A Time and Attendance System: Integrating Data Sources with XML

August 11, 1998

The Business Problem
The Role of XML
Solving the Problem with Object Design's ObjectStore and XML
   Situation Overview
   User Scenario
   Behind the Curtain
XML Example
Information Flow Diagram

The Business Problem

Siemens' IT organization needs to manage its enterprise, bring applications to the intranet, and support legacy systems. It also needs to integrate data from Payroll, the Microsoft Exchange Directory Service database, and client input. Additionally, it requires that all its applications freely exchange data. Currently, IT administrators are forced to build custom interfaces and maintain a patchwork of homespun data translators and transporters. This results in lost time writing non-value-add code that is prone to bugs and can seldom be reused. The cost of this counter-productivity is skyrocketing, as data sharing becomes a larger part of corporate computing. Also end users are feeling the pinch because of delays in accessing information. Administrators and their customers need a pain-free way to share data between all systems old and new.

Siemens is looking for a system that would allow employees to submit their timecards and let managers approve them online. Each timecard submission and approval has to be tied to basic human resource (HR) data such as name, serial number, and employee type. Timecard validation must depend on pay code rules and frequency tables. Managers need the ability to temporarily delegate approval responsibilities, and the entire system must interface to the corporate-wide Directory Service database, as well as the Payroll system.

The Role of XML

With the proliferation of data and the increased need to exchange data, there is a desperate need for a data format that can be shared. XML, which is ASCII-based and self describing, can serve as the data interchange format in a Time and Attendance System. XML enables the integrators to reuse interface code, extend and modify data structures to accommodate personalization and internationalization, and design the system without worrying about limitations imposed by data sources.

Another advantage that XML brings is its extensibility. Data fields can be added without disrupting the existing structure and applications. For example, consider global development and the different holiday schedules of each country. With XML, the developer can use the same pay-period DTD, but just drop in a new holiday attribute. XML makes the localization of an application easy, maximizing code and data model reuse.

Solving the Problem with Object Design's ObjectStore and XML

Situation Overview

With XML and ObjectStore, an ODBMS from Object Design (http://www.odi.com/ ), Siemens was able to develop an application that delivers the functionality needed while fully integrating all legacy systems. The application services 7000 people nationwide, and Siemens expects to realize a $500,000 a year savings due to error reduction, increased productivity, and the elimination of costly data entry centers. This means that the organization can grow without scaling support costs.

User Scenario

When an employee submits timecard information, she goes to a personalized Web page. The page shows the weekly schedule that is dynamically generated from the current date, her work status, scheduled vacation time, and weekly hours. When she clicks on a day, a page appears that allows her to select the number of hours worked, days spent on vacation, etc. This page is dynamically generated since different employee types have different classifications for how they account for their time. The Time and Attendance System makes sure that the user is presented with only allowable hourly options. An administrator can add new hour classifications at any time.

Once the employee submits her hours, the manager checks the queue for timecards that are waiting for approval. Based on the manager's profile, the Time and Attendance System gives the manager a summary of all timecards that fall under his jurisdiction. The manager approves, rejects, or drills down for more detailed information on employee's profile, with a click of the mouse. The system generates a notification e-mail message for the employee, including the time of approval or the reasons for rejection.

