XEngineServer WebService
Getting Started
Edifecs XEngine Server is one of the most widely-used run-time engines for validating and converting legacy file formats, such as EDI, HL7, HIPAA, and flat files, to and from XML.
Edifecs is pleased to announce that XEngine Server functionality is now available as a Web service. A Web service interface allows XEngine Server to be easily integrated into your Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) or Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) framework. Click on the following links to learn more about the XEngineServer WebService API or sign up to try the free client.
Frequently Asked Questions
In basic terms, a Web service is a software system that allows clients and servers to interface over a network. Frequently, Web services consist of Web APIs that are accessed on a network. Communication generally consists of XML messages that use the SOAP standard.
There is also a machine-readable description of the operations supported by the server in the Web Services Description Language (WSDL).
Web services can be used in the following ways:
- Remote procedure calls (RPC) - the basic unit of communication is the WSDL operation
- Service-oriented architecture (SOA) - the basic unit of communication is a message
- Representational state transfer (RESTful) - the basic unit of communication is an interaction with a stateful resource
There are a number of specifications that define Web services. They include:
- SOAP - an XML-based, extensible message envelope format with bindings to protocols such as HTTP and HTTPS
- WSDL - an XML format that provides the ability to describe service interfaces and their bindings to protocols
- UDDI - a protocol for publishing and discovering metadata about Web services, enabling applications to find Web services
The Web service is platform and programming-language independent.
Web services as part of E-Commerce?
The ultimate goal of Web services is to break a large system into smaller components so that the individual components can be re-used by other systems. New components can be made available as needed. For example, take a simple Web e-commerce system that performs the following steps:
The company wants to offer a monthly subscription to customers that will require the verification of customer credit. With the current infrastructure, the company will have to implement the credit card verification process in two places - first for the shopping basket scenario and second for the customer subscription.
If the e-commerce infrastructure used Web services, the implementation would look something like the picture below where the new offering uses the credit card verification process as a service.
When should I consider running XEngine Server as a Web service?
XEngine Server as a Web service is a good option if you are considering moving to ESB/SOA architecture or if you have many applications/departments that need access to XEngine Server-provided functionality.
What application servers does XEngineServer WebService support?
XEngineServer WebService can be used with any of the following application servers. The ones that Edifecs or our customers have verified are marked accordingly:
- Apache Tomcat 5 (Verified)
- BEA Weblogic 10.0 (Verified)
- IBM® WebSphere Application Server V6.1
- Oracle Fusion Middleware 10.x
- RedHat JBoss 4.0
- TIBCO BusinessWorks™
What XEngine Server functionality is provided with the XEngineServer WebService API?
All XEngine Server functionality is available via the Web services API including:
- Validation of all file types with extensive error reporting
- Acknowledgement creation
- Conversion to XML and from XML to Native
- Splitting of data files
- Enveloping of batched XML data files to Native
What are the prerequisites for using the XEngineServer WebService API?
To run the XEngineServer WebService inside your enterprise, you must have the following software:
- A Web Server such as Windows IIS, Apache, etc.
- An application server such as Apache Tomcat, RedHat JBoss, etc.
- A JMS Server such as Sun JMS, TIBCO EMS, etc.
- XEngine, XEngine Server, and SpecBuilder
Does the XEngineServer WebService support synchronous calls?
Yes, the XEngineServer WebService supports synchronous calls. This means that the Web service client can make a request using a SOAP message and the server will respond only when the request is finished processing. A synchronous request/response model is only recommended for small data files such as in real-time scenarios, as there is a risk the session may timeout if processing batch files. The following diagram depicts a synchronous call mechanism with the XEngineServer WebService API:
Does XEngineServer WebService support asynchronous calls?
Yes, the XEngineServer WebService supports asynchronous calls. This means that the Web service client can make a SOAP request and the server will give the client a token called TaskID. The client application can request the results from the server at a later time using the token (TaskID). The following diagram depicts the asynchronous call mechanism with the XEngineServer WebService API:
Does XEngineServer WebService support Web service callback?
Yes, the XEngineServer WebService supports callback. The callback mechanism is useful when you want the results from XEngine Server to be sent to another Web service. For example, you may have written a Web service to process the results of XEngine Server processing and either send them to a database or report them back via a user interface. By registering your Web service during the initial call, the XEngineServer WebService will send the results to the registered Web service. The following diagram depicts a callback mechanism with the XEngineServer WebService API.
Where can I find the WSDL file?
Right-click the following link to view and/or save the WSDL file:
XEngineServer WebService WSDL file - XESWebService.wsdl
Are there any sample client applications?
Yes. The following sample client applications, including source code, are provided with the XEngineServer WebService installation:
- .Net C# application
- Java application
- Web HTML application
Is there a way to try out the Web service without writing any code?
Yes. Please click here to request a free trial version of the web service. You will receive information on how you can log on to our trial web server and run a test data file using your web browser. The following data file types are supported in the trial version:
- HIPAA 837 Professional v4010A1
- X12 850 v4050
- EDIFACT ORDERS D95B
- SAP IDoc version 4.0B ORDERS01 (Purchasing-Sales)
Are there any sample data files I can run?
Yes. Listed below are sample data files that can be processed by the trial copy of XEngineServer WebService. To save the files on your local machine, right-click the file name.
What if I have more questions?
Please click here to request more information.
How can I get my own XEngineServer WebService?
Edifecs can provide you with an evaluation copy of XEngineServer WebService. To get a copy, please click here.
If I'm already an XEngine Server customer is XEngineServer WebService something extra I have to purchase?
No. If you are an existing XEngine Server customer you can get XEngineServer WebService as part of your regular maintenance at no additional cost. Please click here for more information on how to get access to XEngineServer WebService.  |
