Building B2B Applications with XML: A Resource Guide

XML,XML,XML everywhere.Also, there are tons of RE-written w3c XML specs.but this is different covering all practical subjects with some java codes.Make sure, if you are a novice at XML, get another introductory book(like inside XML) first.

When I got this book I already had quite a few XML books in my bookcase, all from Wiley, Addison Wesley, O'Reilly and yes, even Wrox... :-|Being an IBM Certified Developer on XML, I know my way around the topic and this book certainly qualifies as a great addition to my collection. With all the numerous XML books out there that keep covering the same material, this book with its excellent content on the more specialized XML standards for B2B certainly is refreshing. So even if you know XML very well, you can learn a lot in this book.Despite its average size the book covers a lot of topics, and the discussions are still very detailed while being concise and "to the point". There is little rambling here. The writing style is professional and interesting, and also include those personal insights that I appreciate in computer books. I like books by pros who use the stuff, not just write about it.If you're a manager, analyst or some other less-technical IT worker who wants to know a lot more about XML itself as well as its B2B uses, you'll love it. It is technical and you'll have to get your hands dirty a little, but you'll finally be up to speed on XML & B2B and understand what people are discussing around you. Not only will it provide you with the much needed knowledge on XML, Internet transports and security, you'll get a lot on the B2B angle and help you in identifying which technologies and standards you should consider for your business.Developers who know XML will have to expect some redundancy early in the book since there is a whole chapter on XML fundamentals. It can serve as a good recap, may cover some of the XML-related standards you might not know so well, but definitely paints a clear picture of how the whole range of XML stuff fits together in "El Photo Grande" (the big picture).Unless you're an Internet protocols and transports guru, you'll learn some very valuable low-level stuff here and be better positioned to understand the impact of your designs. The chapter on security - one of the most critical topics in B2B - is very well explained and is an excellent intro to the various concepts, but you'll need a dedicated security book to truly achieve the necessary level of expertise that is required in the implementation of a B2B project.Unfortunately, since the book introduces you to many topics and concepts but obviously cannot dig as deep as we'd always want (unless reading a 14-volume work), I would have expected the author to refer us to external resources and other books and he almost never does. There is also no bibliography so no help there either. With all the new concepts in there, a glossary would have been nice too, although there is a much welcome "Notes" section at the end with various references to terms and concepts found throughout the book. The companion website ...does offer references but they're mainly W3C sources (quite exhaustive though).The best value of the book comes in part II with coverage on the various fra