This
document is provided as a source of information about
many of the common questions asked about Alliance
XML/400. You can use the links below to go to a
specific section, or use the Find button on your
browser to search for a topic or phrase.
Can
Alliance
XML/400 translate XML documents to my AS/400 database?
Can
Alliance
XML/400
create XML documents from my AS/400 database files?
Which
XML standards are supported?
What
training is required to use Alliance XML/400?
Can
Alliance work with our Proxy servers?
How
can Alliance
XML/400
reduce my costs?
What
help is available in Alliance XML/400?
How
are translation errors handled?
What
are the hardware and software requirements?
Can
we try Alliance XML/400?
Can
Alliance
XML/400
translate XML documents to my AS/400 database?
Yes.
Alliance XML/400 can validate XML documents and
translate them to your AS/400 database files. You
create an inbound XML map that tells Alliance which
XML fields are to be mapped to your AS/400 database
files. The data in one XML document can be used to
update multiple AS/400 database files. Alliance will
assign a unique key to each record if you like. Once
you create the inbound XML map Alliance will translate
your XML document to the database. Alliance handles
all of the conversions of numeric strings to AS/400
packed, zoned, binary, and floating point fields. No
programming is necessary to create the translation.
[top]
Can
Alliance
XML/400
create XML documents from my AS/400 database files?
Yes,
Alliance can use any externally described database
physical or logical file as a source for creating XML
documents. You first create an outbound XML map to
tell Alliance which AS/400 files and fields are used
to create the XML document. You also use the map to
define which XML headers, trailers, tags and
attributes you want to create. Once the map is
complete you can create the XML document using the XML
APIs or commands in Alliance. No programming is
required to create the XML maps.
[top]
Which
XML standards are supported?
Alliance
XML/400 can work with any XML standard that supports
XML parsing and validation using the industry standard
DOM parser. This includes XML, cXML, cbXML, ebXML,
EDI/XML and private XML documents that you create. [top]
What
training is required to use Alliance XML/400?
Most
Alliance customers find that taking the walkthrough
and reviewing the tutorial information is sufficient
to beging working with Alliance XML/400. Our technical
support staff can assist you with answers to your
technical and programming questions. You should be
familiar with XML documents and the various standards
for XML. You
should also be familiar with AS/400 database
terminology and usage. If needed, on site training is
available.
[top]
Can
Alliance work with our Proxy servers?
Yes,
the Alliance HTTP client application can send XML
documents to a remote web server through a Proxy
server that implements the CERN standard for proxy
server negotiation. Most proxy servers, including the
Microsoft ISA proxy server, support the CERN standard
and Alliance can negotiate the proxy interface..
[top]
How
can
Alliance
XML/400 reduce my costs?
Alliance
XML/400 costs less to license and support.
Many AS/400 XML translator products cost
several thousands dollars in acquisition cost and have
very high on-going training and support costs.
The complexity of the translators can lead to
high service fees from the software vendor as well as
long development projects.
With Alliance XML/400 you can get projects done
faster with less outside support. This leads to lower
total cost of ownership.
[top]
What
help is available in Alliance XML/400?
Alliance
XML /400 provides tutorials that take you step-by-step
through the process of translating an XML document to
AS/400 format, and translating AS/400 data to XML
format. The
sample translation maps referenced in the tutorials
are provided in the product library.
You can copy these sample maps to your own
project as a starting point for creating your own XML
translations. In
addition to the tutorial, Alliance XML/400 provides a
printed user guide, on-line help for each panel,
context-sensitive help for all commands, and help from
our support organization.
[top]
How
are translation errors handled?
When
you ask Alliance XML/400 to translate an XML document
it will provide you with a return code indicating the
success or failure of the translation.
Your program can then take appropriate action.
If an XML document has an error but is not
important to your application, you can choose to
ignore the error.
Or you can write error information to your
database and continue translation.
You are in control of the error handling. [top]
What
are the hardware and software requirements?
Alliance
XML/400 can run on any RISC AS/400 or iSeries platform
from V5R1 or later.
You must have the IBM Java Virtual Machine (JVM)
installed in order to parse inbound documents. The JVM
is a no-charge licensed program from IBM. Other than
the AS/400 JVM you do not need any other third party
software.
[top]
Can
we try Alliance XML/400?
Yes,
Alliance XML/400 is available on a 30-day trial basis
without charge or obligation.
You can download it from our web site at: www.patownsend.com
or you can request a shipment with CD media by calling
us at: (800) 357-1019.
International customers may call at:
+01-360-357-8971 or contact an authorized Townsend
distributor in your country. [top]
