InformationWeek
Defining The Business Value Of Technology
December 20/27, 1999
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Extensible Markup Language
t's surprising how often very simple ideas dramatically change the way information technology works. Case in point: the Extensible Markup Language. The mechanics of XML couldn't be simpler: Use arbitrary tags to delineate structured data, particularly database records. XML uses the tags provided by the Standard Generalized Markup Language.Originally a mechanism to deliver data to Web browsers, the software industry has embraced XML as the de facto standard for exchanging data among nearly all data-driven systems. Relatively few Web applications to this point stream raw XML to browsers--not surprising, given how long it's taking users to upgrade to XML-ready browsers. But nearly all enterprise systems released in 1999--from database platforms to groupware--had an XML connector.
XML may prove to be the key enabling technology that lets users integrate applications throughout the enterprise. This may sharply boost demand for enterprise-application integration suites, as practically any system can coordinate its work through XML. But it could also hurt that class of applications, as the underlying systems are increasingly capable of exchanging data without the benefit of another layer of software.
As of 1999, XML joins the ranks of the key enabling open standards, such as the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol.
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