Yesterday, I was part of a discussion about middleware. If you're not familiar with middleware (for starters, be grateful) think of it as the software version of a go-between, one that allows two disparate systems or applications to work together. Traditional middleware and its related tools are very sophisticated, very expensive and work very well for the precise jobs for which they were created. The problem is, they're very brittle. They work great until something changes, then they break. And let's face it, something ALWAYS changes. Once it does, it takes significant resources and expertise to put the middleware right.
XML middleware is not nearly as advanced as traditional middleware and its tools can be primitive. In fact, that was the focus point of yesterday's discussion: Software Tools - how aggravating they are when they're immature. But that said, XML middleware offers some very important features.
Among the most important is XML middleware's ability to act as a kind of data diplomat. It goes out and talks to a wide range of data sources (databases, servers, etc.) on behalf of the client. It speaks the native language of the data sources and respects their customs and ways. Then, it translates everything back to the client in a way the client can easily understand and use. It's like the dream of many of us when we travel abroad. We (North Americans) want access to global treasures, sights, resources, etc., but we want everything to come back to us in English. As a group, our size carries weight and one could argue English has become one of the international languages of business. My point is, when we can partake of global resources, while retaining our standard mode of communication, we're more likely to participate and to help stimulate the economy as a result.
XML middleware is a lot like that. It does the hard work of speaking and working with the data sources in their native languages. The client software only needs to understand XML, it doesn't need to be customized. It only needs to be able to parse XML. Cool and cost effective. This data diplomacy allows many more clients (like tourists) to participate and get in on the action.
This is an example of how XML facilitates data integration.
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