Why smbXML
matters
home
for the VB developer, XML
developer, and accountant:
| 05/17/2000 | SMBXML schema for accounting | alt.accounting | Todd Boyle |
| 05/15/2000 | SMBXML schema for accounting | comp.lang.basic.visual | toddboyle |
| 05/14/2000 | SMBXML - Small & Midsized Bu | comp.text.xml | Todd Boyle |
Overview
SMBXML version 1 is found at www.smbxml.org. It consists of two DTDs (doc. type
definitions which dictate what can be put into the XML file.)
The first DTD (smbObjects_1_00.dtd) you might regard as "Actions" or "Control messages".
Its structures include a Heading in which you must indicate whether this is
a request or response, and who the parties in this XML conversation. Then
you can enclose instructions to Add, Delete, Modify, Reconcile, Replace etc.
The second DTD contains the definitions of all the fields inside every
type of record handled by the NetLedger accounting system, i.e.
Account Delete PurchaseOrder
Ack Deposit Reconcile
Add DepositItem Request
Bill DiscountItem ResaleNonInventoryItem
BillReference Employee ResaleOtherCharge
CashSale Error ResaleServiceItem
CashSaleReference ExpenseCategory Response
Check ExpenseItem Retry
Class ExpenseReport SalesTaxItem
CreditCardPurchase From ServiceItem
CreditMemo Head ShipMethod
CreditMemoReference InventoryItem SignUp
Customer JournalEntry SMBXML
CustomerEstimate JournalItem Terms
CustomerInvoice LastModifiedQuery TimeTracking
CustomerInvoiceItem LastModifiedResponse TimeTrackReference
CustomerInvoiceReference ListQuery To
CustomerJob ListResponse TranExpense
CustomerMsg Mod TranExpReference
CustomerPayment Modify TranItemReference
CustomerPaymentReference NonInventoryItem TransactionQuery
CustomerRefund OtherChargeItem TransactionResponse
CustomerRefundReference OtherName Transfer
CustomerType PaymentItem Vendor
PurchaseItem VendorCredit
In other words you have a complete XML programmatic interface to everything
that is possible to perform thru the manual user interface.
| Subject: | XML schema for small business accounting |
| Date: | 05/15/2000 alt.accounting |
| Author: | Todd Boyle <tboyle@NoSMAProsehill.net> |
| NetLedger has released a whole new set of XML
schemas for A2A (application to application) integration and ecommerce,
over the internet. It is called smbXML, Small and Midsized
Business XML. See them at http://www.smbxml.org You're not gonna believe this, but NetLedger has apparently built XML interfaces. These new interfaces will allow users to send and receive every kind of transaction that can exist in NetLedger, to their accounting system on the server. This includes the usual purchase order, invoice, bill payment, etc. simpler than Ariba cXML, Commerce One xCBL, BASDA, etc. but it also has many more including the general journal, as well as methods to invoke all kinds of edits and updates on lists and transactions. This is huge. They say they're going to stream these XML over HTTP or middleware with their partners *and users*. In other words you will be able to click into an upload or download screen and send an unlimited number of rows of transactions in a single transmission. This will be later in 2000. There isn't any other General Ledger or general accounting provider besides NetLedger that has anything resembling open XML interfaces. Not for $5/month or $500/month. Nobody. No Desktop vendors on Drive C: and no Client/Server vendors on the LAN. This is priceless, for other internet BSP (business service providers) who are best of breed in their category but don't have a completely integrated general ledger solution. Here read this http://forum.aspnews.com/general/keynotes/TB0002.htm Here are the best component BSPs I have been able to find: http://www.gldialtone.com/links.htm#bsps SMBXML is going to be valuable for users. We can choose best of breed providers other than NetLedger for billing, payroll, web storefront, timesheet, and fifty other things and NetLedger will still be happy to maintain your general ledger. How refreshing! And what a contrast from all the rest of the accounting software industry which tries to lock in their customers, block out other vendors' addons, etc. When you conduct business on the other BSPs websites it will be submitted to your accounting system for review and posting. No more duplicate work. The NetLedger would provide the Ar, AP, and other types of accounting back end services and let the BEST OF BREED be good at what they are good at! This is also of immediate importance to every user who has been worried about getting their data *into* NetLedger, or *out* of NetLedger for backup, or in case they change to a different platform. You can literally download every bit of data to the worlds most open and portable data language, XML. For those of you who have been studying the emergence of webledgers on the internet, there have always been a number of concerns.
