Extensible Markup Language (XML) is the cornerstone technology of the Onyx data-driven Internet architecture. All tiers of the architecture leverage XML for tasks ranging from:

• Dynamic generation of user interface pages
• Application Programming Interface (API) to application server
• Inter-process communication between application server components
• Dynamic SQL generation for data access
• Flexible data exchange for application integration

XML Customization and Integration Framework
Embedded in Onyx Internet Architecture is a data-driven customization and integration framework. The customization and integration framework is exposed via an XML API that provides access to data, workflow, and business process integration.

Combining XML meta data and intelligent caching services, Onyx provides component-based customizations that are highly flexible and can be upgraded seamlessly without compromising performance and scalability in a distributed business environment.

Onyx software empowers organizations to seamlessly integrate to legacy systems, both within the organization or externally, through the XML Integration Framework. The framework supports a broad range of real time and batch integration approaches including peer-to-peer, integration and Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) through middleware such as Microsoft BizTalk, IBM MQ Series, SeeBeyond and Scribe.

The Onyx architecture is not just compatible with XML - XML is used natively for all data management. Therefore all communication to and from the application server is in XML, and all inter-process communication is done via XML. This approach ensures that all applications built on the platform are flexible enough to be customized, extended and mapped to any specific business process. This is important since the alternative approach of creating a feature set and predefined 'hooks' for customization invariably results in applications failing to meet complex customization requirements.

Dispatch Object Model
Onyx software uses a unique Dispatch Object Model. The Onyx Transaction Manager is the dispatch engine which queries The Onyx Enterprise Dictionary (the metadata repository) to determine the series of standard and custom steps to execute for any given business transaction. This model provides the abstraction layer necessary for true flexibility and eliminates the need to modify or replace source code to change workflow, extend the logical object model or change the physical schema.

With native XML integration, extensibility, rich customization, and access via a thin-client CRM portal suite, the Onyx architecture gives the largest, most complex organizations the agility they need to respond quickly to emerging business opportunities.

XML API and Comprehensive Web Services for Universal Access All capabilities of the Onyx application suite are accessible through the Onyx XML API, such that another enterprise systems or a custom application user interface can easily execute any single or group of business transactions. The XML API is exposed as Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)-based Web Services, which are accessed over HTTP or HTTPS, and therefore support interoperability in heterogeneous environments.

Scalability

XML integration framework