Mark Colan (IBM): SOAP + UDDI + WSDL = Web Services

IBM's XML Evangelist, Mark Colan, emphasized the need for standards to exchange data between applications from different vendors. To this end, he discussed ebXML and Web Services. Colan presented a Gartner study that indicated that although XML had reached the so-called Peak of Disillusionment in 4Q99, Gartner predicted by 4Q01 it will reach the Plateau of Productivity. (And perhaps by then, we'll know who the next US president will be, too ;-)

Colan pointed us to a large number of case studies of companies using XML. He mentioned the IBM WebSphere software platform for e-business. IBM also developed SOAP4J, a Java implementation of SOAP 1.1, which has since been turned over to Apache to become Apache SOAP, and the new Web Services Toolkit, which supports Web Services Description Language (WSDL) and the Universal Discovery Description & Integration (UDDI). Colan mentioned something called UDDI4J, but as of this writing, the only reference I've been able to find is an article.

Colan suggested that although SOAP stands for Simple Object Access Protocol, which is what SOAP is, it could have been called Services Oriented Architecture Protocol, because that is what SOAP is for.

Web Services is a new model, essentially object-oriented programming for web-based objects. The April 2000 SOAP 1.1 specification was a step in this direction in that it described how to use XML formatted messages for requests and responses. UDDI is the piece of the puzzle that will enable businesses to find these services. Web Services Description Language (WSDL) is the XML vocabulary that will describe services and service providers. Therefore, for Colan:

Web Services = SOAP + UDDI + WSDL

IBM identifies several Business Patterns which describe the interaction between the participants in an eBusiness solution. The important business patterns are:

• User-to-Business
• User-to-Online Buying
• Business-to-Business
• User-to-Data
• User-to-User

IBM has a good section on Web Services and UDDI, including a UDDI Developer Resources page. In their Web Services Overview, IBM describes web services:

"Web services are Internet-based modular applications that perform a specific business task and conform to a specific technical format. A Web service can be anything from a restaurant review service to a real-time travel advisory to an entire airline ticket reservation process. The modular technical format ensures these self-contained business services (from the same or different companies) will mix and match easily to create a complete business process. Businesses can dynamically publish, discover and aggregate a range of Web services via the Internet; in this way, they can more easily and dynamically create innovative products, business processes, and value chains. Web services can be delivered to any customer device (cell phone, PDA, computer, etc.) and can be created or transformed from existing applications."

Colan made a few predictions of his own about XML in 2001 and beyond:

• like Java, there will be less talk about XML, just use it
• less general XML conferences (more focused ones)
• Web Services conference
• XML Query and XML Protocol will become big

Although Colan's presentation was not yet on his web site at the time of this writing (December 10, 2000), he indicated that it will be posted approximately Dec. 17th.

David Turner (Microsoft): SQL Server 2000 and XfA
What Happened at XML 2000?
Jon Bosak (Sun): Service APIs, UDDI, SOAP, and ebXML