For the full presentation, click here.
This talk will provide a number of lessons learned and tips for developers from one of IBM's first web application solutions developed using XML, IBM Student Server. Student Server is live and has brought web-based student self-service to the PeopleSoft ERP application.
An overview of XML usage in the IBM Student Server application will start the presentation. The benefits and detriments of each usage of XML will be extolled. The XML uses include:
Enterprise Java Bean (EJB) to Relational Database binding vocabulary including code generation (YAEJBML),
SQL View to EJB View/Graph binding using XML,
HTML page generation from EJBs using XSL,
HTML presentation templates,
XML generation from Java using Java procedures and Java Server Pages
This talk will then provide lessons learned on XML, where we found XML useful and where it wasn't useful. Additionally, there are numerous bold claims being made about where XML is useful. Some of these claims will be exploded, and solutions to common problems will be shared, such as:
the difficulties in Java<-->XML conversion, including DOM, SAX, reflection, type system conversion and performance issues
Presentation issues including the benefits/detriments of XSL versus JSPs
The myth of declarative programming replacing procedural programming
Attendees will learn about the practical application of XML and XML standards in Java and Web applications. The real-world examples, issues, and solutions will aid all attendees in their own application development.
Background:
XML is widely used in the IBM Student Server product, FCS 10/15/98. Student Server integrates PeopleSoft and Relation Database data into a thin-client self-service model. The key technologies used in Student Server are HTML, XML, Java 1.1, Servlets, JSPs, and EJBs. It currently serves millions of database transactions per day to over 50 000 registering students.
Bio:
Dave Orchard is the senior technical architect at IBM's newest development centre, located in Vancouver, Canada. He is currently designing Java, XML and Web based components and solutions for the education, sports and finance industries. In addition, he does extensive educating, writing and speaking about leading-edge internet technologies such as Java, XML and distributed objects. He also is currently co-editor of the W3C XML Link Working Draft.