SOAP - what is it?!

[rollerskatie]

Hi All,
I work for a magazine and the majority of our subscriptions data is held in an in house database system, whilst the website db (content, login) is held on a MS SQL Server database on a shared hosting environment.

We are trying to integrate the two systems so they communicate in real time, so people can renew their subscription or change their address online. The technical team behind our subscription db say I need to connect to their db using SOAP, but I don't really know what SOAP is and can't seem to find a basic enough explanationt o get me started. Can anyone suggest any good coldfusion/SOAP resources or tutorials or a book I should buy?

There is also the suggestion that we store the username and password in our subscription database as well. Is using SOAP to communicate with the subscription database, the same as querying my web database? If so, there shouldn't be any problem storing the user login data in my subscription database. I'm just worred about the loss of control of my data - the whole thing makes me decidely nervous.

Has anyone done something similar and have tips?

Thanks in advance..Katie

[Kapitaine]

Would this be Katie Atkinson??

As far as I can tell it's an XML thing which you consume as a web service via cfinvoke.

Mikey

[rollerskatie]

Michael! I never realised that was you... Just reading a bit of Ben Forta's CF8 book and think I can figure it out - I'm just nervous about moving the user logins over to a different database - any advice?

K

[Newsgroup_User]

First things first, did you type "SOAP" into Google and read the Wikipedia
article which is the first match? That explains what SOAP is. That might
help you refine your question.

Mikey also has you on the right track.


Editorial comment (and not specifically aimed at you, Rollerskatie, because
you're in good company):

To be honest, it beggars my belief that "doing a Google search" is not the
Very First Thing a person does when they don't understand a word or a term.
I don't mean specifically in the context of this current question, but just
in general. I personally would look up at least fifty (statistically
unsound value) things every day that had me thinking "I don't know what
that means". CFML stuff, CSS weirdness (all of today's googling was on CSS
because I'm crap at it, yet that's what I'm doing @ present), error
messages, words people in the office use that I'm not completely
comfortable with, that actor in that TV show we're talking about, which pub
to go to after work: *anything*.

Back to this issue: I'm not sure reading a Wikipedia article on SOAP will
solve your problem, Rollerskatie, but it will at least fine tune your
question a bit from "SOAP - what is it?!".

They're talking about web services. Have a look at the web services stuff
in Livedocs, and see if it makes sense, and come back with any questions
you have.

--
Adam

[Newsgroup_User]

my son has asked that question all his life.

[Newsgroup_User]

@rollerskatie:
to address a specific question in your last post (ignoring all the rest
of it):

'newsgroup user' is how all of us who use these forums via a newsreader
- instead of accessing them on the forums website - are pegged down when
we post here, even though we all are registered, and many are very
long-term, users of these forums.
the upside of perusing these forums via a newsreader is the speed, and
having a locally-accessible copy of all the posts (unless you delete the
messages regularly).
the downside is that we only get the original title and body of the
posts - no sub-title/description and no edits...

Azadi Saryev
Sabai-dee.com
http://www.sabai-dee.com/

[Newsgroup_User]

> Adam - I had already googled the term, and still had coldfusion-related
> questions, thus I felt this was a suitable place to post. I haven't used a web
> service before and was becoming confused by the information I found, however I
> do use coldfusion so felt someone on this forum might be able to help me.

[etc]

Steady-on there, dear.

You asked - and I'm quoting - "I need to connect to their db
using SOAP, but *I don't really know what SOAP is and can't seem to find a
basic enough explanation to get me started*."

(my emphasis)

Googling "SOAP" yields this:
1) the first match is the Wikipedia entry which completely describes what
it is. This answers your question as to "what is it?!" (quote), and frames
your further requirements.
2) Other suggested targeted searches for "WSDL" and "web services". Also
good leads.

Logically branching out from there, googling for "SOAP coldfusion" leads to
a PLETHORA of documents discussing such things.

So, given your question seemed to be starting from "what is SOAP"? I
figured Google seemed to be a good place to start. There's no point in me
just copy and pasting the Wikipedia article here, nor second-guessing which
of the other search results might best help you. You asked what it is: I
pointed you to the best possible answer I could find.

As I alluded to, many many many people don't think to use Google before
asking questions here. I had no idea that you had already done this, and
drawn a blank, because your question wasn't "I know what SOAP and web
services are, but I'm having this particular problem with doing [something]
related to that with CF, can you please help", your question was "what is
SOAP". As I said: given the question, I think my answer was round about
the best possible one, all things being equal. If you framed your question
poorly, how am I supposed to know that?

I really really don't believe how you can describe my editorial comment
(flagged as such, and specifically stating I was not specifically referring
to your particular case) as a tirade. What about it sounds like " long
angry or violent speech, usually of a censorious or denunciatory nature"
(definition from from...

[rollerskatie]

I deleted my message because i couldn't be bothered to argue on forums... I have better things to do - like researching SOAP. (on my own because god forbid i ask for help on a forum)

[rollerskatie]

It's actually making me upset reading your response, I understand that it's easy to misinterpret text (emails, text messages) and I guess that's what i have done - you obviously never meant to attack me in the first place.

However, my response was accurate to how i felt on reading your first reply to me. I then deleted it because I realised the conversation was going nowhere, however, instead of ignoring my response (as I intended you to when i deleted it) you chose to got into details and write the essay above again attacking me - how was that necessary? Because you have to prove you were right? Perhaps thats why you enjoy using these forums so much.

[Newsgroup_User]

> It's actually making me upset reading your response,

Well I'm sorry about that. Honestly.

Let's forget about all that previous carry-on, and focus on sorting out
your web service situation.

Where have you got to, and what's not working / not clear / etc / what do
you need help with?

I might be a grumpy old so-and-so, but I do like to help getting to the
bottom of things. In my own way (cough)...

?

--
Adam

[Newsgroup_User]

> I realised the conversation was going nowhere,
> however, instead of ignoring my response (as I intended you to when i deleted
> it) you chose to got into details

Just by-the-by, I'm not reading these messages via the web interface, so I
don't get updates like "message deleted". You asked what a "newsgroup
user" was before - I forgot to answer - the forums are available via three
mechanisms I know of:
- the main Adobe forums website
- Google groups
- NNTP feed to Usenet (news groups). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet.

I use the latter, because I really can't stand web UIs for forums (the
Adobe UI is bad enough; the Google one is even worse. IMO). However
because of this, I don't get to see things like article cancellations and
stuff like that because the Adobe forum software doesn't propagate them to
Usenet. I had no idea you had deleted the article; and had I done so, I
would have understood your intent, and not taken the time to reply (with
another tirade! ;-)

Sorry for the mix-up.

--
Adam