[57] CORBA AND XML
(Part of the CORBA FAQ, Copyright © 1996-99)

INDEX:XML@Integration with CORBA INDEX:CORBA@Integration with XML

Yes. And in a number of ways, depending on the need and approach.

Using IDL to communicate XML. This means setting up simple interfaces to communicate the XML Document Type Description (DTD) and the XML document itself. Obviously, there may be a repository of DTDs, and the actual communication of the XML document simply refer to its DTD.
Using XML as a transport. This means there is a DTD for, essentially, IIOP. A CORBA request or response is communicated in XML.
A variation on the previous item, once the XML to CORBA request/response conversion is in place, a gateway can take XML or CORBA requests from various sources and map them into XML or CORBA requests on various services.
Using XML as an abstract system description language. XML could be used to describe a system interfaces, workflow, API mapping logic, data definitions, other semantics, etc., and then this XML is used to produce IDL. Chances are the XML would also be used to code generate supporting system integration class libraries and potentially entire clients/servers.