By reading this {IBM} Redbook, customers, {IBM} sales people, {IT} architects, and {IT} specialists will have the opportunity to understand how the “marriage” between {XML} technology and the {IBM} Application Framework for e-business can help to leverage e-business applications, particularly those based on business-to-business {(B2B),} and business-to-consumer {(B2C)} models. This redbook presents the emergence and the impacts of {XML} in the e-business world. Topics include: - The e-business market: what is going on, trends, and directions. - The added value of {XML} technology to help to solve issues, and some challenges that arise through e-business applications such as data exchange, portal services, and pervasive device support. - How {IBM} cuts {XML} and related technologies down to size in its application Framework for e-business, including details of the {IBM} offering in terms of architecture and tools to design, develop, deploy, and run complex {B2B} and {B2C} models.