Approximately 98% of these problems are going to sort themselves out, for any webledger vendor who adopts a posture of open interfaces. Any problem not solved by the vendor themselves is going to be solved pretty quickly by 3rd party services. Here are some counts:
114 occurrences of <!ENTITY % |
| Subject: | SMBXML schema for accounting platform |
| Date: | 05/15/2000 comp.lang.basic.visual.misc |
| Author: | toddboyle <tboyle@NoSMAProsehill.net> |
| NetLedger.com is an accounting system that runs over
the internet. Maybe some of you developers will find this interesting.
NetLedger is releasing a whole new set of XML schemas for A2A
(application to application) integration and ecommerce, over the
internet. It is called smbXML, XML for small /midsized
Businesses. Look at their release at http://www.smbxml.org This is a reasonably complete set of schemas for interfacing between the modules of low-end accounting and business systems. This includes the usual purchase order, invoice, bill payment, etc. similar to Ariba cXML, Commerce One xCBL, BASDA, etc. but it also has many more including the general journal, as well as methods to invoke all kinds of edits and updates on lists and transactions. wheee! For example, <!-- Create Journal Entry. Basic General Journal Entry NOTE: All Journal Entries must balance. --> <Add req_id="T22" external_id="JE9912-54"> <JournalEntry date="12/31/1999" tran_id="1001"> <JournalItem account="6352 Payroll:Fees" entry_type="debit" amount="18.50" memo="12/31 P/R" line_num="1"/> <JournalItem account="6354 Payroll:Salary/Wages" entry_type="debit" amount="648.00" memo="12/31 P/R" line_num="2"/> <JournalItem account="6356 Payroll:Taxes" entry_type="debit" amount="80.70" memo="12/31 P/R" line_num="3"/> <JournalItem account="1000 Checking--Central Internet Bank" entry_type="credit" amount="747.20" memo="12/31 P/R" line_num="4"/> </JournalEntry> </Add> You're not going to believe this, but NetLedger has actually built these XML interfaces. (Their service costs $5/month) These new interfaces will allow users to send and receive every kind of transaction that exists in their accounting system to/from the server. I have been predicting that they would be the first webledger with open interfaces. They say they're going to stream these XML over HTTP or middleware with their partners *and users*. In other words you will be able to click into an upload or download screen and send an unlimited number of rows of transactions in a single transmission. There isn't any other General Ledger or general accounting provider besides NetLedger that has anything resembling this open XML interface, not for $5/month or $500/month. This is priceless, for all of the internet BSP (business service provider) who doesn't have a complete integrated solution. It enables any collection of BSPs to form up and integrate with each other and with a General Ledger back end. VB developers, Delphi, perl jockeys, Foxpro, will find the webledger architecture quite compelling once you take a look at it. I've been reporting on this for several years an maintain an info website on webledger http://www.gldialtone.com What this lets you do is compete right along side the biggest vendors on earth, with your own little peashooter application simply by creating it as a module of the webledger. Let's say your VB program generates sales of some kind. If you push Accounts Receivable up to the webledger, they can be billed and collected electronically, and maintained in an integrated ledger with the rest of the company's receivables and sales. this is a level playing field folks. You can query the Webledger for customer list. You have a customer and vendor list in the sky. Or, you can maintain the master customer list and make NetLedger the slave. It's all up to you, and the platform vendor isn't going to break your software, or pull some lock-in trick. Device people, WAP developers, cash register vendors, are going to have a field day with this. You can shoot XML transactions all day long or upload them in a batch at end of day. Small business users will be able to choose best of breed providers for their particular needs, for billing, payroll, web storefront, timesheet, and fifty other things--- and NetLedger will be willing to maintain your general ledger. When you conduct business on the other website it will be submitted to your accounting system for review and posting. You can potentially avoid most duplication of work. Here are some dotcoms: http://www.gldialtone.com/links.htm#bsps This is also of immediate importance to every user who has been worried about getting their data *into* NetLedger, or *out* of NetLedger for backup, or in case they change to a different platform. You can literally download every bit of data, using the worlds most open and portable data language, XML. Here are the counts: 114 occurrences of <!ENTITY % 78 occurrences of <!ELEMENT --these define the documents, and and various requests. 