Edmund Dejesus
What to Look For
If your industry already has a recognized online marketplace to partner
with, it's a good idea to follow its lead on tools and technologies.
Platform considerations are paramount because you don't want to make
massive hardware purchases to support EDI/XML interoperability. Your
goal should be to leverage your existing infrastructure investment.
"We're a Windows shop, so Microsoft's BizTalk server technology seemed
the ideal solution for our XML needs," says McKay. The low cost of
ownership and ease of use were also important to Aircast.
One alleged advantage of XML is its utility in any-to-any connectivity;
it can ensure that a given product will enable you to connect with
everyone you need to - or anticipate needing to. There are also
different dialects of EDI, and you want to make sure your chosen
technology handles them all.
"You don't want 20 different products," says Vicente Manalo, a senior
analyst at Aircast. "You want a single product that will talk to
everyone."
That said, different products may satisfy different requirements. For
example, you might use one component to do EDI mapping and another to
translate between XML and EDI. Another consideration here may be
integration with existing systems. Investigate whether your current EDI
vendor has a tool that simplifies certain tasks with its system before
trying to whittle a third-party tool to fit.
It's also advantageous to have data in XML format for supporting e-
commerce and portal sites. Pure translation products may be wonderful,
but if they can't take it to the Web, they may fall short of your
aspirations. If you're looking to do e-commmerce, especially delivering
content to Web browsers, make sure that your XML tool can go that extra
mile for you.
You clearly need to try before you buy. You can set up some trial
projects to get an idea of how -- or whether -- the product can help
you. You can also get an idea of how much integration effort will be
necessary if you proceed. For example, Aircast used a beta release of
BizTalk for six months.
Fastenal Co. in Winona, Minn., had several hoops that any XML
technology would have to jump through. A decade-long EDI user -- thanks
to the demands of its largest customer -- the industrial and
construction supplier knew that its existing system couldn't handle
XML. Still, Fastenal needed to accept XML transactions to deal with
portals and dot-coms. In addition, it wanted to unite its more than 600
branch locations with a common look and feel. And there was that pesky
back-end connection. "Seamless integration was of prime importance,"
says Eric Falls, e-business integration manager at Fastenal.
Luckily, Sterling Commerce Inc. in Dublin, Ohio, had the necessary back-
end connectivity and XML capability. Sterling Commerce is mostly known
for its traditional Gentran EDI products, but it also offers XML
connectivity through some key partners.
This illustrates an important point. Fastenal could have chosen an
EDI/XML product and done the heavy lifting of integration from scratch.
But by researching its needs more fully, the company was able to frame
a better system for its situation. And by carefully investigating
vendors, Fastenal discovered a technology set that would meet its needs
far better and more simply than a homegrown solution.
Similarly, SupplySolution had a number of priorities for any XML
technology. "We operate as a pure [application service provider], so we
needed a technology that would support that commitment," says Stephen
Bell, chairman and founder of SupplySolution. In addition, since the
company tries to smooth transactions for a variety of clients, it
needed technology with a variety of maps ready for use. Peregrine
Systems Inc. in San Diego filled the bill on these and other counts.
Next Week: Seek Outside Help
