<Conmergence/>

OASIS's ebSOA John Hardin on the Future

My primary vision for the ebSOA group is to move forward with the work from the charter (pattern catalog) and act as a facilitator towards interoperability among the upcoming business process frameworks (WS*, ebXML and SemWeb are three that are working to gain dominance). The request-response model is a very simplistic view that isn't currently mapping well onto the true complexity that large industries have developed in their shared business processes. For example, no one will argue today that inventory visibility for the automotive industry is a request-response model between two partners. Healthcare is another area that is very complex, and requires multiple interactions between large numbers of process participants to complete the information exchange, with forks and decisions during the execution.

The other reality is that process participants require constant realtime feeds of information from many points in the process, which are owned and offered by various companies of various sizes and IT capabilities. This spells out, to me at least, the need for a network operating framework, where processes run in an "app fabric" that is dependable and very open. Then we can layer event causation techniques and other things like shared industry process B.A.M. on top. The network REALLY IS the computer....

To accomplish this kind of integration, I believe that we need to:

a) work towards interop between the WS and eb camps (ebXML v3 is closing that gap rapidly)

b) gather and document, then publish and evangelize, real world use cases that prove SOA principles using ebXML and WS and shine a light on successful implementations

c) include both WS* and ebXML patterns, along with SemWeb and agent patterns (no rocks thrown, please - the SemWeb/Agent stuff is the long-term target)

d) work with WS-I and the specs to ensure that we have consistent direction towards convergence

My belief is that the entire IT industry is poised on the verge of a major break in what I think is so far a stagnation. The potential of the internet is clear - and everyone is aware that it's potential is more than just human readable web pages. We all feel it, business has been preparing (somewhat) for it, and the engineers all want to build it.

However, this level of information integration won't happen unless:

a) the path to implementation of standards based messaging between partner, or producer/consumer, applications, is very clear

b) all players involved in complex processes can participate

c) the integration effort doesn't involve such a long, drawn out mapping effort everytime (this kills progress on the entire movement)

The industry will continue to stall until we solve some of these problems. I would like to help by completing the patterns and the catalog of patterns, and publish the use cases to describe it. There also needs to be a major outreach effort to all industry groups that are building shared business processes (which by the way, look much more complex than simple request-response models).

Contact: John Hardin
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=ebsoa

WAL-MART RFID Deadline Passes, Yet Development Continues

Jan. 24, 2005 By Martha Rogers Inside 1to1

In 2003, when Wal-Mart proclaimed that its top 100 suppliers would be on board with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology by the start of 2005, the reverberations could be felt up and down the supply chain. Yet almost one month after the January 1 deadline, the technology hasn't been deployed to the extent that Wal-Mart envisioned.

Speaking at the National Retail Federation show last week, Wal-Mart CIO Linda Dillman said ...

A Closer Look at Web Services Standards

Jan. 2005 By Susana Schwartz, BillingWorld.com

A myriad of standards are emerging from the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS), whose focus is on application-level standards for creating reliability, security and manageability in development with Web Services standards. The standards are expected to work in concert with standards from the World Wide Web Consortium--focused on key infrastructure-level standards, such as SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), as well as work from the Web Services Integration (WSI), a vendor-driven effort to "profile" the aforementioned standards and create interoperability bundles so that integration between J2EE and .NET infrastructures are possible. The common thread among these Web Services standards groups is the use of XML as the key language and as the transport.

eBusinessReady Certifies Six Software Products for ebXML Interoperability Testing

Jan. 19, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE)

Test Round Delivers Industry-Specific Functionality

eBusinessReady®, an industry-neutral software testing program under joint partnership of the Uniform Code Council, Inc.® (UCC®) and Drummond Group Inc. (DGI), announced today that six software products from six solution providers successfully completed the program's ebXML-3Q04 interoperability testing. This test round included a series of functionality tests for those participants within the automotive and health-care industries.

Industry-specific functionality within this ebXML test round included:

• A data compression test profile, as recommended by the Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail (STAR) Transport Guidelines.
• An ebMS profile of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Public Health Information Network Messaging System (PHIN MS)
• A profile covering Health Level 7 (HL7) version 2 and version 3 messages in accordance with the HL7 Transport Specification ebXML - Release 1 (Draft Standard for Trial Use).

HL7 is a widely supported standards developing organization focusing on clinical and administrative healthcare. The CDC's PHIN program enables consistent exchange of response, health and disease tracking data between public health partners.

Companies demonstrating interoperability among their products included Cleo Communications, Cyclone Commerce, Inovis, Oxlo Systems Inc., Sterling Commerce, and webMethods, Inc.

"Since 1999, DGI has tested and certified hundreds of software products to support an interoperable global marketplace with a variety of standards," said Rik Drummond, DGI's chief executive officer. "We are pleased to see a continued growth of cross-industry adoption of the ebXML standard. Now, more companies can embrace the benefits and values that eBusinessReady certification delivers to manufacturers and retailers in the automotive, health-care and public health industries."

An eBusinessReady certified product enables vertical and horizontal interoperability across the supply chain and distribution channels. ebXML Messaging is a key standard that enables Web services, providing secure and reliable messaging for business-to-business communications. The companies underwent testing to demonstrate that their ebXML messaging software products complied with a common level of interoperability, enabling them to effectively communicate with other eBusiness solutions, eliminating costly communication obstacles and facilitating efficient trading partner relationships.

For additional information about the eBusinessReady ebXML test, visit http://www.ebusinessready.org/ebxml.html.

Note to Editors:

The following companies and products passed the eBusinessReady ebXML, third quarter, 2004 interoperability test:

-------------------   ------------------------------------------------
Company               Products
-------------------   ------------------------------------------------
Cleo Communications   VersaLex(TM) 2.3 tested in LexiCom(TM) v2.3
-------------------   ------------------------------------------------
Cyclone Commerce      Cyclone Interchange/Activator v5.3
-------------------   ------------------------------------------------
Inovis                BizManager v3.0
-------------------   ------------------------------------------------
Oxlo Systems, Inc.    AutoTPX ebMS MSH, v1.3
-------------------   ------------------------------------------------
Sterling Commerce     Gentran Integration Suite/Sterling Integrator v4
-------------------   ------------------------------------------------
webMethods, Inc.      webMethods ebXML Module v6.0.1
-------------------   ------------------------------------------------

About eBusinessReady

eBusinessReady(TM) is an industry-neutral software testing program, under joint partnership of the Uniform Code Council, Inc.® (UCC®) and Drummond Group Inc. (DGI), to enable vertical and horizontal compliance and interoperability across the global supply chain. For software buyers, eBusinessReady provides a valued resource for product selection and cost-savings by taking the guesswork out of implementing compliant and interoperable supply chain solutions. For software vendors, eBusinessReady certifies solutions and enables companies to deliver compliant and interoperable products to their customers. The eBusinessReady program addresses the needs of enterprises and supply chains by providing a neutral third party test of various software solutions for interoperability and compliance. Visit www.ebusinessready.org for more information, or email: information@ebusinessready.org.

About ebXML

ebXML, sponsored by UN/CEFACT and OASIS, is a modular suite of specifications that enables enterprises of any size and in any geographical location to conduct business over the Internet. Using ebXML, companies now have a standard method to exchange business messages, conduct trading relationships, communicate data in common terms and define and register business processes. For more information, visit www.ebXML.org.

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Contact:

     The Uniform Code Council
     Jack Grasso, 609-620-4555
     jgrasso@uc-council.org
     or
     Drummond Group Inc.
     Olga Finneran, 512-657-7684
     Olga@drummondgroup.com

The Enterprise: Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)

Jan. 1, 2005, Clive Finkelstein, DMReview.com

I have previously discussed enterprise architecture methods, as well as technologies for rapid delivery into production of priority business processes. These technologies have included XML, enterprise portals and Web services. In this and the next few months I will cover the concepts of rapid delivery technologies based on service-oriented architecture (SOA) and business process management. I will discuss a number of XML-based business process management languages.

The Importance of Service-Oriented Architecture

Web services technology has now advanced so that functions within existing application programs and suites -- as well as functions within ERP (enterprise resource planning, CRM (customer relationship management), SCM (supply chain management) and other packages -- can be easily and reliably published to an intranet or the Internet for remote execution using SOAP, WSDL and UDDI. But what has been missing until now is an automated way to invoke available Web services based on business rules. This technology is now becoming available with business process management languages and tools.

Until now, the term "service-oriented architecture" (SOA) has been synonymous with "Web services." I use SOA more precisely: to invoke Web services using business process management tools and languages. This is an important distinction. SOA is expected to make a significant contribution to the future of systems development technologies as indicated in the following paragraphs.

Before SOA, systems development used workflow diagrams or systems flowcharts that were drawn and then printed so that relevant business logic could be coded by hand. These manually coded programs were laboriously tested and eventually deployed for execution. With SOA using business process management tools, this manual coding and testing step is bypassed. Instead, the diagrams are tested for correct logical execution using simulation methods. Once correct, these diagrams are then automatically generated as XML-based business process management languages for immediate execution.

This business process management technology is a major advance in the productivity of systems development; it is as significant as the development of high-level language compilers in the late 1950s. It becomes easy to invoke Web services anywhere in the world and to execute them based on business rules. When these rules do change, the relevant logic in the diagrams is changed: these diagrams are then automatically regenerated. This promises to totally transform the way we build systems in the future from slow, error-prone manual coding to an automated discipline. It will enable enterprises to implement changed business rules in minutes or hours, rather than in months or years. Enterprises will then be able to change direction rapidly.

In the following months, I will discuss the concepts of business process management languages, including: Business Process Execution Language for Web Services (called BPEL4WS or just BPEL) from IBM and Microsoft; Business Process Modeling Language (BPML) from the Business Process Management Institute (BPMI); and Business Process Specification Schema (BPSS) from ebXML.

Introduction to Service-Oriented and Event-Driven Architectures

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is the term that has emerged to describe executable components -- such as Web services -- that can be invoked by other programs that act as clients or consumers of those services. As well as the execution of Web Services, these services can also be complete modern - or even legacy - application programs that can be invoked for execution as a black box. A developer does not need to know how the programs work, only the input that they require, the output they provide and how to invoke them for execution.

The services are loosely coupled to the client program. They can be invoked based on decisions made by business rules. This means that developers can swap out one service and replace it with another service that is designed to achieve the same or enhanced result without having to worry about their inner workings. Today, standard parts in a car can be interchanged without having to strip down the whole car and rebuild it. With SOA we have similar flexibility, where existing services can be easily replaced by improved services without having to change the internal logic of monolithic application programs as was necessary in the past. Software categories that provide this SOA flexibility are called business process management or business process integration (BPI) products.

