E-transcript web services system supporting dynamic conversion between XML and EDI

As XML becomes a standard for communications between distributed heterogeneous machines, many schools plan to implement Web Services systems using the XML e-transcript (electronic transcript) standard. We propose a framework that supports both XML e-transcript Web Services and existing EDI e-transcript systems. The framework uses the workflow engine to exploit the benefits of workflow management mechanisms. The workflow engine manages the e-transcript business process by enacting and completing the tasks and sub-processes within the main business process. We implemented the proposed framework by using various open source projects including Java, Eclipse, and Apache Software Foundation's Web Services projects. Compared with traditional EDI systems, our proposed system was evaluated to have higher reusability and scalability and save developers time and cost. It also provides users with rich look and feel user interfaces.