[DFDL-WG] Comparison of DFDL and Biztalk 2009.

[Alan Powell]

I have taken a brief look at Biztalk to get some idea if DFDL V1 is 
capable of supporting the same formats.

I have more details but to avoid containing developers I will only post a 
summary here.

Biztalk is an XML based integration suite but has 2 non-XML assemblers/ 
disassemblers for non-XML data: Flat File and EDI. The purpose of these is 
to transform from non-XML formats to and from XML as data enters/leaves 
the system. All data within the system is XML.

So far I have only look at the Flat File assembler. The EDI assembler 
seems to be Covast.

Summary:

·       A file is defined by an optional header schema, a body schema and 
an optional trailer schema.
·       Schema consists of root node(s), records (complex element), field 
elements and field attributes. 
But underlying schema contains complex types, sequences, etc.
·       Flat File properties are annotations and are allowed on schema, 
elements and attributes.
·       Some properties set at schema level codepage, lengthUnits 'bytes' 
(usually characters)
·       Defaults set on schema. Local properties have value or 'use 
default'

·       Flat files are always text 
·       The children of a record  can all be fixed length or delimited
·       prefix, infix, postfix Child delimiter, Suppress Trailing 
Delimiters, Preserve Delimiter For Empty Data
·       Repeating Delimiter
·       Records can have Tags (initiators) but not terminators.
· 
·       No restrictions on logical types. (inc gday, gtime, etc).
·       Only dates/times have a formatting pattern. Other types seem to 
have a default representation.
·       Alignment, padding, minLength
·       Escape character, Wrap block (escape block), Restricted Characters
·       Convert all fields to upper/lower case or leave asis
 

The DFDL deficiencies seem to be
Lack of support of attributes.
Limited set of logical types.
Upper/lower case conversion

I have only investigated the flat file specific properties as these should 
be the representation properties. There are other XML properties, such as 
restricting to parse only, that may apply.

Regards

 
Alan Powell
 
Development - MQSeries, Message Broker, ESB
IBM Software Group, Application and Integration Middleware Software
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