A further term also describes these business process management and BPI execution environments: event-driven architecture (EDA). This is an approach for designing and building applications where business events trigger messages to be sent between independent services that are completely unaware of each other. An event may be the receipt by the enterprise of a sales order transaction from a customer for processing. Or, it may be a change in a data value that requires a purchase order to be placed with a supplier when the available quantity of a product in the warehouse falls below a minimum balance threshold.

Because the services in an EDA environment are independent, they are decoupled - as distinct from the loosely coupled services of the SOA-based approach. An event source sends messages to middleware software, which matches the messages against the subscription criteria or business rules of programs or services that want to be notified of these events. Messages are typically sent using the publish-and-subscribe approach because this enables simultaneous delivery to multiple destinations.

Business process management is used for workflow modeling and execution by several products for enterprise application integration (EAI) including Microsoft BizTalk Server and webMethods Business Integrator. IBM, SeeBeyond, TIBCO and Vitria use similar business process management approaches in their EAI products.

Most business process management products to date have used proprietary methods to define process logic in workflow diagrams. To overcome these product-focused solutions, an open architecture approach has been defined for interoperability. Several XML languages have emerged: Business Process Execution Language for Web Services (BPEL4WS), Business Process Modeling Language (BPML) and the ebXML Business Process Specification Schema (BPSS) definitions, and I will address these in the following months.

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Clive Finkelstein, the father of information engineering (IE), is an international consultant and an instructor. He is the managing director of Information Engineering Services Pty Ltd (IES) in Australia. You may contact Clive Finkelstein by e-mail at cfink@ies.aust.com.

The paper I never gave: XML Europe 2003 on ebXML BPSS and BPEL4WS

July 19, 2004 Ron Ten-Hove's Weblog

I occasionally get requests for a paper that I never wrote! I recently wrote the following message in response to yet another request for the non-existant paper:

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Unfortunately, the paper you mentioned was never written. Due to a clerical error on the part of the XML Europe 2003 organisers, the abstract for a paper I proposed to develop was published on their web site, but in fact the paper was never accepted for presentation. Due to the organiser's lack of interest, I did not write the paper. However, I can share with you some of my observations about the current standards situation (which has changed since 2003). There are my personal opinions, and in no way are meant to represent Sun Microsystems' stance on these issues.

You are not alone in trying to untangle the world of ebXML and BPEL/WSDL/SOAP/WS-*. It is true that ebXML has not found a large following among software providers in America. The fact that Microsoft and IBM are pushing a separate initiative, known to some as the Global XML Architecture (GXA), has lead most of those software providers to conclude that ebXML is the wrong "horse" to bet on. IBM and MS have rather large coat-tails, after all.

Schema Design Rules for UBL...and Maybe for You

Eve Maler, Sun Microsystems, Inc.

The OASIS Universal Business Language (UBL) effort has several interesting goals and constraints that must be taken into account in the structuring of the UBL Library schemas. This paper discusses some of the major rules developed for the design of the schemas: UBL's connection to the UN/CEFACT–ebXML Core Component Technical Specification, its choice of options for element and datatype definitions, and its solution for reusable code lists. These rules are presented in the hope that they may be found useful to others embarking on an effort to define a standard XML vocabulary.

XBRL and ebXML: A Second Look

January 23, 2004 k-praxis

Semi-structured and unstructured data have always presented certain problems for information management and information processing, including text mining, or opinion mining. Two ways of encoding and presenting data have been in the news recently, and these are XBRL (extensible Business Reporting Language) and ebXML. Recently more and more vendors have started integrating these two languages into their platform. But one bigger question remains answered, can these frameworks and languages help in organizing and making sense of textual data?

Implementing the ebXML Registry/Repository

By Chaemee Kim

Role of the ebXML RegRep in an e-business framework

Figures: Click to Enlarge
Figure 1 Figure 2 | Figure 3 | Figure 4 | Figure 5 | Figure 6

Conducting business in an electronic manner requires the exchange of a wide range of parameters - company profiles, catalogs, business processes, schemas, et al. - for describing appropriate business documents. How can these parameters be stored and managed? How can companies locate and use trading partner information?

The ebXML initiative has defined a RegRep (Registry/Repository) as providing a shared space for one or more B2B communities. With an ebXML RegRep, companies can submit, update, deprecate, or otherwise manage the parameters required to conduct electronic business. The RegRep also defines standardized APIs to access or otherwise share these parameters across trading communities.

You may have heard about the benefits of a B2B business model, a concept that grew out of the electronic trading communities that were defined using EDI (via the X12 and EDIFACT standards). While B2B grew out of the traditional EDI space, many implementation requirements are missing or poorly understood.

What are these missing elements? The traditional B2B business model (again, based on the EDI model) assumes that trading partners have advance knowledge of each other's e-business environments, trading protocols, and procedures. The "discovery" phase is traditionally done offline via a manual process (phone calls, legal contracts, etc.). This approach limits companies to conducting business with a relatively small community of well-known trading partners. A well-defined discovery process would enable most companies to significantly expand the size of their trading communities. The current B2B model, however, doesn't support such a process, forcing trading partner configuration to be accomplished offline.

The ebXML RegRep is designed to close some of the gaps in traditional B2B business models, as B2B alone isn't enough to establish true collaborative commerce. B2B with an ebXML RegRep provides a more advanced B2B model that we call Business-RegRep-Business, or BRB. ebXML RegRep enables trade parameters to be shared among business peers, and helps to build more dynamic B2B environments based on the discovery and execution of trade agreements with ebXML-enabled trading partners.

Understanding ebXML's BRB Model
ebXML's BRB model can be clarified using a simple formula:

BRB = B2R + B2B

Trading partners perform a Business-to-RegRep, or B2R, transaction before conducting B2B transactions. ebXML provides a more dynamic mechanism for finding and conducting business with new trading partners.

The U.S. General Accounting Office recently filed a report, "Electronic Government - Challenges to Effective Adoption of the Extensible Markup Language," with the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs (view it at www.gao.gov/new.items/d02327.pdf). In the report the GAO describes the current status of the standards for XML registries and raises some concerns regarding the maturity of XML-related technologies as well as the lack of an all-encompassing XML vocabulary. While the report would appear to be a harsh criticism of XML, it draws some exciting conclusions regarding XML-based registries.

According to the report, XML registries should be used to share information between distributed agencies in order to conduct electronic business, effectively implementing an "e-gov" program. As described by the GAO, XML registries will play a very important role in e-government as well as e-business. XML makes integration easy, and an XML registry lowers the barrier for sharing trading parameters.

Note, however, that the GAO report doesn't specifically address the use of an ebXML-compatible RegRep. The report refers to an "XML registry" without regard to its compatibility with ebXML or UDDI. The need for an XML registry in an e-government initiative reflects many of the same needs within private industry. If the ebXML RegRep Specification fulfills the requirements for an e-government initiative, the barriers to ebXML RegRep adoption by various industrial consortia will also be lowered.

ebXML Components and Relationships
ebXML provides a loosely coupled, highly modular framework for conducting e-business. On the other hand, each module is closely related to other modules (although they can also be used independently of one another). From a software perspective this means that ebXML components have high cohesion and low coupling. ebXML Working Groups have been formed to define each module, so the maturity of each component is also different. Each ebXML Working Group develops its specification according to the group's plan, and its progress depends on member participation. This means that the version numbers of each ebXML specification may be quite different. Some are up to version 2.0, while others remain at version 1.1 or 1.2.

ebXML RegRep clients can access the repository via one of two possible interfaces:

1.   Simple Object Access Protocol: SOAP uses simple remote procedure calls (RPC) to send and receive XML messages. The XML messages are used to invoke a Web service and return the results of the invocation.

2.   ebXML Message Handler Service: ebXML MHS is an extension of SOAP and adds functionality such as guaranteed messaging, multihop delivery, and enhanced security.

Relationship between ebXML RegRep and messaging components
ebXML MHS refers to CPA (Collaborating Protocol Agreement) for extracting useful configuration information. CPA refers to a business process specification schema for sharing a business process with trading partners. A business process needs business documents to perform business transactions. Each business document format is defined by reusing the data items in core components.

The ebXML messaging component is the most mature module in the entire ebXML framework. Organizations such as Covisint (Auto Exchange), OAG (a horizontally oriented XML initiative), PAA (Pan-Asian Alliance - an international e-business consortium), RosettaNet (XML initiatives for the electronics industry), and STAR (Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail) have already adopted the ebXML messaging plan to provide support for other ebXML modules in the near future.

The Evolution of ebXML
The most important decision in adopting ebXML is to align your adoption steps with the components of the ebXML framework you need. An example of the approach is shown in Figure 1. This alignment is required because the maturity of ebXML components may affect each adoption step. There are no organizations that can/will adopt the entire ebXML framework at the same time. A phased approach to ebXML adoption will guide you through the shortest path to successfully adopt and implement ebXML.

The most accessible component of the ebXML framework is the ebXML messaging service (sometimes referred to as TRP for Transport, Routing, and Packaging). Although the service uses CPA information, the first generation of ebXML messaging can also use an ad hoc configuration file instead of CPA (since the CPA spec is not yet completed). The ebXML messaging service payload (i.e., the "message") can use any standard business document (usually in an XML syntax). The GAO report warns that a wide variety of business document formats and vocabularies may cause barriers to interoperability. While a single, global XML standard for business vocabularies has yet to emerge, several non-XML standards (such as EDI's UN/EDIFACT and X.12) can provide guidelines for defining and processing XML-based transactions.

For the next step of ebXML adoption, a standard protocol profile should be adopted in agreement with CPP (Collaborating Protocol Profile) and CPA. For discovery and negotiation, each trading partner creates a CPP and submits it to an ebXML RegRep. When a CPP is discovered, the potential trading partners exchange CPAs and, once approved, can enter into trade agreements and begin conducting business electronically (B2B). While this scenario will be possible with future versions of the ebXML framework, the current (non-ebXML) B2B model doesn't support such dynamic agreements. The reality of B2B is that the transaction occurs between fixed trading partners. Companies may decide to implement ebXML messaging services while ignoring the entire discovery process. With this approach, potential trading partners simply exchange CPPs and CPAs via e-mail. An ebXML RegRep may be used in a later generation of ebXML adoption, providing support for the dynamic "discovery" process described earlier.

For the third generation of ebXML adoption, companies will adopt ebXML-compatible business processes. These processes may depend on the progress and overall acceptance of collaborative commerce. The automation of business processes for collaboration is the final goal of ebXML and e-business. The focus of ebXML business processes is to provide public processes for collaboration, not a company-specific private process for internal workflow. Companies may face significant challenges integrating their public and private processes.