Behind the Curtain

Open Minded Solutions (OMS) built this system for Siemens on top of ObjectStore, an object-oriented repository. OMS chose this database so highly structured data could be stored without requiring mapping code to decompose the structured XML data into rows and columns for storage. They needed a vehicle that could create dynamic collections without the overhead and performance loss of run-time joins.
The middle tier is a combination of OMS's application server and ObjectStore. The application server utilizes the Document Object Model (DOM) to build XML and HTML documents on the fly. The application server provides services for data exchange with legacy systems, messaging, scheduling, building directed content, and workflow automation.
The application server utilizes XML for all data modeling. Changing the data model only requires a change to the DTD, not re-coding of existing objects.
The Time and Attendance data is contained in relational databases for Human Resource and Payroll data, a Microsoft Exchange Directory Service database, and an e-mail server. The application server respectively utilizes the ODBC, LDAP, and MAPI protocols to connect to these systems.
Relational data is converted into XML by the OMS application server. When a timecard is generated, filled out, approved, and sent to Payroll, the middle tier builds an XML data structure, which is the integration of XML snippets containing employee profile information, hours worked, vacation and sick leave balances, manager approval, history, and audit information. Several DTDs model the local data formats of each system. The XML snippets are stored in the middle tier in ObjectStore and rebuilt as needed by the application server for user input or exchange with other systems.
The application searches for data within specified XML tags. To populate the data structure with the department name, for example, the application searches for a "department" tag in the XML that comes from the Directory database. This data exchange component only has to be written once to support the data interchange of all systems.
When a user makes a request -- e.g., the manager for a given timecard -- OMS's application server on the middle tier produces an XML dataset which is a subset of the larger XML file containing all the timecards. The timecard on the client is an XML data structure generated on the fly by middle tier integration of data from the various relational databases.
Data is sent to the browser as XML using the Document Object Model (DOM) and rendering via Dynamic HTML. Data is processed and validated on the browser using JavaScript and Java applets that access the XML data directly using the DOM.

XML Example: Batch.xml from the Siemens Time & Attendance system

<!DOCTYPE BATCH SYSTEM>

<BATCH>

 <PAYEE SERIAL="000000" FULLNAME="Sample,Patricia C." MANAGER="000000Z"
   DEPARTMENT="000000" HIRED="1989-08-01 00:00:00" TERMED="1997-09-29 00:00:00"
   STATUS="A" EMAIL="Patricia.Sample@somecompany.com" />

  <PAYHRS>

  <PAYHR EFFECTIVE="1998-03-15 00:00:00" MANAGER="000000" DEPARTMENT="000000"
   EXEMPT="N" STATUS="A" TYPE="RF" SHIFT="1" DAYS="5"
   HOURS="40.00" HIRED="1997-09-29 00:00:00" CURRENT="0" />

  <PAYHR EXEMPT="N" STATUS="A" TYPE="RF" SHIFT="2" DAYS="5" HOURS="40.00"
   EFFECTIVE="1998-04-01 00:00:00" MANAGER="000000" DEPARTMENT="000000"
   CURRENT="0" />

  <PAYHR EXEMPT="N" STATUS="A" TYPE="RF" SHIFT="1" DAYS="5" HOURS="40.00"
   EFFECTIVE="1998-04-15 00:00:00" MANAGER="000000" DEPARTMENT="000000"
   CURRENT="1" />

  </PAYHRS>

  <PAYBALS>

  <PAYBAL GROUP="003" HOURS="0.0" EFFECTIVE="1998-04-12 00:00:00" />

  <PAYBAL GROUP="006" HOURS="0.0" EFFECTIVE="1998-01-01 00:00:00"
   STARTING="1997-12-29 00:00:00" ENDING="1998-12-29 00:00:00" />

  <PAYBAL GROUP="007" HOURS="0.0" EFFECTIVE="1998-01-01 00:00:00"
   STARTING="1997-12-29 00:00:00" ENDING="1998-12-29 00:00:00" />

  <PAYBAL GROUP="008" HOURS="0.0"></PAYBAL>

  </PAYBALS>

  <PAYCARDS>

   <PAYCARD SERIAL="000000" PERIOD="1998-06-07 00:00:00"
    FULLNAME="Sample,Patricia C." EMAIL="Patricia.Sample@somecompany.com"
    MANAGER="000000" DEPARTMENT="000000" EXEMPT="N" STATUS="A" TYPE="RF"
    SHIFT="1" DAYS="5" HOURS="40.00" EFFECTIVE="1998-04-15 00:00:00" />

    <PAYCODES>

    <PAYCODE CODE="002" PERIOD="1998-06-07 00:00:00" MON="8.0" TUE="8.0"
     WED="8.0" THU="8.0" FRI="8.0" SAT="0.0" SUN="0.0" TOTAL="40.0"
     SUBMITTED="1998-06-17 10:13:06" SUBMITTER="000000" />

    </PAYCODES>

    <SUBMITTED DATE="1998-06-17 10:13:06" SERIAL="000000"
     FULLNAME="Sample,Patricia C." STATUS="SUBMITTED">

    </SUBMITTED>

   </PAYCARD>

  </PAYCARDS>



  </PAYEE>

</BATCH>