If you need help with any of the techniques described below, feel free to contact our support team.

For a more comprehensive solution that will let you generate, accept and exchange XML (and other types of message) with your trading partners, see our EDIHub Datasheet.

xmlWhy create XML files on your IBM i?

Why create an XML file?

Because the use of XML, for a wide variety of purposes, is becoming increasingly widespread and the ability to generate XML from spooled files and database files is likely to be a major advantage to any IBM i shop that wants to trade electronically in the future.

Why create the files on your IBM i?
Because that’s usually where the data is and because creating them there makes everybody’s life easier.

CoolSpools lets you create XML files from your IBM i data right on the IBM i itself.

No PC is required to create the files, so you can integrate their creation with your overnight batch jobs and there’s no need to rely on your users to run file transfers at the right time.

Of course, once you’ve created the files on the IBM i, your users can access them from a PC. That’s easy, and there are several choices for how to do it (more…).

With CoolSpools the process of creating XML files from your IBM i data can be made:

  • simple – just run a command
  • reliable – everything happens on the IBM i itself managed by the system i
  • convenient – run things overnight ready for the next morning

There are two types of IBM i data you can choose to convert to XML format:

 

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xml

Spooled files (printer output)
  • Is the data you need to interface only available from a report produced by a system for which you have no source? No problem, just tell CoolSpools about the report, where the data is and what it means, and it will produce the XML for you!
  • You can even split your report up automatically into separate files, maybe one per department or region, give each file a meaningful name and distribute or email it to the relevant people automatically.
  • For this, you need CoolSpools Spool ConverterWhy not download it now and check out the CVTSPLXML (Convert Spooled File to XML) command?
  • Also produces Excel, PDF, CSV, HTML and text output.
xml

Database files (physical, logical and DDM files)
  • Extract data directly from your IBM i database files and save it as a spreadsheet!
  • You can take the data directly from your physical or logical files, specifying field and record selection or sequencing.
  • Alternatively, you can save the output from a Query, QM Query or SQL as an XML document!
  • For this, you need CoolSpools DatabaseWhy not download it now and check out the CVTDBFXML (Convert Database File to XML) command?
  • Also produces Excel, CSV, HTML and text output.

Both of these product options let you enhance the appearance of your XML output using styles to apply colour, fonts, borders etc.

You can either use your own stylesheet or have CoolSpools generate a CSS or XSLT stylesheet for you.

You can also either associate your own schema with the XML you produce or have CoolSpools generate a DTD or XSD schema for you.

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