Using XML with Legacy Business Applications

Why XSLT Is Important

Let me make my opinion perfectly clear. I've been working on standardizing XML-based languages for electronic commerce for five years. After enduring countless conference calls, endless committee meetings, a few major initiatives that have yet to yield any fruit, and a few death marches, I've come to the conclusion that there isn't going to be a single standard XML-based language for common business documents. (Note that I'm using the singular “language” in the broad sense, as opposed to the more precise but technically focused use of the “language” of a specific type of document.)

Why am I so pessimistic? There are several reasons, but let me mention just a few of the most important. People categorize and name things in ...