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SOAP/AM and XML Thunder: What's the difference?

  

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More than once, users have asked me these two interesting questions about our software products SOAP/AM and XML Thunder. I hope that this blog will help answer these questions:

“Can I use SOAP/AM to do XML Parsing?”

SOAP/AM Server is used for exposing Pathway Server as Web Services. That means external application such as .NET or Java can interface to those Pathway Servers easily by invoking them as Web Services.

SOAP/AM provides all the key components of the web service architecture outlined below.

In the web service architecture, the SOAP and web service request/responses are in XML format. SOAP/AM has a built-in XML parser specifically to handle them, converting them between XML and the Pathway internal format. This parser is not designed to be used externally, e.g. by a COBOL program that needs to handle XML documents.

So the answer is: No.  You don't use SOAP/AM to parse XML documents. Instead, you would use XML Thunder for that purpose.

“Can I use XML Thunder for SOAP applications?”

XML Thunder facilitates application development for handling XML documents by automatically creating XML generation and parsing code that are callable. XML Thunder supports COBOL and C code for NonStop, Windows, Unisys and IBM.

Yes, XML Thunder can generate and handle the SOAP XML message format. However…when people talk about “SOAP applications,” they actually mean “Web Services SOAP application”, not just the SOAP messages. If that is the case, XML Thunder does not have the required HTTP Transport that’s required for Web Services.

If you need Web Service support for NonStop, SOAP/AM is the right product for you.

Summary

1. If you need web service on NonStop, SOAP/AM is the answer.
2. If you want your NonStop COBOL or C programs to handle XML documents , XML Thunder can do all that for you.
3. And if you are exchanging XML documents using Web Service, then you would want to use BOTH SOAP/AM and XML Thunder.

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	Phil Ly is the president and founder of TIC Software, a New York-based company specializing in software and services that integrate NonStop with the latest technologies, including Web Services, .NET and Java. Prior to founding TIC in 1983, Phil worked for Tandem Computer in technical support and software development.