XML

Facilitate Internet Use

The Internet has changed everything. It has become a way of doing business for nearly every corporation. The number of people surfing the Internet has reached epic proportions. The use of the Internet to do research, make purchases, download software, and so on has created a new Web lifestyle.

Corporations will need to do more than simply throw together a corporate Web site. Consumers and business partners expect sophisticated, easy-to-use sites that fulfill their needs. The Internet creates entirely new markets and allows small and large corporations to compete on an even playing field. This competition can be fierce, as we've seen in the rivalry between corporations such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Changes in technology will affect the way Web sites are created and presented. Corporations will need to develop sites that reflect current trends and technology or they might lose their business to competitors. The backbone of a successful DNS will be an intranet or the Internet or both. XML can be used to move data over the Internet using the HTTP protocol. Using SOAP, HTTP can also be used to invoke methods.

Create Corporate Memory

Corporate memory refers to how well the corporation as a whole learns from previous problems and the associated solutions. The creation of corporate memory will require documentation, storage, organization, and retrieval of these solutions so that any member of the corporation can share this knowledge and not have to "reinvent the wheel."

Ideally, a manager should be able to locate and access the correct information he or she needs to make business decisions within one minute-this is called the one-minute manager. It might not be possible to achieve this level of performance at the present time, but it should be the goal for the Windows DNA systems being designed today.

XML can be used to translate data into a standard format and move it through the corporation using the DNS. A standard format will allow a diverse range of information formats, from e-mail documents to database fields, to be treated as a single entity.

Eliminate Paper Forms

As you know, using paper forms rather than electronic media to store and analyze corporate information is inefficient. Electronic storage of corporate information allows that information to be searched efficiently and shared across the enterprise. In addition, using electronic data entry allows information to be packaged in XML format and transported inside and outside the enterprise. Ideally, any form should be able to be completed within about three minutes. This is called the "soft-boiled egg" rule.