For the fourth generation of ebXML adoption, companies will focus on reuse, leveraging prebuilt core components to construct standard business documents. The ebXML core components provide a standard dictionary for constructing e-business vocabularies. The ebXML core components data dictionary is designed to be stored within an ebXML registry.

Differences Between ebXML RegRep 2.0 and UDDI
What distinguishes ebXML RegRep from UDDI in Web services? This is one of the questions most frequently asked by companies interested in both ebXML and Web services.

ebXML RegRep and UDDI repository each have a different scope and purpose.

An ebXML RegRep, which is more likely to be focused on content management, was designed to store and manage a wide range of electronic trading parameters. UDDI on the other hand was designed to manage the metadata associated with a Web service. In short, ebXML RegRep is the registry for B2B, while UDDI is the registry for Web services.

From a UDDI perspective, the UDDI initiative can provide a loosely coupled connection model with an ebXML RegRep. An ebXML RegRep's registry service specification can be published as a SOAP interface, enabling a traditional Web service that describes how to access the ebXML RegRep using a SOAP client.

From an ebXML RegRep perspective, the RegRep can include a Web services registry within an ebXML Registry Information Model (RIM). A Web services registry is realized in RIM version 2.0. The ebXML RegRep Technical Committee expanded its RIM to categorize Web services as RegRep-compatible metadata. The ebXML RegRep treats Web services as a set of metadata that B2B community members want to share with their trading partners. It is designed to support a wide variety of objects and metadata, while UDDI focuses exclusively on Web services. Table 1 summarizes the primary differences between UDDI and ebXML RegReps.

Figure 2 expands on the comparison of UDDI and ebXML by illustrating the differences in structures and metadata (note that the figure is based on ebXML Registry Information Model v2.0).

Web services is one of many possible core technologies needed to realize the goal of collaborative commerce (sometimes referred to as c-commerce). Implementing collaborative commerce requires far more than a simple SOAP/UDDI-based infrastructure.

Implementing ebXML RegRep
To implement ebXML RegRep, you must first implement the following ebXML specifications:

• For overall architecture: ebXML Technical Architecture Specification
• For registry: ebXML Registry Information Model and ebXML Registry Service Specification
• For registry client: ebXML Messaging Service Specification
• For content: ebXML CPP/CPA Specification and ebXML Business Process Specification Schema
• For security: W3C XML Signature

An illustration of KTNET's ebXML RegRep implementation appears in Figure 3.

Following are some of the new features and improvements in v2.0 of the ebXML RegRep specification:

1. Includes metadata information model of Web services ("Service," "ServiceBinding," "SpecificationLink")
2. Has intramural association and extramural association, depending on the owner of source and target registry objects
3. Separates metadata information model of classification into "ClassificationNode" for child code and "ClassificationScheme" for root node
4. Has "ExternalIdentifier" that must have an attribute, "identification Scheme", that refers a "ClassificationScheme"
5. Has changed the name of "Package" to "RegistryPackage"
6. Has flatter hierarchy of Registry Information Model than v1.0
7. Has SOAP binding about registry service including ebXML messaging service binding
8. No longer provides "Browse and Drill Down Query"
9. Provides only W3C Schema version for registry schema (not XML DTD)
10. Provides two key functional interfaces, "QueryManager" and "LifeCycleManager"
11. Clarifies description of synchronous and asynchronous responses
12. Adds additional status of "LifeCycleManager" (submit, approve, update, deprecate, remove)
13. Clarifies registry communication bootstrapping using URL specified in WSDL for registry
14. Clarifies the specific error handling for LifeCycleManagement protocol

Following is a list of what's missing in ebXML RegRep v2.0:

1. Doesn't provide backward compatibility with v1.0
2. Doesn't provide content-based query
3. Doesn't mention the specific mechanism for cooperative registry (federated registries)
4. Doesn't provide specific method to store core components

The ebXML Registry Technical Committee is currently working on version 3.0 of the specification, following the release of the 2.0 versions of the RIM and RSS (ebXML Registry Service Specification) specifications. Version 3.0 is expected to resolve most (if not all) of the issues in the 2.0 specification.

ebXML RegRep Adoption
The Pan-Asian Alliance was formed in 1999 by five e-commerce service providers:

Infoshare Information Technology Development Co.: www.infoshare.com.cn (China)

Korea Trade Network (KTNET): www.ktnet.com

CrimsonLogic: www.crimsonlogic.com.sg (Singapore)

Trade-Van Information Services Co.: www.tradevan.com.tw (Taiwan)

Tradelink Electronic Commerce Ltd: www.tradelink.com.hk (Hong Kong).

This year TEDI Club (www.tediclub.com/ - Japan) joined PAA as a founding member.

Dagang Net (www.dagangnet.com/ - Malaysia) is an ordinary member.

Businesses from the participating countries can look forward to seamless cross-border trading, with the ready acceptance of cross-border trade approvals and certification policy; the secure and reliable paperless trade and transactions; and, most of all, the efficiency and convenience of working with the alliance as a single point of contact.

Combined membership of the parties now exceeds 120,000 organizations, representing almost all active trading enterprises in the Asian market.

The PAA Working Group had several options for building the PAA technical architecture. Through several face-to-face working group meetings and teleconferences, the PAA WG decided to base the technical architecture on ebXML, which was admired for its interoperability, flexibility, extensibility, and reliability. The PAA WG firmly believes that ebXML will show its true merit and prove to be tremendously beneficial in due time. Figure 4 illustrates the PAA technical architecture.

During the first phase, PAA adopted three components of ebXML: messaging service (TRP), CPP/CPA, and RegRep. Security was handled by the adoption of W3C XML signature and Secure Transport (HTTPS). Figure 5 illustrates the capabilities of PAA's pilot project.

PAA's service providers are conducting test interconnections based on the ebXML messaging service 1.0 and CPP/CPA 1.0 specifications.

What's the role of the ebXML RegRep in PAA? First of all, it manages each service provider's CPP/CPA and each trading partner's CPP. If a trading partner is unable to support ebXML, the service provider creates and submits the necessary information on behalf of its customer's CPP.

PAA has developed its own business document standard using DTDs. The alliance publishes its DTDs, sample XML documents, and guidelines to the ebXML RegRep. Other materials for PAA members can also be shared and managed via the ebXML RegRep.

Conclusion
During the pilot project based on ebXML, I realized the difficulty in designing and implementing a single global standard for e-business. It takes time to guarantee conformance to the ebXML specifications and verify interoperability across the trading partners. The workload increases in a geometric progression, depending on the number of partners in the trading community. Moreover, the ebXML RegRep specification is very broad and has a number of optional features. This causes many difficulties when the goal is to reach a consensus among all partners.

While I participated in the design and development of the ebXML RegRep specifications, the level of effort needed to implement it in the "real world" was quite significant.

One more thing to keep in mind: ebXML can't change the world. Despite its popularity, companies will continue to support their legacy standards (such as EDI, XML/EDI, industry-specific standards). Integrating new technical initiatives with legacy standards/environments can pose a significant challenge. Nevertheless, for the future you're going to have to adopt ebXML, step by step as ebXML evolves.

When will the ebXML dream of a single global market for small and medium enterprises become a reality? I daresay it depends on how you adopt ebXML, coupled with a long-term strategy appropriate to your organization.

Resources
ebXML registries

Korea Trade Network: www.GXMLHub.com

DISA (Data Interchange Standards Association): www.disa.org/drive/

ebXML Registry Open Source Site: http://ebxmlrr.sourceforge.net/

Hong Kong University: www.cecid.hku.hk/Release/PR09APR2002.html

About the Author: Chaemee Kim is a solution manager for KTNET, an electronic trade service provider. Currently Chaemee is building a collaborative trade platform based on ebXML infrastructure for next-generation services. She also leads the Pan-Asian Alliance technical working group project to define and implement global transaction flows within the Asian-Pacific region, and has contributed to several ebXML components.

December 25, 2004 in <Geekonomics/>, <Interoparency/>, <MBP-CharityWG/>, <MBP-WorkflowWG/>, <OASIS-IHC/>, <OMG-HC/>, <Open.Source/>, <ebAero/>, <ebAuto/>, <ebFinance/>, <ebGov/>, <ebHealth/>, <ebTelecomm/>, <ebXML.Strategic.Outreach/>, <standard.operating.procedure/>, <tcofmphct/>, <xml.du.jour/> | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Benefits of ebXML for e-Business

Authors and Contributors:

David RR Webber, Mark Yader, John Hardin, and Patrick Hogan

Introduction

[ PDF ]

With thousands of users globally the ebXML infrastructure is beginning to enter the mainstream of business consciousness today. Born from a process began by two organizations – UN/CEFACT and OASIS – who each brought unique backgrounds and solution envisioning together, ebXML has created a new and compelling metaphor for conducting e-Business via the Internet.

The vision and model for better e-Business using open standards was created by combining the business knowledge gained from twenty years of EDI-based interactions from CEFACT with the OASIS web commerce and marketplace expertise of internetbased companies using XML. That model seeks to move from processes that are highly labour intensive to configure and deploy manually in a paper based culture to a world where trading partners can discover each other and then begin to do business electronically by linking their systems together using ebXML and the Internet.

Each step of this process is supported and enabled by ebXML through the use of discreet components that are engineered to deliver specific functionality. Each component can be used individually or combined as needed. Just as LINUX is widely used by businesses today to run their web sites and services, the ebXML infrastructure provides the means for open and low-cost global commerce.

The business vision is to create new ways for companies to trade globally in secure and reliable digital environments using methods that implement legally valid contracts and exchanges. Also for governments to be able to reach citizens and companies using public standards that provides open access. The ability for small businesses, not just large corporations, to be able to employ the benefits of electronic business processes is also a key requirement.

The LINUX communities, through organizations such as the Open Source Development Lab (OSDL), have begun to incorporate the ebXML infrastructure into the LINUX operating system. The OSDL is planning to release two enhanced versions of LINUX (Data Center and Carrier-Grade) sometime in mid-2005. Projects are currently underway to begin the integration of an OASIS ebXML infrastructure component with the LINUX operating system for inclusion into these releases.

The rapid acceptance of LINUX worldwide and especially in high growth countries such as China, India and Japan, should fuel dramatic growth in the ebXML infrastructure as these enhanced LINUX versions become available. LINUX is in many ways the perfect vehicle for ebXML and the availability of ebXML enhanced LINUX versions will ensure that ebXML becomes a critical component in global electronic commerce.

Central to this ebXML approach is a set of federated electronic Registry services. This allows partners to discover each other and more importantly to store central definitions and the components that are needed to configure the interchange between them. These can then also be catalogued and shared across an industry community. Just as with file sharing peer-to-peer networks there has to be central nodes that coordinate and facilitate each member’s activities and in ebXML the registry performs that role.

