應用於電子交易巿集的型錄搜尋代理人架構設計

Abstract

在商業電子化的時代中，電子交易巿集提供一個虛擬的交易場所，藉以提升需求與供給能見度，交易的效率也因為較佳的流通性而提升。在本論文中，筆者提出一個利用型錄搜尋代理人於電子交易巿集採購服務的系統架構。型錄搜尋服務被認定是電子交易巿集一項基本服務，成為取代傳統交易通道的一項選擇。行動代理人或是軟體代理人在採購功能上的應用，被視為設計電子採購系統的一項方法。在本論文中，筆者應用行動代理人的理念於型錄搜尋上，並提出一個極具創新的系統觀點。 在本系統中，XML被用來作為資訊交換標準。在型錄資料庫中的產品資訊被設計遵循此標準規範。因而適用非同步程序運作，而且為防止本地與遠端程式不一致所需額外維護負擔更因此降低。XML標準使得行動代理人可以存取不同平台上的型錄。此架構可以被分類為三層式架構的一種類型。茲設計應用實例以闡明本架構的機制。總括本架構設計的實際效益，包含處理效率、較低佔用資源以及低資料轉置成本。

In the age of e-business, electronic marketplace provides a virtual trading place where demand and supply are more visible and trading efficiency is improved due to better liquidity. In this thesis, the author presents a system architecture for utilizing catalog-search agents to offer purchasing services through e-marketplaces. Catalog-searching services have been identified as one of basic services since e-marketplaces emerge as alternatives to traditional trading channels. Mobile agents, or software agents serving the purchasing function, have been identified as an approach to design e-procurement systems. In this thesis, the author applies the idea of mobile agents to catalog searching and presents a broad and innovative view of the system. In the system, XML is introduced as a standard for information exchange. Product information in catalog databases is designed to comply with the standard. As a result, asynchronous operations are feasible and extra effort to prevent inconsistency between local and remote programs can be reduced. The XML standards enable mobile agents to access catalogs on different platforms. The architecture presented can be classified as a type of three tiers. Examples are given to illustrate the functioning of this architecture. The benefits of this design include processing efficiency, lower utilization of resources, and low data transformation cost.