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Version: 2.2.2

SOAP Web Service glossary

SoftExpert Suite offers different forms of integration with its components. Most endpoints developed were based on SOAP, which is an established technology still used for communication between applications. Although less common today, SOAP web services are still widely used and cover much of the features of each SoftExpert Suite component.

This glossary aims to provide a set of definitions for common terms you will find when using the SOAP web services available in SoftExpert Suite.

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)​

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is an XML-based protocol used to exchange messages between distributed applications. It defines the message structure and processing rules, allowing for interoperability between different platforms and programming languages. In conjunction with other protocols, such as WSDL and UDDI, SOAP composes a standard structure for creating and consuming web services.

WSDL (Web Services Description Language)​

An XML language used to describe the feature provided by a web service.

XML (Extensible Markup Language)​

XML is a markup language that allows creating documents with a hierarchical structure, and can be used to represent information in text format. XML is a technology widely used in data integration and sharing systems, especially on the web, as it is independent of platform and programming language.

XML uses tags to define elements and attributes, allowing documents to be easily processed by applications that understand the XML structure. Furthermore, XML allows creating schemas (XML Schema), which define the structure and validation of an XML document, ensuring that data is consistent and structured correctly.

In short, XML is a flexible and scalable markup language that allows creating structured and standardized documents. It is widely used in data integration and sharing systems on the web, and is an essential technology for exchanging information between systems of different platforms and programming languages.

Binding​

It refers to how a SOAP message is transmitted through a transport protocol, such as HTTP or SMTP.

Endpoint​

In the context of SOAP web services, the endpoint is the final place of communication between the customer and the server. It is defined as the URL address where the web service is hosted and where SOAP messages will be sent.

In other words, the SOAP endpoint is the place where the customer can send requests to the server. It is important to highlight that, to communicate with SOAP web services, it is necessary to know the correct endpoint.

Fault​

The term "Fault" in SOAP web services is an element used to indicate that an error occurred in the processing of the message sent to the server. It is a fundamental part of the SOAP protocol, as it helps provide information about the error that occurred and how the customer should handle it.

The "Fault" element is returned by the server as a response to the customer's original message and contains detailed information about the error, such as an error message, an error code, and a description of the error. The customer can use this information to determine how to handle the error and attempt to correct it, if possible.

An example of usage of the "Fault" element is when a customer sends a message to a SOAP service requesting information from a user record, but the record does not exist. In this case, the server may return a "Fault" message containing an error message indicating that the record was not found, and a specific error code to indicate this type of situation.

A SOAP element that contains additional information about the message.

Envelope​

The SOAP envelope is the basic structure of a SOAP message and contains three main elements: the "Header" element, which contains additional information about the SOAP message, such as authentication and security data; the "Body" element, which contains the message data itself; and the "Fault" element, which is optional and used to report errors in communication.

Additionally, the SOAP envelope is defined by an XML Schema that specifies the structure and format of the SOAP message. This ensures that SOAP messages can be processed correctly by systems receiving them, regardless of the platform or programming language used.

In summary, the SOAP envelope is the basis of the SOAP protocol and is responsible for defining the standard format of SOAP messages, ensuring interoperability between web systems.

Namespace​

Namespace is a mechanism used in XML documents to prevent naming conflicts between different elements and attributes. When multiple systems use the same XML structure, naming conflicts may occur because different systems may use the same names for elements and attributes. To solve this problem, namespace provides a way to qualify the name of an element or attribute with a unique identifier, known as a namespace URI.

XML Schema Definition (XSD)​

A document that defines the structure of an XML document using the XML schema language.

Element​

A basic unit of data in an XML document.

Complex-Type​

A data type defined in XML Schema that consists of a set of elements and attributes.

Schema​

An XML language used to define the data structure in an XML document.

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