Aligned with registry services is the ability to define business partner profiles for business process participation. In ebXML parlance these are known as the CPA – Collaboration Profile Agreement and CPP – Collaboration Protocol Profile. These profiles then establish the formal business exchanges between participants. The CPP’s are combined together to create CPAs that document the formal agreement details of the business processes.

The next requirement is to provide secure and reliable communications across the Internet itself. For ebXML a special XML-based messaging transport system based on using the XML SOAP server foundation was developed. This is known as ebMS (ebXML Messaging Service) and is universally the most common component used by implementers of ebXML. The ebMS server has now evolved into a sophisticated integration component (see figure 1 below) that not only exchanges messages but also checks trading partner profiles to ensure that the exchanges conform to the business agreements and are being routed accordingly. In the latest version it can also perform business rule checking services and interact with web service based components that conform to the ebXML exchange requirements.

Put together these components today are being used to deploy a variety of business solutions. Examples include supply of spare parts and maintenance support for the Metro Rail in Hong Kong; Banking and Insurance services in Korea; in Australia the Electricity and Gas supply in Sydney and small farmers selling wheat to cooperatives; raw steel distribution in Europe’s 24x7 steel marketplace; the US DOD EMALL for logistics parts purchase; State of Texas electricity distribution marketplace; and Volkswagen is working on using ebXML to cut costs to its dealerships and suppliers worldwide. These examples illustrate the range from small to large configurations.

Next we look at how specifically ebXML is being used in these environments.

The Classic ebXML model

This then forms the basis for what we can call ‘classic ebXML’, ebMS with CPAs controlling transaction exchange based processes between partners. While there is some limited involvement of Registry services in certain deployments the majority of implementations are done without using a formal Registry, instead websites perform the role of registry facilitation. The classic ebXML approach has proved its worth by also being the basis of a formal certification program for ebMS implementations. UCCNet provides this certification in cooperation with the eBusinessReady.org service. Now customers are able to purchase solutions that are guaranteed to be interoperable with each other. This is a critical advantage that ebXML has today.

Figure 1 – classic ebXML deployment components

Using this classic ebXML model implementers create two-player business exchanges. An archetypal exchange is that of purchase orders, shipping notices and invoices between a buyer and a seller. In figure 2 below we see the activity model for such a Requester / Responder configuration that is supported using the classic ebXML components.

The individual main steps are ‘Create Order’ and ‘Order Fulfillment’, along with the business transactions that enable those. There is an initiating request from the requester partner, and then the responder replies with a selection of transactions depending on the business state of the interaction, either rejecting or confirming the order accordingly.

The ‘join’ indicates that the process will only proceed when both an order confirmation and a ship delivery notice have been received. The ‘fork’ allows more than one action depending on a condition. In this case either a payment notice has to be created or not, based on the requirement of the particular supplier’s application system (if it can reconcile electronic payments, or requires information to be able to reconcile them).

Figure 2 – classic ebXML Requester / Responder business activity model [click for image]

Figure 2 here shows various steps and business transaction exchanges involved in completing the sample purchase, delivery and payment for goods.

Advocates of web services have borrowed from this classic ebXML model with some important and critical differences. Web services are not based around formal business transaction exchanges but just fragments of information within an XML instance and instead of the formal CPA business agreements; they use WSDL (Web Service Description Language) scripts that are a programming device for describing the connections and software services, but not the business function. The failure and success guard conditions are not formally defined for a WSDL based exchange. Also web services are intended to perform in real-time as instant interaction points, whereas ebXML messaging can also exploit a batch operating mode with persistent and guaranteed authenticated message delivery. Instant interaction is also a tougher environment to manage, often exposing implementers to higher risks of exploitation through unscrupulous users of the Internet itself.

Delivering Enhanced ebXML

So far we have looked at ebXML being used in traditional environments where the interactions follow the same patterns validated by EDI systems for over twenty years. However the next level of integration reaches out to a wider world that is being created by advances in technology including mobile computing, wireless networking, and global communications combined with Internet-based marketplaces. This world creates complex multi-faceted multi-layered interactions between partners and services, including both traditional services and web services (such as credit validation, stock price lookup, and airline seat availability and so on). These multi-step processes cannot be modelled using just a simple request/response interaction paradigm alone.

Bringing the world of classic ebXML together with the web service instant interaction model is the challenge facing the industry today. Fortunately ebXML began the process of providing the necessary components in its initial foundation work. We will now look how this is coming into the forefront of enabling these next generation systems.

In order to formalize the interaction between partners ebXML also developed a Business Process Specification Schema - BPSS component. This works in tandem with the ebMS and CPA by capturing the specific steps needed to complete a whole interaction between many participants. Classic ebXML finesses this in implementations today by using a common binary requester / responder model that works for most simple exchange patterns in business involving two parties, or that can be modelled as sets of such ‘twoplayer’ exchanges. Now however BPSS V2 is available and this is set to alter the whole landscape of business process engineering by providing the means to model and deploy sophisticated reliable and robust exchanges between multiple parties, not just limited to two.

This ‘enhanced ebXML’ provides the means to completely define a true Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) solution, including not just ebXML but also web service components in a holistic way. Figure 3 shows a deployment of this enhanced ebXML today.

Figure 3 – enhanced ebXML for SOA solutions [click for image]

To support enhanced ebXML the new BPSS V2 provides key functionality that is once again groundbreaking for e-Business via the Internet. The first change allows roles and steps to be defined for multiple participants along with process forks and joins and thus extends the original ‘two-player’ ebXML exchanges to include extended interactions between many partners. But instead of this being more confusing spaghetti of complex flows, the BPSS approach forces constrained deterministic business process steps to be defined between participants with single entry and exit points. The activity diagram in Figure 4 below shows how this works. This is crucial for defining real usable and enforceable business agreements. Now industry groups have the means to define exchanges for their members that can be re-usable and stable.

However building such exchange models in the past has been difficult because of the need to support local customization and variables. Again BPSS V2 provides the answer through managing context across the whole business process by participant (item #4 in figure 3 above). This allows local conditions to be resolved and special requirements to be integrated seamlessly. Local players in a marketplace can individually configure their own special context requirements and tie those to their role and exchanges.

The third piece that BPSS V2 adds is the ability to integrate into the application layer provided by existing business application systems. By providing context in a formal XML-based way – the BPSS can pass that context to the underlying integration systems. In addition logical business transaction handling can be mapping to physical integration services directly using the document definitions that BPSS provides. OASIS has also developed an open source solution to even further expedite this called the OASIS Content Assembly Mechanism (CAM) that uses simple XML-based scripts to document the business rules needed (item #5 in figure 3 above). Simply put these give participants the ability to pre-packaged information integration scripts in XML and then share those. This greatly enhances the consistent information flow between partners systems.

Put together this allows business users to now use the Registry services to fully document their end-to-end exchanges using XML structures as a coherent package. A typical such package can contain CPA, BPSS and CAM definitions along with traditional ubiquitous XML tools such as transaction schemas defined in either XSD or DTD syntax. By sharing such a package across an industry this allows partners to quickly configure their own ebXML systems and begin doing business, rather than having to endure a long and costly setup.

To accommodate web service based interactions, BPSS V2 also provides an ability to include WSDL-based steps into a BPSS model (item #9 in figure 3 above). These use a limited interaction model that provides the means to control and manage those steps using the ebXML approach. This does not include all web services, but only this discreet set of formally structured web service interactions. The key is to provide a deterministic and known business implementation where all end-conditions are known in advance.

Put together this enhanced ebXML provides the most complete e-Business services environment available today. BPSS sits at heart of the components and conducts the orchestra of components. Providing business context, transaction integration, process management, partner role details and deterministic transport messaging delivery flows.

Using this model figure 4 shows a complex multiparty interaction and how the components and participants interact together.

Figure 4 – Multi-party business collaboration using ebXML [click for image]

Figure 4 includes a multi-step interaction sample exchange between participants in an automotive industry supply-chain marketplace. Included in the diagram is the car dealership that is requesting a part supply, the manufacturer (General Motors) then querying their partners (Eaton, MetalDyne) and the automotive marketplace (Covisint). After consolidating the replies on parts available and price, they then notify the dealer who then confirms the order. The ship notices from the delivery carrier are then forwarded to the dealership. Being able to manage such as complex interaction, and allow each participant to configure their own profiles and business context parameters, along with message details (EDI or XML) is what the new enhanced ebXML systems are capable of directing. For more details on how to model all the aspects of the multi-party interaction, that enhance and compliment the activity diagram shown in figure 4, see the BPSS tutorial available online from the BPSS resource sites noted below.

Summary

Enhanced ebXML provides a timely and important next step for ebXML deployments worldwide. This coming year will see increasingly sophisticated usage of the ebXML solution stack of components meeting the expanding demand for reliable and proven e- Business solutions based on open public standards.

Beyond today’s enhanced ebXML there are many more interesting aspects being worked on for ebXML that will be available in the future. Included in this is the integration of semantic web capabilities into ebXML Registry and ability to define core component libraries and vocabularies of business nouns. These tools will allow whole industries to deploy common foundation services based on coherent semantics.

Also important is the front-office facing development being done to provide a uniform e- Service infrastructure for citizen and customer facing applications. This work is based on the original Electronic Process (EPR) project funded in Europe (see http://eprforum.org ) and is using the ebXML infrastructure to provide the linkage to the back-office systems. Related to this is the Business-Centric Methodology (BCM) work of OASIS that is seeking to provide catalogues of proven templates for business users to be able to adapt and exploit ebXML-based systems (see http://businesscentricmethodology.com and OASIS).

There are many more challenges ahead for the development of e-Business systems including the need to integrate RFID and Wireless mobile device based solutions but today we see that ebXML is evolving to meet these challenges. This development is not based on simply bolting-on technology however. Any new additions to ebXML are founded on the core concepts that are the strength of ebXML. The need is to provide secure, reliable, predictable and robust real business mechanisms and agreements that can meet the rigorous needs of business today.

