With the advancement of Internet technology, XML has become a cornerstone of many applications used to exchange data in the insurance industry. As an active ACORD member, COSS uses XML technology and conforms to XMLife and TxLife standards.

COSS products can import, export, and create dynamic XMLife data. This capability is available for both desktop and Web applications. XMLife data flows freely from one product to the next, or from the COSS systems to external ones.

XML in the Desktop Environment
Enlarge the first figure to view the integration process using XMLife data among COSS applications and third-party applications in a desktop environment. The integration process starts where the contact management application generates an XMLife file or stream after the agent has collected data from a customer. This XMLife file contains client and producer information only. Depending on the next application, the XMLife data will be imported automatically to another application.

Assuming the next application is the illustration system, the client and producer data in the XMLife file are imported and the data is displayed automatically in the illustration screens. After the agent successfully sells a product to the client, the illustration application creates a new XMLife file containing the client, producer, and new data such as products and benefit information. The new XMLife file is available for transfer and use by another COSS application, such as the Advanced Marketing or iForms module. At any point during the sales process, information can be transferred out of the COSS system into a third-party application capable of reading XMLife files.

XMLife becomes a container for collecting various pieces of information as it travels through COSS applications or external systems. By using the ACORD XMLife and TxLife standards, the COSS systems are ready to integrate with external applications. The entire process is done automatically, electronically, end-to-end, on both the desktop and the Web.

XML in the Web Environment
The next figure shows XMLife integration in the Web environment. COSS Internet systems feature a centralized database modeled on the XMLife/OLife data structure. The database is used to store and update XMLife data for the COSS Web applications.

XMLife data can be imported into the COSS Internet system from an external system using HTTP protocol. When received, XMLife data is stored in the database and related with a unique key. The key is composed of the client session ID and a unique internal ID of the system. The key is then passed to any active COSS Web application. The COSS Web application uses the key to work directly with XMLife data in the database. This approach eases the XML parsing, import and export operations. The approach helps to increase the performance of XMLife integration in the COSS Internet system.

If the COSS Internet system needs to provide XMLife data to a third-party application, it can generate an XMLife file. All of the COSS Internet systems can send these XMLife files to third-party applications.