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Extensive usage of XML Standard

The eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is a set of rules (specifications) for structuring ASCII documents. XML uses tags in order to describe its content.

The benefits of using XML are derived from the characteristics of the XML as a standard.

• XML stands for EXtensible Markup Language
• XML is a markup language much like HTML
• XML was designed to describe data
• XML tags are not predefined. You define your own tags
• XML uses a Document Type Definition (DTD) or an XML Schema to describe the data format
• XML with a DTD or XML Schema is designed to be self-descriptive

In Business applications XML is used because it is:

• Portable: It is actually ASCII text, so it is platform-independent and light on storage.
• Standardized: It is supported and evolved by the W3C consortium and embraced by the IT industry.
• Flexible to change: The structure of an XML document is as easy to change - as simple as a text document.
• Controllable: The structure of an XML document abides to specific, user-defined, easily modifiable, rules.

Standard XML documents define the content of the data that they represent. In an XML document:

• All XML tags are user-defined.
• Each user-defined XML tag represents a specific piece of information or a group of related information.

XML also provides a set of pre-defined tags that can be used to define relationships among the data, allowing for “templates” of XML documents to be constructed. XML documents can be characterized as valid or invalid according to whether they abide to their corresponding “template” or not.

These two features of XML (user-defined tags and “templates”) play a very important part in the proposed solution. On one hand, user-defined tags allow users to add, remove or modify both the content and the naming of data. On the other, “templates” prohibit the onslaught brought on by uncontrolled and confusing changes.

As a result, if the bill is represented in XML, the users can very easily change the outline and the content thereof, add or remove information, change the meaning of information and change the relationships and dependencies of data.

At the same time, “templates” allow Operator to define a process of controlling, verifying and validating any potential modification to the bill. Thus, extensive flexibility is promoted, whilst the well-known steps of request-review-approval remain in place to ensure integrity and consistency.