Resources and Terms

Latest news on global ebXML developments – http://www.ebXMLforum.org
Reference site to classic ebXML – http://www.ebxml.org
List of available ebXML tools – http://www.ebxml.org/tools/
List of example ebXML implementations – http://www.ebxml.org/implementations/
Annual compendium of ebXML adoptions worldwide – http://www.ebxmlforum.org/articles/ebfor_SoftwareProducts.html
Book reference – Executive Introduction to ebXML – http://www.ebxmlbook.com
Developers’ resource site – http://www.ebxmldev.org
Open source implementations of ebXML – http://www.freebXML.org
Linux Open Source Development Lab (OSDL) and ebXML – http://www.osdl.org

December 20, 2004 in <Geekonomics/>, <Interoparency/>, <MBP-CharityWG/>, <MBP-WorkflowWG/>, <OASIS-IHC/>, <OMG-HC/>, <Open.Source/>, <Politicine/>, <ebAero/>, <ebAuto/>, <ebFinance/>, <ebGov/>, <ebHealth/>, <ebTelecomm/>, <ebXML.Strategic.Outreach/>, <standard.operating.procedure/>, <tcofmphct/>, <xml.du.jour/> | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

CECID Hermes Won Merit Award at the Asia Pacific ICT Awards 2004

Hong Kong SAR, Peoples Republic of China - December 14, 2004 - Center for E-Commerce Infrastructure Development (CECID), The University of Hong Kong

(HKU) is pleased to announce that our open source ebXML business-to-business (B2B) Messaging Server, Hermes, has won the Merit Award of the R&D category at the Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APTICA) 2004. This Award is presented to the most outstanding ICT R&D project, with its ICT creation arising from the practical application of scientific, engineering, or management knowledge that results in new and improved products, processes, or services that fill market needs. Participants of the Awards Program comprise members of the APICTA Network. Its 14 member-economies include Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

CECID was nominated by the Hong Kong Computer Society (HKCS) to submit Hermes as the only representative of Hong Kong for the R&D category to compete with 14 other outstanding and innovative projects from other member-economies. Entries under the R&D category were judged on five criteria - uniqueness, proof of concept, features, quality and presentation. Only two Merit Awards for this category were granted this year, and the winners were Hermes of Hong Kong and Knowledge Discovery Research Tool of Singapore.

In the Tertiary Student Project category, the Web Services Reliability (WSR) Messaging Server project carried out by four HKU final year students also won a Merit Award. CECID is pleased to have involved in this award-winning project as the coach to the students. The WSR Messaging Server project aims at addressing Web Services reliability in business transactions by adhering strictly to the Web Services Reliability Messaging (WSRM) draft specification developed by OASIS. In addition, a number of elements were injected into the architecture to enhance its flexibility, scalability and extensibility.

APTICA is an award scheme that has been recognized as a key and prestigious event in the Asia-Pacific region. This year the Awards was held in Hong Kong on 8-11 December 2004, with a presentation ceremony and gala dinner held on 10 December 2004. An Asia Pacific ITC Awards Pavilion was also set up at the Asia Pacific IT Solutions Expo 2004 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre on 8-11 December 2004, displaying over 40 outstanding IT solutions applied to different industries like e-government and services, education and training, applications and infrastructure tools, etc.

Hermes Business-to-Business (B2B) Messaging Server is an open-source Message Service Handler based on an e-commerce open standard (OASIS ebXML Messaging Service v.2.0). This awards winning product provides a standardized, reliable and secure infrastructure for enterprises to exchange business data on the Internet. About 7,300 downloads of Hermes' source code by developers from 65+ economies have been recorded since its open-source release in two years, and it has many successful use cases, most of which are innovative, cost-effective applications used by enterprises for exchange of business documents such as POs and invoices. Some local users of Hermes include MTRC, OOCL, Sony, HMV, bigboXX.com and HKSAR Government's Marine Department. Besides accreditation by the ebXML Asia Committee with Level 2 and 3 ebXML Asia Interoperability Certificates, Hermes has won the Certificate of Merit (Product Category) of the 6th HK Computer Society IT Excellence Awards.

About Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APTICA)

The Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA) is an international Awards Program initiated by the Multimedia Development Corporation of Malaysia to increase ICT awareness in the community and assist in bridging the Digital Divide. By providing networking and product benchmarking opportunities to ICT innovators and entrepreneurs in the region, the program is designed to stimulate ICT innovation and creativity, promote economic and trade relations, facilitate technology transfer, and offer business matching opportunities via exposure to venture capitalists and investors.

About CECID

Established in January 2002, Center for E-Commerce Infrastructure Development (CECID) at the University of Hong Kong conducts e-commerce research and development with the vision of helping organizations increase their competitiveness in the global economy. CECID develops e-commerce enabling technologies, participates in important international e-commerce initiatives, supports e-commerce standardization for Hong Kong and the Asia Pacific Region, and transfers e-commerce technology and skills to the community. With projects primarily funded by the Hong Kong Government's Innovation and Technology Commission, CECID is an active member of OASIS and the ebXML Asia Committee. The Center also collaborates with a number of lead technology users in the Asia-Pacific Region on turning R&D results into real-life business applications. CECID's contributions to the community include its code donation of Hermes and ebMail to freebXML

http://www.freebxml.org and the production of an in-depth design and management guide on XML Schemas for the Hong Kong Government. CECID is currently developing a plug-and-play Internet appliance for secure and reliable transmission of electronic documents based on ebXML / Web Services.

PR Contacts for Press and Analysts:

Dorris Tai (cwtai@cecid.hku.hk)

Business Manager

Center for E-Commerce Infrastructure Development (CECID)

Dept. of Computer Science

The University of Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2859 2818

Fax: +852 2547 4611

http://www.cecid.hku.hk

December 14, 2004 in <Geekonomics/>, <Interoparency/>, <MBP-CharityWG/>, <MBP-WorkflowWG/>, <OASIS-IHC/>, <OMG-HC/>, <Politicine/>, <ebAero/>, <ebAuto/>, <ebFinance/>, <ebGov/>, <ebHealth/>, <ebTelecomm/>, <ebXML.Strategic.Outreach/>, <standard.operating.procedure/>, <tcofmphct/>, <xml.du.jour/> | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

EDIFRANCE has officially launched the 3 months trial field of RepXML

By Ivan BEDINI, R&D Engineer, France Telecom R&D/BIZZ/PMX

The French language version of RepXML project is an ebXML RR implementation to manage CCTS - BIEs (Business Information Entities).

It is composed essentially of three parts:
- A client application (Connecteur)
- A public web server
- A freebXML Registry Repository

The client application allows creating locally ABIEs (in conformity with CCTS) and submitting them to the validation authority.

The web server allows guests users to browse and retrieve only approved ABIEs (they are called Business Specifications within the RepXML application) in several formats and to validate or reject submitted ABIEs. The Registry is used to store ABIEs and manage registered users.

You can find more details at the addresses:
http://www.disa.org/cefact-groups/icg/downloads/RepXML_Overview_V1.zip

The internet site address is: http://www.repxml.org

I take care to say that this implementation have been possible only with the good work of the OASIS ebRegistry TC and ebxmlrr team.

December 13, 2004 in <Geekonomics/>, <Interoparency/>, <MBP-CharityWG/>, <MBP-WorkflowWG/>, <OASIS-IHC/>, <OMG-HC/>, <ebAero/>, <ebAuto/>, <ebFinance/>, <ebGov/>, <ebHealth/>, <ebTelecomm/>, <ebXML.Strategic.Outreach/>, <standard.operating.procedure/>, <tcofmphct/>, <xml.du.jour/> | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Open Applications Group (OAGi) at 10 Years: A look back and forward

December 2, 2004 By Michael Rowell, Web Services Journal

Happy 10th Birthday, Open Applications Group (OAGi). This makes Open Applications Group Integration Specification (OAGIS) the most mature XML standard in the industry today! OAGi is the organization that develops and maintains OAGIS.

Happy 10th Birthday, Open Applications Group (OAGi). This makes Open Applications Group Integration Specification (OAGIS) the most mature XML standard in the industry today! OAGi is the organization that develops and maintains OAGIS.

Over the past 10 years, OAGi has been the standard bearer for integration language standards. This has been achieved by providing a canonical business language for integration that allows industry vertical groups and implementations to extend OAGIS to meet their unique requirements. This is all while maintaining a consistent common business language for integration. Today you will see vertical specific overlays delivered from the OAGi Web site - these are developed in conjunction with the specific vertical groups.

Critical Success Factors
One of the critical success factors for OAGi is that it does not act like a traditional standards organization, but instead acts like a development organization. Because of this, OAGi has been able to develop OAGIS in conjunction with its members at a much faster pace than a traditional standards organization. For more information on the OAGi Open Development Methodology go to the Open Applications Group Web site at www.openapplications.org.

Another critical success factor is that OAGi embraces the ability to extend OAGIS. OAGIS can be extended through scenario extensions, UserArea extensions, and Overlay extensions. The OAGIS Scenarios provide an example set of business processes in which vertical industries, and implementations may by incorporating their additions or OAGIS Business Object Documents (BODs) extend through UserAreas and Overlays. UserAreas can be used to carry simple extensions - one or two fields that are implementation specific. Overlays are used to extend OAGIS by vertical, company, or implementation.

It has been said that the saving grace of OAGIS is its ability to be extended. No other business language standard has embraced extensions like OAGi. This dates from its beginning. We're talking all the way back to 1994! OAGi views extensions as they are going to happen, whether you embrace extensions or stick your head in the sand and ignore them. In ignoring or prohibiting extensions most integrations will make use of existing fields for uses other than their original intent. You can see this in EDI where most implementations use fields for other uses.

Along with allowing extensions, OAGi works with the industry vertical group to define vertical overlays. Through this mechanism there are fewer XML standards for vendors, implementers, and customers to support. This is because these vertical overlays are based on the same standard business language. Objects are added through the use of an overlay where the vertical industry reuses existing standards and objects from OAGIS and also where more definition is needed for a given vertical.

Over the years, a lot of focus has been on the transportation protocol by the industry in general. OAGi made a conscious decision not to compete with these transport standards but rather to work with all transport mechanisms. From the beginning OAGi has realized the importance of being technology sensitive but not technology specific. This means that OAGIS works with all transports. At the end of the day OAGIS provides the structure in which information is to be shared between applications, businesses, or supply chains. This is whether you are using simple ftp, Message Orientated Middleware (MOM), service- oriented architectures (SOA) such as Web services, or ebXML.

A History of Firsts
OAGi and OAGIS predate XML Schema, and even XML itself. In the beginning OAGi defined its own metalanguage that was used in the first generation of OAGIS (releases 1 through 5).

The releases of OAGIS using the original meta-language were used by many companies. The first known implementation of OAGIS was by Sasol in South Africa. Because of this OAGIS has focused on being usable in an international setting since its beginning.

When the W3C began working on XML, OAGi already had a working group to extend the capability of this metalanguage. When this working group discovered XML, it was decided to begin prototyping OAGIS with XML (back in 1997). Based on these early prototypes, when the W3C published XML as a recommendation, OAGi published OAGIS release 6.0 using XML within a week afterward (in February 1998). This made OAGIS the first standard published in XML.

After XML was published, W3C began working on the early XML Schema. One of the inputs into XML Schema was XML Data-Reduced from Microsoft. In December 1999, OAGIS 7.0 was published in both XML/DTD and XML/XDR. This release was implemented in Microsoft's BizTalk.

