Process- or workflow-based applications are making a comeback. They ease the concept of plug-and-play functionality by separating application logic into discrete individual components that can be replaced at deployment time by existing infrastructure logic. This type of approach allows us to develop software to the 80/20 rule. Using this rule, enough functionality can be provided out of the box to solve a specific problem (80%) without customization. Over time, the software can be enhanced and customized to leverage enterprise application data (20%) without modifying the overall business solution.

Componentization and logic segregation can be achieved by creating well-defined interfaces that are accessible as Web Services over HTTP. These interfaces can be expressed as XML documents using SOAP. The logic that defines how all these pieces fit together lives at the workflow layer, and the decision logic that specifies what components should be executed next is defined at this layer. This logic can be expressed in XML to allow it to be easily transported and executed on multiple heterogeneous machines.

Since I'm a Mavericks fan, let me try to make a correlation. First let's set the stage:

• The playoffs are equivalent to your deployment environment.
• The players are equivalent to your individual tasks in a workflow system. Each one knows his own personal shots, strengths, and weaknesses. Similarly, each task has been coded and designed to execute and perform a specific function.
• The point guard is responsible for ensuring that the ball is passed correctly to the appropriate player to make the shot count. Similarly, it's the responsibility of the workflow engine to access information from one task to another while evaluating its logic and making adequate decisions along the way.
• Last but not least, it's the coach's responsibility to define the plan that needs to be executed to win the game. This is similar to the correct definition of workflow templates that must be performed by the system.

Where does XML fit into the picture? XML is the language the players use to communicate, it's the passing of the ball, and it's the coach's plans of execution. Needless to say, XML is the energy that keeps the team going.

While this is good, what else does XML contribute to the party? Interoperability. Interoperability is a huge strength. Imagine going into the playoffs and realizing you're short one player. Now you need to acquire a skilled player (a task) to help you outperform your opponents (your competition). What do you do?

If XML is your language, you can use it to your advantage to encapsulate a specific service into a task definition, and leverage that task into your workflow system (or your game). Suddenly, your key business assets, information residing inside your enterprise systems, can be exposed as Web Services using XML and incorporated into your process-based applications. By leveraging information that exploits the strengths between you and your partners and doing this without modifying your business process, you can gain market share by personalizing your marketplace. That, my friends, is power!

Let's go one step further. Imagine your coaching staff is capable of analyzing the game and providing critical feedback that must be utilized in order for your team to win the game. This means an additional level of supporting data needs to be processed and fed into the relationship between the head coach, point guard, and players. This is similar to the type of information processing and aggregation that needs to happen between external systems in your supply chain and internal systems in your enterprise. To facilitate this conversation protocol between intranet and Internet services, we need to leverage XML protocols that support long-lived business transactions across enterprises. Protocols such as BizTalk, ebXML, and others, provide this capability.

As you can see, XML plays a major role in all the steps associated with integrating data to key applications, coordinating the business logic to orchestrate the various steps along the workflow, and providing the ubiquitous platform to standardize communications protocols between enterprise boundaries.

Let's go Mavericks; good luck in the playoffs!