1 AN XML-BASED SYSTEM FOR FIXED AND MOBILE DELIVERY OF ELECTRONIC SERVICES

The rapid advancements in database, web and wireless technologies have given rise to new bread of information systems that were impossible just few years ago. These systems are characterized by the ability to deliver electronic services anywhere, anytime and through any electronic device. This paper details the design and implementation of this type of systems taking “student grade delivery within a university setting ” as an example. The implemented system is capable of delivering grades to different types of connecting devices including web browsers, WAP-enabled devices (Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), smart phone,…etc.) and regular SMS-based phones. To avoid the creation of different web pages customized to the individual connecting devices, the system separates the data content from its presentation form. To achieve such a separation, the Extensible Markup Language (XML) is used to represent the web data content, whereas, the Extensible Style Language Transformation (XSLT) style sheets are used to customize the presentation of such content on different connecting devices, thus achieving true “author once, publish to any device ” design and implementation