On May 2, 2001, W3C published XML Schema as a recommendation. In October 2001, OAGi published the initial XML Schema version in release 7.2 along with XML/DTD and XML/XDR. In March 2002, OAGi published OAGIS release 8.0, which makes full use of XML Schema (i.e., using elements, types, and groups). OAGIS 8.0 is the fourth generation of metalanguage for OAGIS.

A Present of Firsts
Release 8.0 is the current release of OAGIS. There are many implementations of OAGIS 8.0 in the industry today. These include Agilent, Lucent, IBM, Ford, and GM, just to name a few.

For more information about OAGIS adopters, go to www.openapplications.org/adoption/usage/UsingOAGIS.htm.

Although XML Schema will soon be four years old, not all the tools support all the features and capabilities of XML Schema. Because of this, OAGi has published the "Practical Guide to XML Schema" to give guidelines to the features of XML Schema that must be supported. Any vendor whose tool claims to support XML Schema should support these capabilities. Also, any customer looking for tools has a checklist of capabilities these tools must meet.

This fall OAGi was the first organization to publish Web Services Description Language (WSDL) that conforms to the WS-I.org Basic Profile 1.0 for WSDL. This describes possible interfaces for all of the 65 nouns or objects and 200 BODs included in OAGIS release 8.0 and release 7.2. For more information, see the press release www.prnewswire.com/news/index_mail.shtml.

"IBM is pleased that OAGi is evolving its rich set of integration standards to support Web services, an important technology used extensively within IBM, as well as by our customers," said Vice President of IBM Software Standards, Karla Norsworthy.

In addition, this fall OAGi and Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) published the AIAG version 1.0 overlay of OAGIS for the automotive OEM industry. AIAG joins STAR (Automotive Dealer) and AAIA (Automotive Aftermarket) in the automotive industry providing overlays of OAGIS. Today OAGIS is used in over 40 vertical industries and is running live in 41 countries worldwide.

A Future of Firsts
OAGi will soon release OAGIS 9.0, which continues OAGi's leadership role in providing a canonical business language for integration. Release 9.0 incorporates UN/CEFACT Core Component Types and a template for enabling the inclusion industry standard code lists that the implementation specifies. It also includes additional content from OAGi.

OAGIS release 9.0, similar to release 8.0, provides a normalized view of the content such that a single definition of components and nouns provides a consistent interface. OAGIS 9.0 will provide a flattened view or standAlone set of BODs that provides everything for a given message within a single XML Schema file. OAGi will also provide examples of using OAGIS 9.0 within service-oriented architecture (SOA), Web services, and WSDL. Looking at a comparison of prominent XML standards, OAGIS has a significant advantage and a bright future.

Therefore, Happy Birthday to OAGi and congratulations to all of its members. At 10 years old OAGi has a long and distinguished history that we have only touched on here. It continues to lead the integration community and the XML community by defining a true canonical business language for integration. OAGi's leadership role in these areas will continue long into the future. Take a look at the OAGi Web site for more firsts.

Canonical Messaging
There are many advantages to using a canonically based messaging standard such as OAGIS for application integration. Over the years, IBM has deployed a large number of custom and configured "package" applications. Integrating and upgrading these applications is challenging because applications typically have their own proprietary messaging interface definitions.

The OAGIS canonical messaging architecture defines a common set of standardized message structures (business objects) that are independent and nonproprietary. OAGIS provides a base set of objects that can be "extended" to meet the unique needs of companies or industry consortiums. IBM has extended the OAGIS messaging structures to define standardized message packages to facilitate the deployment of Web services as well as for application integration within IBM.

A canonical messaging model defines a superset of fields (elements and attributes) needed for all transactions for a particular business object (e.g., customer, product, order, etc.). This allows all applications to communicate with each other by creating simple translations to and from the business object. Message conversions from proprietary application interfaces convert to and from the common enterprise vocabulary, eliminating expensive spaghetti coded point-to-point messaging interfaces. When an application is enhanced or upgraded, its message translation code may need to be modified. All other applications should remain unaffected. This approach lowers overall application integration and maintenance costs, and it accelerates IBM's ability to deploy new services as business needs evolve.

by Patrick Rooney, Senior IT Architect, IBM CIO Architecture and Standards

December 3, 2004 in <Geekonomics/>, <Interoparency/>, <MBP-CharityWG/>, <MBP-WorkflowWG/>, <OASIS-IHC/>, <OMG-HC/>, <ebAuto/>, <ebXML.Strategic.Outreach/>, <standard.operating.procedure/>, <xml.du.jour/> | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Driving Standards

March 1, 2004 By Laurie Sullivan With Charles Babcock

The auto industry is moving to a new standard for dataexchange in an effort to cut costs and simplify processes

Wayne Williams, who sells $60 million worth of Audis, BMWs, and other imported cars a year, believes there's a better and far cheaper way to conduct electronic business with automakers. The owner of Williams AutoWorld in Lansing, Mich., plans to implement collaborative-business systems based on the emerging Electronic Business XML standard that, in addition to simplifying electronic forms processing, promises to cut the dealership's data-communications costs in half.

As a first step, Williams AutoWorld this year will work with German automaker Volkswagen AG, which is forging ahead with plans to adopt ebXML, a standard developed by the United Nations for Internet-based business collaboration. General Motors Corp. isn't far behind. The two manufacturers see ebXML as the best choice to replace a costly process of document exchange that relies on conventional EDI, often in conjunction with satellite services. Executives from VW and GM are convinced the rest of the industry will join them soon. "As ebXML becomes standardized, it will become the de facto way everyone does business," says Tony Scott, chief technology officer at GM.

The ebXML standard, established in 2001, provides a comprehensive set of specifications for conducting secure, reliable data exchange over the Internet. "The biggest motivation for going to a Web-based process is to contain costs," says Williams, one of 1,000 dealers in the United States and Canada that VW hopes to pull into its ebXML network. Porsche, BMW, and DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes have said they'll be ready to go live with ebXML by this summer, according to Williams. When that happens, he estimates his $12,000 data-communications bill--spent each month on point-to-point EDI and satellite services--could drop by as much as $6,000.

VW is looking for savings, too. The automaker can cut $1 million in annual EDI fees and software using Cyclone Commerce Inc.'s ebXML-compliant collaborative-commerce software to transmit documents, VW estimates. The company also plans to extend its ebXML network to repair shops and parts suppliers, and it expects the system to be better than EDI at supporting large, graphics-intensive files such as engineering specs. "We wanted to implement more-complex and larger systems that can handle data-intensive pictures, drawings, and transactions on a more-secure network," says Uwe Matulovic, VW's CIO of North America.

Support for ebXML is growing throughout the automobile industry. The Covisint online exchange and parts supplier Delphi Corp. are among those backing ebXML, and Ford Motor Co. has said it wants the industry to ensure compatibility between ebXML and other Web-services technologies.

The Automotive Industry Action Group, which automakers established to address supply-chain issues, is spearheading an ebXML project, called Inventory Visibility and Interoperability, for improving inventory views within supply chains. More than 30 technology companies are involved, including BCE Emergis, Covisint, IBM, Microsoft, QAD, SAP, Sterling Commerce, and SupplySolutions. The project will cost about $40 million and could save $255 million a year by reducing shipping and inventory costs, the group predicts.

Given all the activity, the auto industry is emerging as an early U.S. adopter of ebXML. "Assuming this becomes the standard for the industry, ebXML is going to save us a lot of headaches," Twila Hart-Humphrey, Delphi's director of product systems, said in an E-mail. "There are just too many ways to interface with our customers and suppliers, and it's getting harder and harder to cope." The Department of Defense recently signaled that it will widely adopt ebXML as well. Vendors of ebXML-compliant software include Fujitsu, IBM, Sun Microsystems, and Sybase.

But ebXML deployments won't happen overnight. An advanced type of Web service, ebXML requires learning new processes and imposing consistency among partners in implementation. Hart-Humphrey expects it to be "a challenge to fully integrate" ebXML with Delphi's existing systems. Gartner analyst Charles Abrams says ebXML is taking longer to develop than expected, in part because it's much more complicated than basic Web-services specifications.

Work remains to be done to align ebXML with other Web-services standards, which include Soap, WSDL, and UDDI. Ford and GM last week requested, and the Automotive Industry Action Group agreed, to form a working group to do just that.

While it hasn't introduced ebXML into its dealer network, GM is testing the spec in 14 areas, ranging from parts procurement to engineering. With 14,000 dealers and 6,000 parts suppliers, GM has the clout to influence the pace of ebXML's adoption. "This is an industry initiative, and I haven't seen any resistance by other carmakers," says GM CTO Scott. John Hardin, GM's chief architect for ebXML applications, says benefits include letting participants establish secure links over the Internet "without dictating the software each partner must buy and without much human touch."

That may sound too good to be true, and industrywide standards are never easy to implement. But the auto industry seems finally ready to tackle the complexities of a new standard in order to fully realize its benefits.

November 27, 2004 in <ebAuto/>, <ebXML.Strategic.Outreach/> | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Six Dealer System Providers Join Oxlo's Manufacturer Access Program

November 15, 2004

Oxlo Systems Enables Greater Competition in the Dealer Management System Market

Oxlo Systems, Inc., developer of the AutoTPX^TM automotive retail integration platform, today announced the launch of its Manufacturer Access Program (MAP). The program expands the market for DSPs and expands choices for new car dealers. MAP’s charter membership includes six DSPs representing more than 900 new car dealers in North America. The charter members are Applied Computer Solutions Inc., Auto/Mate Inc., Automotive Computer Services, Inc., Dubuque Data Services, Megawheels Technologies, Inc., and MPK Automotive Systems, Inc.

DSPs automate many of the dealers’ core business functions through a dealer management system (DMS). Automakers similarly automate their interactions with dealers, through a dealer communication system (DCS). DCS effectiveness is in large measure a function of its ability to integrate with the DMS. Given the complexity and cost involved in these integrations, many automakers are only able to work with the two or three DMS market share leaders resulting in limited innovation and price competition in the DMS market. MAP provides a leverage point allowing these “closed” automakers to provide more choices for their dealers and DSPs to sell to those manufacturers’ dealers.

“A major issue for all providers of DMS and specialist dealer systems, is how to create and maintain the multiple interfaces which dealers need for transactions between their in-house systems and the systems of their business partners, especially automakers, banks and insurance providers,” said Mike Seaton of the automotive retail analyst firm Woods and Seaton. “If a specialist integrator/interface provider (SIP) can develop and maintain the connections more efficiently and economically than the individual system providers, and can aggregate multiple interfaces into one for each automaker, bank or other business partner, it has a valuable role in the market.”

