Using XML with Legacy Business Applications

Chapter 1: Introduction
ISBN:	0321154940
Author(s):	Michael Rawlins

This book excerpt is from Using XML with Legacy Business Applications by Michael C. Rawlins (0321154940), copyright 2004. All rights reserved. This chapter, titled "Introduction" describes the approach presented in the book and discusses the business and technical rationales for it. It is posted with permission from Addison-Wesley Professional. Simple guidance for bridging the gap between XML and legacy applications Businesses running legacy applications that do not support XML can face a tough choice: Either keep their legacy applications or switch to newer, XML-enhanced applications. XML presents both challenges and opportunities for organizations as they struggle with their data. Does this dilemma sound familiar? What if you could enable a legacy application to support XML? You can. In Using XML with Legacy Business Applications, e-commerce expert Michael C. Rawlins outlines usable techniques for solving day-to-day XML-related data exchange problems. Using an easy-to-understand cookbook approach, Rawlins shows you how to build XML support into legacy business applications using Java and C++. The techniques are illustrated by building converters for legacy formats. Converting CSV files, flat files, and X12 EDI to and from XML will never be easier!