.:: Wednesday, March 28, 2001 >

>>James Tauber
Director of XML Technology, Bowstreet ::.

::. Technical >>

Increasingly companies are making distributed functionality available, not as traditional APIs but as web services---XML requests and responses over Internet transport protocols like HTTP. Specifications such as SOAP and UDDI are emerging to provide a means for the description, discovery and execution of these web services. This talk will present the latest activities in this area and will discuss key specifications like SOAP and UDDI as well as related specifications such as DSML and RDF.

>>Lee Buck
Chief Scientist and VP of XML technologies, TIBCO Software Inc. ::.

<<Foundation .::

XML Schema (XSD) is becoming recognized as a powerful constraint language for validating both data and document oriented XML. However, XSD's greatest impact is the richness it adds to XML for e-business data exchange. By introducing the concepts of type, inheritance, identity, and references to the world of XML -- XSD begins to define the next generation of XML ... XML 2.0. The richness of the information models which may be expressed in XML permits it to be used in whole new ways. In this talk we examine these exciting features and their impact on the utilization of XML.

>>Chris Childers
Director Product Management, Sequoia Software Corporation ::.

>>Business ::.

The advent of XML has revolutionized the concept of e-business and the velocity of information required to support inter-organizational interaction. Organizations require rapid integration of processes, people and content to meet on-going business demands. The portal marketplace is quickly evolving to meet the demands of our networked business economy. Portal technology serves as an information catalyst to integrate, aggregate and deliver relevant content. Portal technology that capitalizes on the benefits of XML stand to increase information velocity and interactivity.

Organizations that are implementing e-business portals are often struggle with the issues surrounding content integration, aggregation and delivery. Disparate systems, data models and information services all contribute to this problem. In each of these areas, XML technologies and standards are emerging to reduce these information barriers. This session will focus on technologies and processes that can be used to accelerate information aggregation, flow and delivery within an e-business portal environment. Why is using XML as standard content model beneficial? How can messaging be used to integrate systems and processes? How can XML based content be leveraged in content delivery and portal information services? We will look to explore these questions and provide answers that will allow businesses to advance e-relationships with customers, partners and suppliers. .

>>Peter Stamps
Engineer, Software AG ::.

XML is revolutionising the IT world. In early October 1999 the Altavista search engine counted 453,970 hits for the word XML. In early November 2000, the results list shows 2,295,992 hits. This is 5 times more than a year ago. This demonstrates how great the interest in XML is. But how do you actually start using XML and what aspects do you have to take into account. For example, which technologies, architectures, and products are there and what is the pain and power of XML?

>>David Liu
California State University, Northridge ::.

::. Technical >>

The structure of decision trees is inherently hierarchical and recursive; hence, XML is an excellent representation format. This case study outlines the design issues related to the mapping of decision tree definitions into XML schemas, client-side technology options (ActiveX, Plug-in, Java Applets and XSLT), n-tier architectural alternatives, and lastly, methods for engendering persistence. This paper demonstrates how persistence can be accomplished by utilizing the native-support of XML in Microsoft SQL Server 2000. In closing, this paper examines how two application service providers (ASPs) are using this implementation to build innovative B2B web exchanges and provides one developer's perspective on the recently launched Microsoft ".NET" initiative.

>>Erik Cordsen
Developer for Partner Integration, EZPrints ::.

<<Foundation .::

We will discuss how XML and XSLT can be used as solutions for World Wide Widgets (WWW). These widgets receive all orders from business partners in XML and send out XML status updates. Widgets also use XSLT to generate unique HTML reports for accounting, management, customer service, and production, all from the same source XML document. Finally, these Widgets provide partners with an XSLT script which can be used to calculate shipping costs on the fly before an order is placed.

>>Mike Cardiff
President and CEO, Prologic Corporation ::.

>>Business ::.

Why is Microsoft investing $16 Million per day in making XML the basis of its new .NET strategy? This paper explains how XML has replaced other middleware technologies to become the new standard for integrating legacy systems and aggregating data. In today's internet focused financial services environment, all new service delivery technologies, including wireless and interactive digital TV, will use XML to communicate.

