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GeneXus 8.0 Integration (II)

GeneXus 8.0 has remarkably simplified the use and production of Web Services, which are currently being used for integrating applications both inside and between different companies.

Last year, Amazon.com launched the "Amazon.com Web Services," which among other features enable third-party sites to search and display the company's products with access through two industry standards: XML and SOAP. The so-called partner program enables other websites to connect to Amazon.com and obtain commissions for the sales generated with those connections. This is one of the most well-known examples of the current use of Web Services: application integration between companies.

There are already application integration cases between companies within the GeneXus community; this is achieved by using GeneXus-developed Web Services. Concepto's Customs System, which provides information to exporters and importers through XML and SOAP, is an example.

There is also widespread use of Web Services for application integration taking place inside companies, and actually, many of these cases can be found inside the GeneXus community. In general, this connection is established in order to:

1- Communicate ERP systems with a company's core system; this is the case at Conaprole, which communicates SAP with GeneXus systems by using Web Services.

2- Communicate a company's headquarters with its subsidiaries.

3- Communicate systems with "legacy" applications; this is the case of CASMU's (Uruguay's Medical Association) Attention Center, which decided to internally integrate its different systems (Windows C/S Oracle; NetWare Btrieve; Intranet) by using GeneXus-developed Web Services in order to enable Intranet access to all the information handled by the institution.

GeneXus 7.5 used to support the use and generation of Web Services. However, GeneXus 8.0 has incorporated upgrades that remarkably facilitate the use and publication of Web Services.

GeneXus 8.0 has incorporated the WSDL Inspector. This makes it possible to define the necessary data types in GeneXus, in order to use Web Services in a transparent way from a Web Service's WSDL (Web Services Description Language Inspector). This way there is no need to worry about the protocols involved in the process or their definition.

Moreover, GeneXus 8.0 features a new type of object: SDT (Structured Data Type), which, among other benefits, simplifies the automatic reading and writing of XML. By using SDT, GeneXus offers a simple way of representing data whose structure is made up of several elements. This way, it contributes with use and production of Web Services, in which the possibility of exchanging complex-data messages is becoming more necessary.

Since both SDT and XML are a hierarchical data set, all the functions are provided for shifts from SDT to XML and vice versa. This means that, in cases when it is necessary to save or read XML, it is very practical to just read or load an SDT and then use standard methods for shifting to XML.

For more information:

From GeneXus 8.0 RC: Structured Data Types (SDT)
http://www.gxtechnical.com/main/Hgxnews.aspx?2,6,69,6333  (I)
http://www.gxtechnical.com/main/hgxnews.aspx?2,6,69,6347  (II)
http://www.gxtechnical.com/main/hgxnews.aspx?2,6,69,6368  (III)

From GeneXus Olimar version: It Is Easier to Use Web Services WSDL Inspector http://www.gxtechnical.com/main/Hgxnews.aspx?2,6,69,6279 

Related
GeneXus 8.0 Web (I)
GeneXus 8.0: Modeling Becomes More & More Intelligent (III)
GeneXus 8.0: Greater Productivity (IV)
GeneXus 8.0: More Platforms and New Devices
Web Services for Money Transfer Systems
Web Services: A Simple Solution to a Complex Problem
GeneXus releases its next version