Using Lixto for automating portal-based B2B processes in the automotive industry. (5th January 2005)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Baumgartner, Robert; Herzog, Marcus
• Is Part Of: International journal of electronic business. Volume 2:Number 5(2004)
• Page Start: 519
• Page End: 530
• Publication Date: 2005-01-05
• Subjects: B2B process integration -- content aggregation -- semi-structured data extraction -- automobile industry -- automotive portal -- business process integration -- internet -- web-based applications -- interoperability -- Germany; Electronic commerce -- Periodicals; 658.05467805
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1470-6067

Abstract

In this paper, we propose an alternative method for facilitation of B2B process integration: front-side integration, which allows us to exploit existing web-based application infrastructure for business process integration across company borders. In this approach, so-called wrapper programs perform intelligent HTML to XML conversion in order to utilise the HTML output of web-based applications. Moreover, interaction with web-based user interfaces is automated to perform the appropriate actions on remote applications. Lixto technology converts web applications of collaborative (and even non-collaborative) business partners into programmatically accessible information sources, similar to web services, however without requiring any changes on the partner's IT infrastructure. We will give a concrete example of how to set up such a business process integration application in the automotive industry domain.