Mobile XML puts the enterprise in your pocket
The green light for development of applications for the mobile information
society has been signaled with the introduction of Nokia’s WAP-based mobile
telephone. These include mobile office solutions for wireless Internets and intranets, as
well as interactive systems that enable electronic business transactions to be carried out
from anywhere and at any time. Software AG, in cooperation with its partners Nokia,
Mannesmann and LinkedWith, is already prepared with technologies and solutions that
connect the enterprise to this major new market.
The list of possible WAP-based services that consumers and businesses would
profit from is virtually limitless (see box, Typical scenarios for wireless applications).
With a forecasted worldwide installation of over 500 million WAP-enabled mobile phones by
2003, demand for such services is already forcing enterprises to consider how back-end
systems can be adapted to support such services without major investments in
infrastructure or manpower. Europe, with its common standard for wireless communications,
is leading innovation in this segment.
The basis for enabling solutions to be accessed by mobile phones is the Wireless
Application Protocol (WAP), a standard of communication used between wireless devices and
the Internet. Part of WAP is the Wireless Markup Language (WML), a language based on the
Extensible Markup Language (XML) that allows the text to be presented on mobile devices
such as phones and personal digital assistants.
WAP integration: e-business via mobile phone
Software AG and Nokia Corporation are cooperating on the development and marketing of
WAP solutions. Using Software AG’s integration middleware EntireX, enterprises can
extend Nokia’s WAP-Server-based solutions to initiate business transactions and
access enterprise data via mobile phone. EntireX delivers the crucial link that connects
Nokia’s WAP server with existing applications, for example those already used by
banks, insurance companies, or airlines.
The new, jointly developed software solutions can already be demonstrated. They are
currently being tested and will be released to the market this year as an additional
feature to Software AG’s product EntireX.
WAP/WML content management solution
As the importance of WAP as an information channel grows, enterprises will require
solutions that deliver information to mobile device users without duplicating the effort
for other media, for example Internet, CDs, printed matter, etc. Content management
solutions based on XML have the biggest advantage here because they enable conversion to
virtually any media or format.
With partners D2 Mannesmann, Nokia and LinkedWith, Software AG has developed a generic
XML-based content management solution for any WAP phone. As XML repository, the Tamino/WAP
gateway, as it is called, relies on Software AG’s XML Information Server Tamino. The
major advantage of the Tamino/WAP gateway compared to other solutions is its ability to
serve any mobile device regardless of manufacturer. The solution was first demonstrated on
the Nokia 7110 at the German trade fair Systems 99 in October.
Tamino, Software AG’s XML-based information server, acts as an XML information
broker for the enterprise, either by itself storing data in native XML or by referencing
XML data located in other data stores. By using XML style sheets, this XML information can
be generated into a variety of target formats, including HTML for Internet Web sites or
WML for wireless devices (for more information, see "XML: Grease for the wheels of
electronic business" in this issue).
The Tamino/WAP gateway provides a complete solution for creating WAP applications, with
the power of an XML-based information server on the back-end. The WAP gateway can be
installed on a Web server where it can coexist with normal Web applications.
The most significant advantage of the Tamino WAP gateway when compared to other content
management systems is the clear separation of content from form. This modularity ensures
easy maintainability and long life, because changes to the WAP specification require
update only to the WAP-specific components (WAP objects); the business logic remains
unchanged (see figure).
The following scenario describes how the Tamino WAP gateway processes requests from
wireless devices:
- The wireless device sends a URL to a mobile communications provider, which transfers the
request to the actual Internet URL.
- The WAP server receives the request and passes it on to the Tamino/WAP gateway. Service
objects authorize the request and manage the session. The application requested by the
mobile phone users is contained in the business logic. This logic is made up of rule sets
stored in XML format in Tamino. The logic creates the XML response, blending, for example,
text and numerical data from Tamino and any other data stores it references. If called
for, plug-in applications, including Software AG’s Bolero application factory, can
also be accessed.
- The response is converted from XML to WML format by WAP objects, which ensure that
information is tailored to the target mobile device. WAP objects contain the latest
version of the WAP standards for WML conversion, plus specifications for each mobile
device, including how the information should be displayed on the mobile phone display,
navigation, and personalization.
- The WML response is transferred to the Web server, compiled into binary form and sent to
the wireless device for display.
Because the Tamino WAP gateway is a pure Java application, it runs on all platforms for
which a Java Virtual Machine exists.
The Tamino/WAP gateway solution is currently available in Germany, but international
interested is already brewing. International availability is planned.
Typical scenarios for wireless applications
Mobile-office systems for enterprises:
- Delivery tracking and planning for logistics companies;
- Round-the-clock administration of appointments, calendars, e-mail and central address
files;
- Applications for travelling sales and service employees.
Public information systems:
- Transportation schedules and expected times of arrival for airlines, trains etc.
- Brokerage and news services from publishers and other content providers;
- Restaurant and event listings.
Wireless transaction systems:
- Online banking;
- Online shops and auctions;
- Booking of flights, trains, hotels, events.
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