Why Transform Data to XML?

Retailers and Suppliers use different formats.

Because Retailers use different order form formats, the Retailer's order data is transformed into XML so that any Supplier can recognize and process their orders.

Suppliers use different formats for their order status and acknowledgement data. This data is converted to XML so that any Retailer can recognize the order status and acknowledgement.

Note: This solution uses a finite set of two predetermined customer order document formats.

• Retailer's Order Data: The order data, stored in the Retailer Database R, is transformed by the AQ Broker using the appropriate XSL stylesheet into a format recognized by the specific Supplier.

• Supplier's Order Status Data: This data is transformed by the AQ Broker using the appropriate XSL stylesheet into a format recognized by the specific Retailer.

  Note: The Transformer API and associated tables can reside anywhere, including the Retailer's or Supplier database.

Figure 13-1 illustrates the overall flow of the Retailer-Supplier transaction. The Retailer enters the order.

• In an ideal world, if the order document format of every Retailer and every Supplier were the same, the process would be simply as shown in A.

• In the real world, order document formats of each Retailer and Supplier typically differ. Making these transactions seamless is possible by converting the data to XML. By applying XSL stylesheets the data format can then customized and displayed by any device and in multiple formats.