IDL-XML based information sharing model for enterprise integration

CJM is a mechanized approach to problem solving in an enterprise. Its basis is intercommunication between information systems, in order to provide faster and more effective decision making process. These results help minimize human error, improve overall productivity and guarantee customer satisfaction. Most enterprises or corporations started implementing integration by adopting automated solutions in a particular process, department, or area, in isolation from the rest of the physical or intelligent process resulting in the incapability for systems and equipment to share information with each other and with other computer systems. The goal in a manufacturing environment is to have a set of systems that will interact seamlessly with each other within a heterogeneous object framework overcoming the many barriers (language, platforms, and even physical location) that do not grant information sharing. This study identifies the data needs of several information systems of a corporation and proposes a conceptual model to improve the information sharing process and thus Computer Integrated Manufacturing. The architecture proposed in this work provides a methodology for data storage, data retrieval, and data processing in order to provide integration at the enterprise level. There are four layers of interaction in the proposed IXA architecture. The name TXA (DDL - XML Architecture for Enterprise Integration) is derived from the standards and technologies used to define the layers and corresponding functions of each layer. The first layer addresses the systems and applications responsible for data manipulation. The second layer provides the interface definitions to facilitate the interaction between the applications on the first layer. The third layer is where data would be structured using XML to be stored and the fourth layer is a central repository and its database management system

Code generator for integrating warehouse XML data sources.

XML---the extensible Markup Language, has been recognized as the standard for data representation and exchange on the world wide web. Vast amounts of XML data are available on the web. Since the information on the web is stored on separate web pages, it is very hard to combine pieces of information for decision support purposes. Data warehouse data integration provides a solution for integrating the different XML source data into a unique format with meaningful information for decision support systems. A data warehouse is a large integrated database organized around major subjects of an enterprise for the purpose of decision support querying. Many enterprises are creating their own data warehouse systems from scratch in different varying formats, making the issue of building a more efficient, more reliable, cost-effective and easy-to-use data warehouse system important. Building a code generator for creating a program that automatically integrates XML data sources into a target data warehouse is one solution. There is little research showing the use of the newest XML techniques in code generator for data warehouse XML data integration. This thesis proposes a Warehouse Integrator code generator for XML (WIG4X), which integrates XML data sources into a target data warehouse by first generating Java programs for data extracting, cleaning and loading XML data into the data warehouse. WIG4X system also generates the programs for creating XML views from the data warehouse. XML schema mapping strategy is employed for structural integration of each XML data source to data warehouse using a first order logic-like-language similar to that used in INFOMASTER. The content integration is handled through XML data extraction, conversion constraints, data cleaning and data loading. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2001 .L57. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 40-06, page: 1549. Adviser: Christie Ezeife. Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2002

Modeling and Representation of Geometric Tolerances Information in Integrated Measurement Processes

Modeling and representation of geometric tolerances information across an enterprise is viable due to the advances in Internet technologies and increasing integration requirements from industry. In Integrated Measurement Processes (IMP), geometric tolerances data model must support different models from several well-defined standards: including ASME Y14.5M-1994, STEP, DMIS, and others. In this paper, we propose a layered conformance level geometric tolerances representation model. This model uses the widely applied ASME Y14.5M-1994 as its foundation layer by abstracting most information from this standard. The additional geometric tolerances information defined by DMIS and STEP is incorporated into this model to form corresponding conformance layers that support IMP. Thus, different application domains in an enterprise can use this data model to exchange product information. This model is further transformed with XML Schema that can be used to generate XML instance file to satisfy geometric tolerances representation requirements in IMP

