RE: XML Attributes -- MIDRANGE-L

I agree, BUT... that is the job of the EDI mapping software, to do the
"reasoning".  Make all the data, regardless of how it looks on the input
side, the same on the output side.  It is usually not the EDI systems that
are flawed, but the application systems.  How does XML fix that?
cjg


Carl J. Galgano
EDI Consulting Services, Inc.
540 Powder Springs Street, Suite C19
Marietta, GA  30064
(770) 422-2995 - voice
(419) 730-8212 - fax
mailto:cgalgano@ediconsulting.com
http://www.ediconsulting.com
AS400 EDI, Networking, E-Commerce and Communications Consulting and
Implementation
http://www.icecreamovernight.com
Premium Ice Cream Brands shipped Overnight

"You ain't gonna learn what you don't want to know" - rw

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-midrange-l@midrange.com
[mailto:owner-midrange-l@midrange.com]On Behalf Of L. S. Russell
Sent: Monday, November 20, 2000 10:44 AM
To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
Subject: Re: XML Attributes


Good point, but the fact is that paper PO's are meant to be read by
humans.  Humans, except for consultants, have the ability to reason or
at the very least to call someone who is capable of reason.  A computer
program doesn't have such luxury.  If a human sees 50 different styles
of PO's a day he or she can figure out what the data means and what info
is needed, any standards for paper PO's would only speed up the process
but that is all.

On the other hand a program depends on the layout of the document in
order to decide what the data is and what info it needs to collect.  The
computer program has no life line, it can't call a buddy, poll the
audience or ask for a 50/50.  So standards are essential if the
documents are intended for use by software.

A document intended for humans eyes only can look like anything because
a human can change its approach to the data, but a computer program
can't -- it needs to see the same layout each time.

> never heard of EDI, do you all the paper POs from your customers look the
> same?  Of course NOT.  one customer may send you a single PO with a single
> ship to location, another may send you a single PO and at the detail level
> of the PO order 10 widgets and have you ship 1 widget to 10 different
> locations.  Do you dis the paper POs as not being "standard", of course
NOT.
> Some industries have attempted to create a subset implementation of an
ANSI
> x.12 document in order to speed implementation in a certain industry
> segment.  Basically, the customer sets the rules for EDI and the vendor
does
> what ever it takes.  I don't see XML changing that at all.
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