“Oxlo delivers efficiency and value in automotive retail for all stakeholders. For the DSP we are a single integration point for many automakers; for the automaker we are a single integration point for many DSPs; and for the dealer Oxlo’s work results in better software at better prices” said Jim Lejeal, CEO of Oxlo Systems. “MAP is a true win/win/win.”

For more on MAP including enrollment information and membership benefits, contact Kim Campassi, kim.campassi@oxlo.com.

About the Charter Members:

• Applied Computer Solutions, Inc.
• Auto/Mate Inc.
• Automotive Computer Services, Inc.
• Dubuque Data Services
• Megawheels Technologies, Inc.
• MPK Automotive Systems, Inc.

About Oxlo Systems
Oxlo Systems Inc. is based in Broomfield, Colo. Oxlo develops packaged software applications designed specifically to enable smaller participants to address the B2B integration standards being deployed today within their industries. Oxlo’s initial focus is to meet the need of automotive suppliers and dealers to comply with the industry initiatives driven by the auto manufacturers. Oxlo differentiates itself by delivering fully preconfigured business solutions that are quickly and easily deployed. Within the existing IT architectures of the small and medium business these plug-and-play applications provide the information vital for business insight. Oxlo Systems is a privately held corporation and has received institutional financing from Mobius Venture Capital and Appian Ventures.

For more about Oxlo Systems visit www.oxlo.com.

Media Contact:
Usher Lieberman
(303) 291-0522 x207
usher@theushergroup.com

November 20, 2004 in <ebAuto/>, <ebXML.Strategic.Outreach/>, <xml.du.jour/> | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Mitsubishi Motors Employs Compuware Covisint Portal Service to Collaborate With Suppliers

November 11, 2004

Compuware Covisint Helps Mitsubishi Gain Closer Working Relationships With Suppliers

Covisint, a subsidiary of Compuware Corporation, announced today an agreement to provide Mitsubishi Motors Corporation of Japan with Covisint Communicate portal service. Covisint Communicate will help Mitsubishi improve sharing of information and collaborative business processes with suppliers.

Mitsubishi purchased Covisint Communicate to provide its suppliers with immediate access to information and applications to obtain more collaborative working relationships. The multi-phase agreement began with the deployment of the service in Japan to approximately 1,200 Mitsubishi suppliers. Covisint recruited the suppliers using their Japanese language deployment team, and the suppliers can access the Covisint Communicate portal service in any one of seven languages, including Japanese.

Companies need to maintain a high degree of visibility and control as they exchange information with suppliers, said Bob Paul, President and CEO of Compuware Covisint. Covisint Communicate provides a single point of communication for Mitsubishi suppliers globally, creating a platform for collaboration.

Covisint Communicate provides a secure infrastructure based on the Covisint federated identity management model to help ensure the security of Mitsubishi information and applications. The service includes integrated automotive-specific applications for sharing a library of documents and secure bulletin broadcasts to increase the visibility of information across the supply chain and achieve better decisions with current, real-time information.

By using the Covisint Communicate portal service, Mitsubishi avoided the expense of developing a portal and accelerated the roll out of its internal applications to suppliers. A study by AMR Research indicated that by using Covisint Communicate, the cost of developing a portal could be reduced by 80 percent and the operating cost reduced by 50 percent. The Covisint Communicate portal was implemented for Mitsubishi in 90 days and went live in August, 2004. Mitsubishi joins Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Delphi, Freightliner and Visteon in using Covisint Communicate to help collaborate with suppliers.

Compuware Covisint provides technology and professional services for the global automotive industry to share information between business partners. The Covisint Automotive Industry Operating System -- a platform for collaboration -- enables manufacturers and suppliers to reduce costs, increase efficiency, enhance quality and improve time to market.

Compuware Corporation maximizes the value IT brings to the business by helping CIOs more effectively manage the business of IT. Compuware solutions accelerate the development, improve the quality and enhance the performance of critical business systems while enabling CIOs to align and govern the entire IT portfolio, increasing efficiency, cost control and employee productivity throughout the IT organization. Founded in 1973, Compuware serves the world's leading IT organizations, including more than 90 percent of the Fortune 100 companies.

November 11, 2004 in <Geekonomics/>, <Interoparency/>, <ebAuto/>, <ebXML.Strategic.Outreach/>, <xml.du.jour/> | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Revolutionary UBL ratified as OASIS standard

Nov. 10, 2004 By Michael S. Mimoso, Senior News Editor | SearchWebServices.com

Tuesday's ratification of the Universal Business Language (UBL) as an OASIS standard has revolutionary implications for the business world, said UBL technical committee chairman Jon Bosak.

The spec defines an XML library of eight common business process documents making up the invoice-to-order procurement process, including purchase orders and invoices.

"The tasks are straightforward, taking existing EDI and paper processes and putting them together in XML formats," said Bosak, XML architect at Sun Microsystems and founder of the first XML technical committee while at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). "It's not hard to understand. The impact of the existence of these things could be profound. It could nucleate a whole set of developments."

Bosak compares the arrival of UBL to that of HTML more than 10 years ago.

"When HTML appeared, everyone was using elaborate markup languages," Bosak said. "With the appearance of HTML -- many thought it was too simple to work -- the advancement of single markup language more than made up for its limitations. A single thing to learn was more important than all of limitations."

The tasks are straightforward, taking existing EDI and paper processes and putting them together in XML formats.  The impact of the existence of these things could be profound.
Jon Bosak
UBL TC chair, OASIS

The UBL technical committee took three years to arrive at this week's ratification, settling on the documents that satisfy the most basic electronic transaction.

Bosak hopes the standard helps small and medium businesses make the transition from paper commerce to electronic commerce without having to invest significant dollars in EDI. EDI is a standard format for exchanging business data, usually confined to large enterprises doing business across national borders.

"If you look at EDI, you'll find 40 or 50 documents types --a whole world of possibilities," Bosak said. "There are a whole range of things before and after a payment scenario. We have not gone there yet. That lies in future.

"When we started … I got a good look at Rosetta Net [a set of e-business standards and services] and was astonished to find how many users implement only a couple of those documents," Bosak said. "OK, this may be small set of possible set, but it will be interesting to see what percentage of actual use we've nailed."

UBL is the first standard implementation of the ebXML Core Components Technical Specification, OASIS said in a release. EbXML, or Electronic business XML, was ratified as an ISO standard earlier this year. It uses XML to securely exchange business data. It supports existing Internet standards, and can run on any platform providing an infrastructure that guarantees data interoperability, semantics that ensure commercial interoperability and mechanisms that enable trading partners to find each other, according to online encyclopedia whatis.com.

"EbXML does nice job abstracting business processes into a separate set of specs," Bosak said. "Although we work with ebXML, UBL also should work with anything else that works with message-based B2B transactions. We work with WS-* architecture of Web services standards. In fact, it would be very difficult to see how any SOA would work without UBL."

November 11, 2004 in <Future.of.NPOs/>, <Geekonomics/>, <Interoparency/>, <MBP-CharityWG/>, <MBP-WorkflowWG/>, <OASIS-IHC/>, <OMG-HC/>, <Politicine/>, <ebAero/>, <ebAuto/>, <ebFinance/>, <ebGov/>, <ebHealth/>, <ebXML.Strategic.Outreach/>, <xml.du.jour/> | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Web business standard gets thumbs up

Nov. 9, 2004 By Martin LaMonica, Staff Writer, CNET News.com

A Web standards body has published a series of definitions that could make it easier for big companies to share business documents.

The Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards, or OASIS, on Monday gave final approval to a specification called Universal Business Language (UBL) version 1.0, a standardized document format.

UBL is meant to make it easier to turn paper records into electronic ones and, ultimately, easier to share documents, such as purchase orders, between organizations doing business online. UBL is designed to work with commerce-related Extensible Markup Language (XML) and technical standards from OASIS called ebXML, which include a series of protocols for transporting information over the Internet.

OASIS is an industry standards group whose members include technology providers such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft, as well as companies using XML for business applications, such as Visa and Wells Fargo Bank.

The ratification of UBL version 1.0 shows that the specifications, originally proposed in January of last year, are accepted by companies that back the ebXML system. The UBL document formats, in conjunction with ebXML protocols, are meant to provide a standardized, lower-cost alternative to older, traditional electronic commerce systems, such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

OASIS is one of a handful of organizations that is active in establishing XML formats for exchanging data and processing between companies. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is also involved in establishing Web services standards, and the Web services interoperability organization (WS-I), which calls itself a "standards integration" organization, was formed several years ago to ensure that the many Web services standards interoperate as expected.

November 10, 2004 in <GUID.Bad.Ugly/>, <Geekonomics/>, <Interoparency/>, <MBP-CharityWG/>, <MBP-WorkflowWG/>, <OASIS-IHC/>, <OMG-HC/>, <Politicine/>, <ebAero/>, <ebAuto/>, <ebFinance/>, <ebGov/>, <ebHealth/>, <ebTelecomm/>, <ebXML.Strategic.Outreach/>, <xml.du.jour/> | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

OASIS Blesses E-Document Standard

Nov. 8, 2004 By Clint Boulton

OASIS has ratified the first version of the Universal Business Standard, a common XML library of business documents that enable global electronic trading, as an official standard.

OASIS' goal with UBL is to move paper-based processes to electronic commerce with software. Jon Bosak, OASIS UBL technical committee chairman, said UBL 1.0 completes three years of work by the technical committee who oversaw it, including members from Sun Microsystems, Oracle and SeeBeyond.

A distinguished engineer at Sun, Bosak said UBL was designed to be a model for global trade and commerce over the Internet and will serve as the backbone for such similar-minded standards as ebXML, which uses Web services to trigger trade.

Software vendors have been trying to find ways to leverage the Internet by moving daily transactions from the paper world to the digital realm, which makes UBL a valuable tool. UBL does not overlap with standards, such as Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) and is technology-agnostic, meaning it will work with virtually any product.

Bosak said he envisions UBL will be the backbone for Web services worldwide.

"It's very difficult to imagine any of the Web services in the world working without defining a standard data format like UBL," Bosak said. "UBL doesn't have a dependency on Web services. But Web services to my mind definitely has a dependency on UBL."

Bosak said UBL maps extremely well with traditional processes. With 1.0, a user can take a fax-based order invoice process and implement it electronically without changing the understanding of what the user is doing.

To ensure a smooth transition between paper and electronic trade, Bosak said UBL 1.0 has mappings from the UBL data model to the fields of the paper documents that correspond with the UN Layout Key, the international standard for laying out a purchase order.

This enables a user to take any UBL purchase order, invoice or shipping notice, put it together with a style sheet, give it to a special formatter, and print out a PDF of the documents. In short, users can render paper copies of electronic documents with UBL 1.0.