>>Bart Oostlander
Compuware Corporation ::.

In a fast changing world companies have an increasing requirement for more flexible, sophisticated applications that can be created in shorter timeframes than traditional coding methodologies have allowed. To maintain a competitive advantage companies must also be able to make modifications to existing applications quickly. Process automation technologies are providing new ways to build and deploy applications in a component-oriented environment. With the advent of XML, business message exchange based on common Internet protocols is now a commodity. Combined, these technologies enable the business requirements to drive application development and application change at Internet speed. This presentation will focus on the architecture that underpins this new paradigm.

>>Frank Thelen
Product Group Executive, POET Software ::.

::. Technical >>

XML is everywhere. But what's the right method to process it? The speaker Frank Thelen is responsible for the product development at POET Software, a leading provider of XML solutions in the emerging B2B eCommerce market. He will provide an overview of different schema approaches and API´s. Central to his talk will be a discussion of the pros and cons of APIs such as DOM and SAX vs. Java Data Binding.

>>John Cooke
Professor of Computer Science, University of Saskatchewan ::.

<<Foundation .::

Firms that develop software must document both the software product and the process by which it was developed. Information from past projects is invaluable for improving the software production process. Information such as time-lines, critical paths, estimations and process metrics is often kept, but seldom kept in a standardized manner that permits retrieval and reuse. XML provides a means of implementing a standard set of documents in a manner that permits retrieval across many different projects. A basic set of documents will be defined, and case study on implementing this document set in XML for a small software firm will be described.

>>Nathan Birtle
Regional Vice President for Northern Europe, Arbortext ::.

>>Business ::.

This presentation will explore the most recent XML technologies that companies are using to integrate existing data and toolsets with e-business applications. What XML based technologies are available to companies wishing to undertake this type of content integration? How can these be implemented so as to cause minimal disruption to the existing systems? And how can effective content integration give companies a competitive advantage in their e-business strategies.

>>Andrew Gray
Software Engineering Manager, Rogue Wave Software ::.

The ubiquity of the Internet and the explosive growth of Internet-capable devices are increasing expectations that enterprise applications interoperate easily. This presentation explores how we can leverage standard technologies, including XML and HTTP, to create web services that extend the reach of applications within an enterprise, between organizations, and to wireless devices around the world.

>>Ed Simon
Software Engineer, Entrust Technologies ::.

::. Technical >>

Not only will XML make the Web more intelligent and useful, it will also present a new paradigm of what Web security is and what it can do. XML's descriptive and hierarchical structure enables an XML resource to act as its own self-contained mini-database. XML-aware cryptography makes it easy to tailor signing and encryption for specific document parts rather than always treating a document as one indivisible blob that must be treated uniformly from a security point of view. With respect to XML Encryption, a single document could have specific sections restricted to those holding a particular security clearance; for many organizations, this could be a much more manageable approach than maintaining multiple variants of the same document. As well, XML-based security specifications, such as the XML Signatures and XML Encryption one being developed jointly by the W3C and IETF, are themselves encoded in XML and, therefore, the security benefits they embody can be more easily and seamlessly incorporated into Web-based, XML-aware systems. This paper will explore the new vistas unveiled by XML Security.

>>Hans C. Arents
Senior Consultant, I.T. Works ::.

<<Foundation .::

XML is well-suited for message-based application integration. However, defining those XML messages and making sure that every developer uses the same definitions is a major challenge. In this talk we discuss how a company can go about defining design guidelines for its XML messages. We also discuss how these guidelines can be enforced and managed using the appropriate XML schema management tools. As an illustration we will review an example set of design guidelines.

>>John Goodson
VP and Research and Development, MERANT ::.

>>Business ::.

