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ABSTRACT
This paper describes the development of an XML-based tool, called e-Hermes, suitable for use in a variety of instructional contexts. e-Hermes simulates the capabilities of a web-based system to handle customer order transactions and to apply both document structure (data format) validations and application (data content) validations. Students in Information Systems (IS) courses can use e-Hermes to support their learning about web-based database and system design principles, to practice using XML or to understand e-commerce transactions. Assignments are provided in this paper, along with an appendix for instructors who need more background in XML. This paper, therefore, presents important educational contributions in the field of information systems.
Keywords: Classroom Instruction, XML, Electronic Commerce Simulation
1. INTRODUCTION
The advent of modern technology has improved the ability of businesses to transact efficiently in electronic markets. Interorganizational exchanges in electronic markets may involve transactions between a business and one or more other businesses (business to business e-commerce) with or without the use of an intermediary. The extensible Markup Language (XML) is a generic markup language that, by defining document content, can enable systems in remote locations to exchange and interpret business documents over the Internet (Kim 2001; Murray 2002). This ability to generate, send, retrieve, interpret, transform, and process the data in electronic messages automatically is critical to the conduct of web-based electronic commerce (EC) without human intervention. Information systems students need
to learn about the implementation details underlying webbased business activity so that they understand the importance of data validation to the internal control climate of their employer or clients. Students benefit from a study of XML, also, in order to understand how it affects the conduct of web-based business activity. Additionally, they need to understand the underlying complexity of web-based databases that support concurrent online transactions. Past studies have explored the usefulness of XML as a medium of data exchange (Kirn 2001; Murray 2002) and have developed instructional resources for learning XML syntax (Lunsford and Bizarro 2003), but have not examined the issues investigated in this paper.
This paper describes the development of an XML-based EC system, called e-Hermes, suitable for use in the undergraduate information systems class. e-Hermes simulates the capabilities of a web-based system to handle customer order transactions and to apply...