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Siebel EAI and XML

XML is increasingly the format of choice for data exchange between an application and a partner organization. The metadata definition for XML is in the form of XML Schema Definitions (XSD) or Document Types Definitions (DTD). Because Siebel Integration objects can be represented as XSD, another application can capture metadata from a Siebel application and understand how to format an XML document that must be sent to a Siebel application. Data in a Siebel application can be represented as XML and sent over a standard protocol such as HTTP. Siebel EAI provides components that allow bidirectional exchange of XML documents over the firewall using the HTTP protocol. This exchange can be made secure at the transport layer by using the HTTPS protocol.

Siebel EAI supports XML for an outgoing or incoming message. Siebel EAI can be configured to use an XSD or DTD that is externally specified to define external integration objects. Siebel Tools includes an Integration Object Wizard that can be used to import and process an external XSD or DTD and to generate these external integration objects that represent the XSD or the DTD.

A transport adapter, whether built by Oracle or built by a partner, can use this business service to dynamically look up the content in an XML document or in a document that uses another format, then route the message based on content from the document. The message can be routed to a workflow process or to another business service within a Siebel application.