73 occurrences of <!ATTLIST -- you can see most elements hav attribs. 116 #REQUIRED attributes --attributes contain all the parameters etc. 279 #IMPLIED attributes inside the documents, records etc. It looks like they're going to contribute the schemas to the typical 'org' to include third party vendors, and make it into an open standard. The license text already basically says the whole wide world can use the schemas. Wow... good work guys! This is the beginning of the end, of the age of lock-in and standalone desktop accounting systems and good riddance, TOdd * Todd F. Boyle CPA http://www.GLDialtone.com/ * tboyle@rosehill.net Kirkland WA (425) 827-3107 * XML accounting, WebLedgers, ASPs, GL dialtone, whatever it takes |
| Subject: | SMBXML - Small & Midsized Business XML |
| Date: | 05/14/2000 comp.text.xml |
| Author: | Todd Boyle <tboyle@NoSMAProsehill.net> |
| NetLedger.com is releasing a whole new set of XML
schemas for A2A (application to application) integration and ecommerce,
over the internet. It is called smbXML, Small and Midsized
Business XML. Look at their release at http://www.smbxml.org This includes the usual purchase order, invoice, bill payment, etc. similar to Ariba cXML, Commerce One xCBL, BASDA, etc. but it also has many more including the general journal, as well as methods to invoke all kinds of edits and updates on lists and transactions. wheee! You're not gonna believe this, but NetLedger has already built the XML interfaces. These new interfaces will allow users to send and receive every kind of transaction that can exist in NetLedger, to their accounting system on the server. I have been predicting that they would be the first webledger with open interfaces. They say they're going to stream these XML over HTTP or middleware with their partners *and users*. In other words you will be able to click into an upload or download screen and send an unlimited number of rows of transactions in a single transmission. There isn't any other General Ledger or general accounting provider besides NetLedger that has anything resembling open XML interfaces. Not for $5/month or $500/month. Nobody. No Desktop vendors on Drive C: and no Client/Server vendors on the LAN. This is priceless, for every other internet BSP (business service provider) who doesn't have a complete integrated solution. It enables any collection of BSPs to form up and integrate with each other and with a Geenral Ledger back end. This is huge for device people, cash register vendors, you name it. They can shoot XML transactions all day long or upload them in a batch at end of day. And priceless for users. We can choose best of breed providers other than NetLedger for your billing, payroll, web storefront, timesheet, and fifty other things and NetLedger will be happy to maintain your general ledger. When you conduct business on the other website it will be submitted to your accounting system for review and posting. No more duplicate work. This *proves* they're not trying to build a lock-in portal. This is also of immediate importance to every user who has been worried about getting their data *into* NetLedger, or *out* of NetLedger for backup, or in case they change to a different platform. You can literally download every bit of data, using the worlds most open and portable data language, XML. For those of you who have been studying the emergence of webledgers on the internet, there have always been a number of concerns.
Approximately 98% of these problems are going to sort themselves out, for any webledger vendor who adopts a posture of open interfaces. Any problem not solved by the vendor themselves is going to be solved pretty quickly by 3rd party services.
Here are the counts: |