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November 8, 1999

Who's No. 1 At Driving Innovation?

By Charles Waltner

hen discussing any technology in the computing industry, especially one significant enough to be considered an industry standard, the discussion inevitably turns to one question: What is Microsoft's position?

Microsoft's position concerning XML is a conciliatory one, at least on paper. Microsoft has said it will follow the basic standards and specifications for XML established by the World Wide Web Consortium. However, Microsoft has a habit of exploiting nascent, open computing standards to advance its own technology and products. For example, Microsoft Open Database Connectivity technology was the result of work started by a consortium of database vendors but refined by Microsoft for its own use.

In that same vein, earlier this year, Microsoft launched its BizTalk Framework initiative, which Microsoft says is intended to speed development of XML technology and make it easier for companies to execute application integration.

But what is BizTalk? The answer: It's several things--and that has led to confusion in the industry about what Microsoft is doing with XML.

Officially, according to the BizTalk Web site (www.biztalk.org), BizTalk is an industry initiative started by Microsoft and supported by a wide range of organizations, including large companies such as Boeing and leading vendors such as SAP. The core of the technology is the BizTalk Framework, a set of guidelines that outlines how to create schemas in XML BizTalk format and how to use XML messages to integrate software programs to build new systems. The site includes a library of XML BizTalk Framework schemas submitted by independent parties, which other companies can download to use in applications. BizTalk also refers to server products from Microsoft for carrying out BizTalk-compliant XML data transfers.

Microsoft is keenly aware of the advantages offered by XML. Chris Olson, group product manager in the enterprise interoperability group at Microsoft, says all of the company's relevant products will support XML. "I haven't seen any big downside to XML," Olsen says. "Basically, XML makes EDI-type transfers much easier."

While Microsoft is on the record as supporting efforts by neutral parties such as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and Oasis, Laura Walker, executive director of Oasis, a nonprofit consortium in Boston that's working on product-independent data exchange, doesn't see Microsoft's efforts as impartial. She doesn't think BizTalk is helpful in unifying industry XML standards, since BizTalk biases XML development to Microsoft products. "I question the need for the Microsoft framework because XML provides the framework for development," Walker says.

Most analysts don't feel Microsoft's BizTalk efforts are a threat to XML's ability to operate as an open standard. Kimberly Knickle, a senior analyst with AMR Research, says Microsoft doesn't show any interest in creating standards; instead, it wants to be able to support the leading industry vocabularies and schemas.

Fadi Chehade, CEO of RosettaNet, a consortium that has developed an XML specification for IT supply-chain industry, characterizes Microsoft's BizTalk efforts as working in the "grammar area" of XML specifications. Chehade defines XML grammar as the areas of the specifications that define the way two companies exchange XML messages, such as how two XML servers talk to each other regarding transmission protocols and security. Chehade says some of these issues aren't addressed specifically by the XML standards from the W3C.

Certainly, Microsoft isn't the only company trying to influence the way companies execute XML messages. Most industry groups, such as RosettaNet, address issues similar to those covered by BizTalk. And there are other vendors, such as Ariba Inc., trying to sway companies to use their approach to XML data exchange.

On balance, the BizTalk Framework doesn't seem to be fractionalizing the industry, as vendors and industry organizations are able to support multiple XML data transfer methods with relative ease. For example, Web Methods Inc. says its business-to-business product suite for E-commerce integration using XML supports initiatives by a half-dozen or more groups. Also, industry consortiums, such as the HR-XML group that's developing XML vocabulary for the human resources industry, are planning to make specifications compatible with Microsoft's BizTalk and other major formats.

Chehade says Rosetta Net has had discussions with Microsoft to achieve consensus on XML exchange methods. Chehade says his group supports some elements of the BizTalk Framework. But ultimately, the marketplace will have to work out the differences among all parties interested in influencing XML's development. Says Chehade: "The W3C can't standardize everything about XML."

return to main story, "IT Executives Praise XML And Pine For A Standard"

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