Confidentiality of XML documents by pool encryption

The eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is a widely adopted format for documents containing structured information. Structured information contains both the content (words, images etc.) and the ‘markup’ which indicates the role of the content, e.g. ‘section’ or ‘price’. XML is the foundation for a huge variety of existing and emerging applications, including user applications like vector imaging formats, web pages, enterprise application integration, database interfaces or network protocols. Parallel to the increasing use of XML, the level of security provisions for these XML based systems rises. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) addressed these issues by creating the “XML Signature Syntax and Processing” and “XML Encryption Syntax and Processing” recommendations. These standards define authentication, integrity and confidentiality mechanisms for XML documents. The XML Signature recommendation defines a method for digitally signing arbitrary portions (nodes) of an XML document. XML Signature can sign both tree structures and arbitrary sets of nodes of an XML document. The XML Encryption recommendation specifies a method for encrypting tree structures in an XML document. The XML Encryption recommendation is constrained to protect full tree structures, i.e. there is no mechanism to protect the confidentiality of a single node in a document without affecting the descendants of that node. The access control community transformed access control models originating in database systems to be available for XML based databases. These access control systems offer fine-grained access control enforcement on the node level, similar to the node level integrity protection of XML Signature. For example, XML Access Control systems can restrict the read access to a particular node in an XML tree while allowing access to its child nodes. This thesis is focused on the development of a cryptography based system which can protect the confidentiality of arbitrary nodes in an XML tree. This goal is reached by combining a tree addressing scheme of databases with cryptographic mechanisms. This system is called “XML Pool Encryption”. To verify the results of this thesis, XML Pool Encryption has been implemented using the Java programming language.Die eXtensible Markup Language (XML) ist ein weit verbreitetes Format für Dokumente, die strukturierte Information enthalten. Strukturierte Information umfasst sowohl den eigentlichen Inhalt (z.B. Wörter, Bilder, etc.) sowie Auszeichnungsinformation, um die Rolle der Inhalte zu umschreiben, z.B. “Überschrift” oder “Preis”. XML bildet die Grundlage für eine große Anzahl existierender und im Entstehen begriffener Anwendungen, wie z.B. Vektorgrafik-Formate, Web Seiten, Enterprise Application Integration Systeme, Datenbank Schnittstellen oder Netzwerkprotokolle. Parallel zur steigenden Verbreitung von XML werden immer mehr Vorkehrungen zum Schutz der auf XML basierenden Systeme notwendig. Das World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) hat sich dieser Notwendigkeit angenommen, indem die “XML Signature Syntax and Processing” und die “XML Encryption Syntax and Processing” Empfehlungen verabschiedet wurden. Diese Standards definieren Mechanismen für Authentisierung, Integrität und Vertraulichkeit von XML Dokumenten. Die XML Signature Recommendation definiert einen Mechanismus, um beliebige Teile eines XML Dokumentes (Nodes) digital zu signieren. XML Signature kann sowohl Baumstrukturen als auch beliebig geformte Knotenmengen eines XML Baumes schützen. Die XML Encryption Recommendation definiert einen Mechanismus für das Verschlüsseln von Baumstrukturen innerhalb eines XML Dokumentes. W3C XML Encryption ist hierbei auf die Verschlüsselung kompletter Baumstrukturen beschränkt, d.h. es existiert keine Möglichkeit, die Vertraulichkeit für einzelne Knoten im Dokument zu gewährleisten, ohne dass die Kinder dieser Knoten ebenfalls geschützt werden. Für die Zugriffskontrolle von XML basierten Daten wurden Zugriffsschutzmodelle aus dem Datenbankbereich überarbeitet. Diese Systeme bieten die Durchsetzung fein granularer Zugriffskontrolle auf Knotenebene, ähnlich dem Integritätsschutz beliebiger Knoten bei XML Signature. So ist es beispielsweise möglich, den Lesezugriff auf einen Knoten zu verweigern, während die Kinder dieses Knotens weiterhin lesbar bleiben. Im Mittelpunkt dieser Arbeit steht die Entwicklung eines auf kryptografischen Verfahren basierenden Systems, welches die Vertraulichkeit für beliebige Knoten eines XML Baumes gewährleistet. Dieses Ziel wurde durch die Kombination eines Schemas für die Adressierung von Baumstrukturen mit kryptografischen Verfahren erreicht. Dieses System wird “XML Pool Encryption” genannt. Zur Überprüfung der Resultate dieser Arbeit wurde XML Pool Encryption in Java implementiert

Self Maintenance of Materialized XQuery Views via Query Containment and Re-Writing

In recent years XML, the eXtensible Markup Language has become the de-facto standard for publishing and exchanging information on the web and in enterprise data integration systems. Materialized views are often used in information integration systems to present a unified schema for efficient querying of distributed and possibly heterogenous data sources. On similar lines, ACE-XQ, an XQuery based semantic caching system shows the significant performance gains achieved by caching query results (as materialized views) and using these materialized views along with query containment techniques for answering future queries over distributed XML data sources. To keep data in these materialized views of ACE-XQ up-to-date, the view must be maintained i.e. whenever the base data changes, the corresponding cached data in the materialized view must also be updated. This thesis builds on the query containment ideas of ACE-XQ and proposes an efficient approach for self-maintenance of materialized views. Our experimental results illustrate the significant performance improvement achieved by this strategy over view re-computation for a variety of situations

Linking design and manufacturing domains via web-based and enterprise integration technologies

The manufacturing industry faces many challenges such as reducing time-to-market and cutting costs. In order to meet these increasing demands, effective methods are need to support the early product development stages by bridging the gap of communicating early design ideas and the evaluation of manufacturing performance. This paper introduces methods of linking design and manufacturing domains using disparate technologies. The combined technologies include knowledge management supporting for product lifecycle management (PLM) systems, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, aggregate process planning systems, workflow management and data exchange formats. A case study has been used to demonstrate the use of these technologies, illustrated by adding manufacturing knowledge to generate alternative early process plan which are in turn used by an ERP system to obtain and optimise a rough-cut capacity plan

Planning and Design Soa Architecture Blueprint

Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a framework for integrating business processes and supporting IT infrastructure as secure, standardized components-services-that can be reused and combined to address changing business priorities. Services are the building blocks of SOA and new applications can be constructed through consuming these services and orchestrating services within a business process. In SOA, services map to the business functions that are identified during business process analysis. Upon a successful implementation of SOA, the enterprise gain benefit by reducing development time, utilizing flexible and responsive application structure, and following dynamic connectivity of application logics between business partners. This paper presents SOA reference architecture blueprint as the building blocks of SOA which is services, service components and flows that together support enterprise business processes and the business goals

Using ERP as a basis for Enterprise application integration

Architecting and implementing e-Business supply chain solutions across and within the modern day enterprise, is now becoming a necessity in order to maintain competitive and be adaptable to market needs. As such, the integration of information and processes is a vital step, using technologies such as using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and enterprise portal platforms. The effective sharing of resource planning and other enterprise related data across and within the enterprise is typically seen as a facet of a business to business (B2B) platform. However, such infrastructures typically involve a tight integration across intra and inter-organisational systems. This paper examines an Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) initiative taken by a global manufacturer of industrial automation products, which attempted to utilise ERP as an integration tool across its internal B2B infrastructure, to achieve such an aim. This paper discusses those integration considerations and complexities, experienced by the case company upon embarking on an EAI integration programme through the adoption of a core ERP as a catalyst for organizational change. In doing so the authors present an analysis of the inherent risks and limitations of this approach in terms of previously published literature in the field, relating to technology-driven organizational change and EAI impact and adoption frameworks