Web Service and NonStop – Accessing from Microsoft Office – Overview

I have always been interested in understanding the different kinds of applications customers are developing on their NonStop systems. I believe that it is not enough to use technology for the sake of technology itself. The more important part is to understand how to use it to solve a REAL problem. In talking with many different NonStop users through the years, I have learned about a lot about their many different interesting applications.

Take for the example, in the area of SOA and Web Services.  We know how Web Services and SOAP enable applications on NonStop can communicate with applications on other platforms, such as .NET, Java, mainframe, etc.  And all that works very well.

But when I was talking to my friend Tom Schaper, who works for Cass Information Systems, Inc.  in St. Louis, MO, he showed me some really interesting things that he had been doing with Web Services that I haven’t seen before.

Tom has developed some practical programs based on Microsoft Office products working in conjunction with SOAPam Server on the NonStop, such as:

• Populate Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with data from COBOL Pathway Server

• Using Microsoft Word as a development editor tool to manage files on NonStop

The principle is to use Microsoft Office as a Web Service client to interface to Pathway servers on the NonStop.

So I asked Tom to share information about his projects in our recent Webinar last month, which was very well received. There’s a lot of additional information that didn’t make it, so we decided to create this Blog series to cover some of the following topics in more detail:

• Web Service 101 and SOAP/AM

• Step-by-step tutorial on developing on the Excel code sample

• Demo of the Word VBA code sample

We are going to start off with the “Web Service 101 and SOAPam”, which covers the basic concepts of Web Service and an overview of the SOAP/AM Server product for the NonStop.

To learn more about the basics of Web Services, click here.

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Phil Ly is the president of TIC Software, a leading provider of software and services for the NonStop community focused on NonStop application modernization. Under Phil's guidance, TIC Software has a proven track record of helping clients seamlessly integrate NonStop with next-generation technologies. A recognized technical leader, Phil is passionate about empowering organizations to unlock the full potential and longevity of their NonStop platform through innovative solutions.