UBL has its roots in xCBL 3.0, a set of XML building blocks and a document framework that allows the creation of reusable XML documents to trigger global trading. xCL 3.0 provides a migration path from Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), a precursor to global electronic trade.

Notable absentees to the UBL table are IBM and Microsoft, although they do support traditional EDI languages like x12, Edifact, RosettaNet and OAG, Bosak said.

November 9, 2004 in <GUID.Bad.Ugly/>, <Geekonomics/>, <HealthOverIP/>, <Interoparency/>, <MBP-CharityWG/>, <MBP-WorkflowWG/>, <OASIS-IHC/>, <OMG-HC/>, <Politicine/>, <ebAero/>, <ebAuto/>, <ebFinance/>, <ebGov/>, <ebHealth/>, <ebXML.Strategic.Outreach/>, <xml.du.jour/> | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Universal Business Language (UBL) Version 1.0 Ratified

Nov. 8, 2004

The OASIS international standards consortium today announced that its members have approved the Universal Business Language (UBL) version 1.0 as an OASIS Standard, a status that signifies the highest level of ratification. Developed through an open process, UBL defines a common XML library of business documents, such as purchase orders and invoices, as well as reusable data components from which an unlimited number of other documents can be constructed. UBL is the first standard implementation of the ebXML Core Components Technical Specification.

"Agreement on a common set of business-to-business document standards is essential for successful electronic commerce," explained Jon Bosak of Sun Microsystems, chair of the OASIS UBL Technical Committee and organizer of the working group that created XML. "UBL provides the world with standard electronic versions of traditional business documents designed to integrate with established commercial and legal practices. Using UBL, businesses of all sizes can enjoy the benefits of electronic commerce."

Joanne Friedman, CEO of business-technology advisory, ConneKted Minds Inc., observed, "The combination of a fixed tag set for electronic business (UBL) together with a transport protocol designed for the same purpose (ebXML messaging) is analogous to the foundations which built the World Wide Web. Where HTML provides consumers with information ubiquity, and HTTP a transfer protocol designed for the same purpose provides universal access, the UBL/ebXML combination will bring industry the boundary-less, barrier-free information needed to catalyze economic growth and foster inter-industry global trade. E-business didn't die, it just (quietly) got smarter."

"With XML came a proliferation of industry-specific vocabularies for business documents. Unfortunately, no company does business in isolation. The very nature of the supply chain requires meaningful, cross-industry communication," noted Mark Crawford of LMI Government Consulting, vice-chair of the OASIS UBL Technical Committee. "Instead of being optimized for a particular vertical industry or application domain, UBL is designed for real-world businesses that work with partners across multiple industries."

UBL was developed in harmony with ebXML OASIS Standards and in light of recommendations and standards issued by ISO, IEC, ITU, UNECE, W3C, IETF, and other relevant standards bodies and organizations. Industry groups including ACORD (insurance), ARTS (retail sales), CompTIA EIDX Leadership Group (electronics), HL7 (health care), NACS (convenience stores), RosettaNet (supply chain), UIG (utilities), VCA (prescription eyewear), and XBRL (accounting) all provided input on UBL.

"The key to UBL is that it was built on consensus and collaboration," said Patrick Gannon, president and CEO of OASIS. "The new OASIS Standard is an exciting example of the benefit of bringing together users, vendors, industry associations and government agencies. By actively involving all parties affected by cross-industry standards in the requirements and development phases, the usability of UBL across a variety of trading contexts is assured. We congratulate OASIS UBL Technical Committee members on their achievement and encourage other organizations to join them in advancing this work."

To promote global adoption of the new OASIS Standard, members of the OASIS UBL Localization Subcommittees have produced draft translations of UBL 1.0 data definitions into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. Together with the original English definitions, these translations will make UBL usable to approximately two-thirds of the world's current online population.

UBL contributors include representatives of Accountis plc, ACORD, Asociación Nacional de Fabricantes Autoridad de Certificació, The Boeing Company, Center for Document Engineering, Denmark Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation, East Asia Electronic Commerce Association, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, Korea CALS/EC Association, LMI Government Consulting, NEC, NIST, Oracle, PISCES Ltd, PSLX Consortium, SeeBeyond, Sterling Commerce, Sun Microsystems, University of Hong Kong, US Dept of the Navy, U.S. General Services Administration, and others.

Participation in the OASIS UBL Technical Committee remains open to all organizations and individuals; OASIS hosts an open mail list for public comment and the ubl-dev mailing list for exchanging information on implementing the standard. UBL is provided on a royalty-free basis, available to all without licensing or other fees.

Industry Support for UBL

"The UBL 1.0 release represents a significant advancement in the process of using international open standards to conduct business modeling, data analysis, and XML schema deployment. It provides an "out of the box" solution for document-based transactions as well as a library of reusable business data components," said Marion A. Royal, Senior Policy Advisor with the Office of Governmentwide Policy at U.S. General Services Administration.

"As a proponent of open standards-based integration, SeeBeyond is pleased to have participated in the development of UBL 1.0, and welcomes its approval as an OASIS Standard in the payload domain of XML-based B2B frameworks," said Alex Andrianopoulos, Vice President of Product Management for SeeBeyond. "Working with a broad range of businesses across all major industries, we see such a standard playing a key role to enabling global ecommerce interoperability as it promotes the integration of small-to-mid range businesses into broader electronic data exchange-based supply chains."

"Sun is committed to open standards development and is proud to have organized and led the UBL initiative that defines the standard XML payload format for Electronic Procurement," said Mark Bauhaus, vice president of Java Web Services at Sun Microsystems. "Sun is investing in developing UBL because we believe it will play an important role in providing an entry point into SOAs for small and medium sized businesses, where there is a significant need for standardized vocabularies to truly enable electronic business."

Additional information:

OASIS UBL Technical Committee
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/ubl

UBL FAQ
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/ubl/faq.php

About OASIS:
OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) is a not-for-profit, international consortium that drives the development, convergence, and adoption of e-business standards. Members themselves set the OASIS technical agenda, using a lightweight, open process expressly designed to promote industry consensus and unite disparate efforts. The consortium produces open standards for Web services, security, e-business, and standardization efforts in the public sector and for application-specific markets. Founded in 1993, OASIS has more than 3,500 participants representing over 600 organizations and individual members in 100 countries. Approved OASIS Standards include AVDL, CAP, DocBook, DSML, ebXML, SAML, SPML, UBL, UDDI, WSRP, WSS, XACML, and XCBF. http://www.oasis-open.org

Press contact:

Carol Geyer
OASIS Director of Communications
carol.geyer@oasis-open.org
+1.978.667.5115 x290

November 8, 2004 in <Geekonomics/>, <Interoparency/>, <MBP-CharityWG/>, <MBP-WorkflowWG/>, <OASIS-IHC/>, <OMG-HC/>, <Politicine/>, <ebAero/>, <ebAuto/>, <ebFinance/>, <ebGov/>, <ebHealth/>, <ebTelecomm/>, <ebXML.Strategic.Outreach/>, <xml.du.jour/> | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Auto-Tech display shows promise for future of collaborative commerce

Nov. 2004, MSImag.com - IT for Manufacturing Executives [Requires Registration]

Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) has proven it's possible to have instant, reliable communication between disparate business applications. The group has been experimenting with methods of linking business applications as part of a project called the Inventory Visibility and Interoperability (IV&I) initiative. It successfully demonstrated one of those methods at the recent Auto-Tech trade show in Detroit.

In the demonstration, a program called Supply Visualization from QAD transmitted real-time information about how much of a specific part a company had on hand across the Internet. The data was received by a similar application called iExchangeWeb, developed by vendor iConnect. After reading the message, the iConnect package sent a notice back to the QAD system confirming its receipt of the inventory information.

Perhaps even more remarkable than the swift and easy exchange of data is AIAG being able to get multiple vendors to agree on standards for making this happen in less than five months. In addition to QAD and iConnect, Sterling Commerce and Covisint played active roles in this project, while other vendors—including industry heavyweight SAP—lent behind-the-scenes support.

Pam Lopker, CEO of QAD, is generally credited with launching this movement by bringing the need for a standard method of communicating inventory information to the AIAG. She raised the issue shortly after QAD released Supply Visualization, realizing that other companies would develop similar products and users would be unlikely to embrace any of these systems if they couldn't talk with one another.

To that end, QAD worked with other AIAG members to develop a specification for transmitting inventory information between disparate systems. The specification, which has been approved by the Open Applications Group, is used to create business object documents—or BODs. The idea is to have suppliers put their inventory information into BOD form, which would allow any systems their customers use to easily translate the information.

AIAG has completed one inventory-related BOD for communicating the amount of inventory a supplier has on hand. Trading partners using this BOD would be expected to agree on specific minimum and maximum inventory levels beforehand, and the information in the BOD would confirm whether the supplier's stock was within that range.

Terry Onica, a director with QAD, says AIAG plans to create at least two other inventory-related BODs. One would support companies practicing lean manufacturing by allowing them to communicate the size of kanbans. The other would support just-in-time production by relaying the sequence in which certain parts are being built.

While the quantity-on-hand BOD was being developed, another AIAG committee searched for an effective method of transporting it across the Internet. That effort was led by iConnect, which was in the business of helping small and medium-size manufacturers connect to larger companies' EDI networks before it created iExchangeWeb.

Ultimately, AIAG agreed that either XML Web services or electronic business XML (ebXML) could be used to transmit the BODs.

With its open-communications concept proven viable, the AIAG will continue work on two fronts. One is to add the inventory-related BODs; the other will be to create similar communications mechanisms for other business processes.

"We know that logistics providers, people in the quality area, and those who handle warranties all have interoperability issues," Onica says.

November 2, 2004 in <Geekonomics/>, <ebAuto/>, <ebXML.Strategic.Outreach/>, <xml.du.jour/> | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Oxlo Systems Joins STAR

Oct. 14, 2004 /PRNewswire/

Oxlo Assists with Volkswagen in STAR XML integration effort

Oxlo Systems, a B2B integration software firm developing and delivering products and services for the automotive retail industry, has joined STAR (Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail), the IT standards body for the North American retail automotive industry.

Oxlo's goal is to work with RSPs (Retail Service Providers) and automotive manufacturers to deliver an all-OEM encompassing integration platform thus providing any RSP the ability to be DCS-certified (Dealer Communications Systems) with any OEM once integrated with Oxlo. With more DMS software integrated to more OEMs, dealers will be able to choose from a greater selection of DMS software that best fits their business.

October 14, 2004 in <Geekonomics/>, <ebAuto/>, <ebXML.Strategic.Outreach/>, <xml.du.jour/> | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack