• Formatting and displaying XML data as HTML, PDF,
  etc.
• Converting XML document
• Other XML document structures (XML-gtXML)
• Other data formats (CSV, Edifact)
• MS Biztalk mapping editor generate XLS to convert
  XML, Flat file and Edifact documents to XML and
  back.

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XML Applications

• XML in real applications
• Simple Object Access Protocol
• Microsoft Biztalk 2000
• Note this is not a training on SOAP and Biztalk

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Software integration

• Todays middleware
• Vendor and language depended
• COM v.s. EJB
• Interoperability problems
• Was not designed to use over the internet
• Reliable communications
• Firewalls
• Complex

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SOAP

• Simple Object Access Protocol
• Invoking object methods using XML and HTTP
• Specification written by Microsoft, IBM, Software
  and Developmentor
• Vendor and middleware independency (the end of
  middleware battles ?)
• Supported and available today from most major
  vendors (MS,IBM,IONA etc.)
• Core technology in Microsoft .NET web services

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SOAP
This whole process is transparent for client and
component
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Simple SOAP Request
POST /StockQuote HTTP/1.1 Host
www.stockquoteserver.com Content-Type text/xml
charset"utf-8 Content-Length 323 SOAPAction
Some-Namespace-URIGetLastTradePrice
ltSQEnvelope xmlns SOAP "http//schemas.xmlsoa
p.org/soap/envelope/" SQ encodingStyle"http//
schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/gt lt SQ
Bodygt ltmGetLastTradePrice xmlnsm"Some-Names
pace-URI"gt ltsymbolgtMSFTlt/symbolgt
lt/mGetLastTradePricegt lt/ SQ Bodygt lt/ SQ
Envelopegt
HTTP headers
Body
GetLastTradePrice(MSFT)
Envelope
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Simple SOAP Response
HTTP headers
HTTP/1.1 200 OKContent-Type text/xml
charset"utf-8Content-Length
nnnn ltSPEnvelopexmlnsSP"http//schemas.xmlsoap
.org/soap/envelope/"SPencodingStyle"http//sche
mas.xmlsoap.org/soap/encoding/"gt ltSPBodygt
ltmGetLastTradePriceResponse xmlnsm"Some-Names
pace-URI"gt ltPricegt160.95lt/Pricegt
lt/mGetLastTradePriceResponsegt
lt/SPBodygt lt/SPEnvelopegt
Body
Result
Envelope
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What Is Biztalk ?

• Biztalk Community (Biztalk.org)
• Library for business document specification
• Stimulate reuse
• Submit and retrieve document specifications
• 400 third-party XML business documents
• 150 registered organizations
• Biztalk Framework
• XML Specification for document routing and
  exchange (SOAP 1.1 compliant)
• Biztalk Server
• Microsoft server product for processing,
  transforming, signing, routing of documents

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B2B challenges
Customers
Suppliers
My company
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Business to Business

• Different data format (EDI, CSV, XML)
• Different document structures
• Different protocols
• Different encryption technologies
• Different operating systems
• Legacy ERP and other back office systems

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Biztalk Server

• Design time tools
• Schema, transformation definition
• Document processing server
• Messaging
• Communication
• Transformation
• Routing
• Encryption
• Workflow
• Orchestration

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XML in Biztalk
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XML in Biztalk
Visio Diagram
Compile
XLANG schedule
Scheduler
Applications
XLANG Runtime
Biztalk Messaging
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XML in Biztalk Server

• XML for describing all in- and outbound business
  documents as an extended Data-Schema
• XSL for document translations
• XML as internal format for all processed
  documents
• XLANG workflow schedules

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Biztalk demos

• Biztalk Editor
• Biztalk Mapper
• Biztalk Orchestration

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Things to read

• XML in ActionMS-PressISBN 0735605629

Professional XMLWROXISBN 1861003110
Understanding SOAPSAMSISBN 0672319225
Essential XMLAddison WesleyISBN 0201709147
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Places to go

• http//www.w3c.org (all mentioned standards)
• http//msdn.microsoft.com/xml (tutorials and
  reference on xml)
• http//msdn.microsoft.com/soap(tutorials and
  reference on xml)
• http//www.biztalk.org
• (Biztalk organization)

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ltQUESTIONS/gt
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Biztalk Orchestration
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Biztalk Editor
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Biztalk Mapper