When XML was introduced, it promised to be the next "silver bullet". It would solve the world's data integration problems. Now, reality is setting in. XML is still full of tremendous promise, but it still has a long way to go. Come to this session to hear what Microsoft, IBM, and Sun won't tell you about XML. How can we address real interoperability? How can we ensure real high-speed business performance? How can we build enterprise-class systems with enterprise-grade capabilities (including security, reliability, transactions, etc.)? In this state-of-the-industry discussion, we'll look at ways XML technology is advancing so that you can address these issues going forward.

>>Luca Bompani
Ph.D. Student, University of Bologna ::.

>>Paolo Ciancarini
Professor of Computer Science, University of Bologna ::.

>>Fabio Vitali
Assistant Professor of Computer Professor, University of Bologna ::.

The eXtensible Enterprise Object Network (XEON) is a middleware based on XML that provides an uniform access to all the resources and the services on the Internet. Instead of defining a completely new set of APIs, XEON extends the interfaces of the XML Document Object Model. Thanks to its standard XML interface, it allows users to use standard XML tools to browse all the resources of the Net. For example it permits the application of an XSLT stylesheet directly to a JDBC database and extracts the contents of a table.

>>Eric Olden
CTO, Securant Technologies ::.

::. Technical >>

The emergence of XML as a core technology for conducting eBusiness is creating the need to integrate Web security with this evolving lingua franca of Internet commerce. This session will focus on how enterprises can integrate XML-based applications with their Web security infrastructure to provide users seamless, secure and automated transactions that can span multiple intermediaries and connected Web sites. This talk will cover the security issues associated with using XML-based eCommerce applications, techniques for controlling user access to high value XML transactions and for enforcing non-repudiation, a blueprint for a security system that integrates with XML, and mechanisms for automated security administration and threat detection.

>>Bryan Caporlette
Executive VP of Strategic Technology, Sequoia Software ::.

<<Foundation .::

XML has quickly become the universal language for data exchange and application communication. Emerging standards such as BizTalk and the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) are enabling the efficient transmission of information and application interaction both within and across enterprises. Portal software that leverages XML will provide the most flexible environment for implementing and deploying e-business portals.

This presentation will focus on the architecture necessary to enable application integration across the various layers. At the storage layer, we'll focus on mechanisms for extracting, packaging and transmitting data between applications and the portal server. Within the business logic layer, XML will be used to automate business processes that manage the relationships between internal and external applications. Finally, we'll discuss tying in Web-enabled applications and content providers at the presentation layer.

>>Anita de Waard
Project Lead, Elsevier Science ::.

>>Business ::.

XPharm is meant to be an entirely novel method of enabling modular communications between scientists. The data model and technology are optimized to enhance serendipity among the user community of pharmacological scientists. The discussion will cover the full trajectory of product development, ranging from the philosophy behind the product to the nuts-and-bolts implementation issues.

>>Andrea Marchetti
IAT - CNR ::.

>>Pasquale Lazzareschi
IAT - CNR ::.

>>Salvatore Minutoli
IAT - CNR ::.

>>Massimo Martinelli
IAT - CNR ::.

XML can be used as an instrument to structure documents in a standard way that is both human and machine understandable. This fact creates the opportunity to manage documents in a simple way that is independent from the underlying platform. This paper presents work on the development of a system for managing documents throughout a generic step by step process, wherein easy interaction is enabled between users operating at different levels (WWW, e-mai and so on). This paper will also present a working prototype implemented at the Institute for Telematic Applications (CNR) of Pisa and used for managing the task request of workers.

>>Mark Colan
IBM Corporation ::.

This talk discusses the IT industry's progress in e-business integration, and IBM's strategy XML and Web Services to provide leadership in developing new technologies. We'll discuss what these technologies are, why they are important, and the problems they solve. We'll see some historical perspectives on the work to date, and discuss future directions. We'll discuss IBM's strategy to help our customers and business partners get the most of the latest developments; it starts with participation in standards bodies to ensure strong, open standards, and contribution of key technologies to the open source movement through Apache. As the standards are established, we implement support for these technologies in all of our e-business software offerings, and we offer consulting services to help our customers and partners succeed in building solutions..