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Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) is a set of rules and guidelines
for describing structured data in plain text instead of binary representation.
As it uses a text format to describe data, we can examine the data
without reference to the program that produce it.
This makes XML code independent, allowing companies to share the data
over the Internet with others. XML is a document syntax which consists
of a set of start and end tags. The meaning of each element and attributes
that form the XML document need to be further defined before we can
exchange data with each other. We need to come up with a common vocabulary.
This vocabulary includes grammar and semantics which define the tags
used in the XML document. This set of rules are known as document
type definitions (DTD) which can be either included in the XML document
or as a separate file.
The XML document is like a snapshot of the data structure of the program.
A parser can be implemented to extract information from the XML documentation.
The DTD tells the parser where to find the rules against which the
document can be checked (Figure 1). The ability to check and validate
the data structure is advantageous. It allows an application to check
for any error in the XML documents received.
Figure 1: XML System
Many companies are increasingly outsourcing their non-core functions
while maintaining those activities that give them competitive advantages
over their competitors. Companies like Cisco Systems, Hewlett Packard
and others, outsource their manufacturing activities while focusing
on product design and marketing. Successful companies focus on improving
their supply chain.
In the knowledge economy, organisations make decisions based on just-in-time
and real-time information. Therefore, the future for supply chain
management (SCM) software lies in being flexible, agile, scalable,
and connected.
Internet-enabled solutions boost this supply chain concept by providing
the means for trading partners to collaborate interactively towards
achieving operational excellence, sharing information, and tightly
integrating their business interactions.
The supply chain is evolving into a supply Web. Unlike linear relationship,
the web-like structure allows one to deal with many suppliers. Companies
realise that the virtual enterprise is a necessity. They are dynamically
linked in the Web with a variety of suppliers instead of being locked
in grid chains. This configuration enables them to select the best
suppliers suited to produce their final products. The overall objective
is to lower total cost and to improve the quality of the finished
products.
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