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