Introduction to ebXMLMike Rawlins

ebXML Requirements Team Project Leader

What We’ll Cover

• Background on ebXML Initiative

• ebXML Requirements

• Product and Process Architectures

• Overview of Specifications and Reports

• What’s next

The ebXML Initiative - Inception

• Initiated by UN/CEFACT - United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business

• Recruited OASIS - Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards

• Announced September, 1999

• To be a 15 to 18 month work program

Industry Groups Support ebXML

The Open Healthcare Group

OASIS Members Support ebXML

OASIS Members Support ebXML

The ebXML Initiative - Execution

• First meeting in November, 1999– Very broad participation– Get acquainted– Organized into project teams

• Meetings every three months

• Final meeting in May, 2001

ebXML Goals and Requirements

• Specifications to enable interoperability• Extend e-commerce to SMEs and emerging

markets• Business requirements

– Minimize cost, internationalization, security, legal, etc.

• Infrastructure functional requirements• ebXML Process & Organization

ebXML Architectures

• Product Architecture - the technical infrastructure

• Process Architecture - how to do business process analysis for e-commerce (systems, standards, XML schemas, etc.)

Technical Infrastructure Elements

• Messaging Service

• Registry & Repository

• Trading Partner Information

• Business Process Specification Schema

Messaging Service

• Exchange payload reliably & securely

• Internal routing

• Neutral to actual file transfer protocol

Registry & Repository

• R&R together form a database

• Provide services to:– Store and retrieve objects– Query– Update– Track versions– Classify

Trading Partner Information

• Technical details of how to do e-business

• Collaboration Protocol Profile (CPP)

• Collaboration Protocol Agreement (CPA)

Business Process Specification Schema (BPSS)

• Business details of how to do e-business

• Provides a way to describe a business process in an XML document

• Implements subset of UN/CEFACT Meta Model

3 Build System

Specifications

Profiles

Scenarios

Request ebXML specification

1

4 Register company profile

Query about Company X

5

Request Company X’s S

cenario

9

DO BUSINESS!

11

Send Company X’s Scenario

10

ebXML BP Model

ebXML BO Library

Send Company X’s Profile

6Submit TPA7

TPA Accepted8

Send ebXML specification 2

Usage ExampleUsage Example

Business Process Analysis

• Primary methodology is UN/CEFACT’s Modeling Methodology (UMM)

• Defines process and the types of information required from the analysis

• Provides initial catalogs of:– Business processes– Core components

ebXML “Core Components”

• Building blocks for XML schemas, etc.• “Syntax neutral”, with unique IDs

• Similar to “common business objects” but with context

• Naming conventions follow ISO 11179

• Description of context drivers

• Approach for extending core components into context dependent domain components

Putting It TogetherBusiness Process and Information Models

Registration

UML to XML conversion

InternalBusiness App

Shrink-wrapApplication

Repository

ImplementersBuild

Retrieval of ebXML Specifications & Models

Build

Retrieval of new or updated ebXML Models

Retrieval of new or updated ebXML Models

ebXML TransportBusinessMessage

BSIInterface

TPA

BusinessMessage

BSIInterface

Product versus Process

InternalBusiness App

Shrink-wrapApplication

Repository

Implementers

Business Process and Information Models

Build

Registration

UML to XML conversion

Retrieval of ebXML Specifications & Models

Build

Retrieval of new or updated ebXML Models

Retrieval of new or updated ebXML Models

ebXML TransportBusinessMessage

BSIInterface

TPA

BusinessMessage

BSIInterface

Technical Specifications

• Requirements Specification

• Technical Architecture

• Business Process Specification Schema

• Registry Information Model

• Registry Services Specification

• Messaging Services Specification

• Collaboration Protocol Profile & Agreement

• Total of 14

• Business Process– Overview, guidelines, worksheets, catalogs

• Core Components

• Technical Architecture Risk Assessment

Technical Reports

• Using UDDI to find ebXML Registry

• Registry Security Proposal

• Proposed revisions to architecture

White Papers

Proofs of Concept

• Started at May, 2000 meeting - Message Handling

• Final PoC in May, 2001 demonstrated most of ebXML

• Many vendors participated

• OASIS responsible for:– Messaging Services– Registry– CPA/CPP

• UN/CEFACT responsible for– Business Process– Core Components

What’s Next

• Jointly responsible for– New requirements– Architecture– Marketing

• Work together by– Steering group– Joint meetings– Liaisons

What’s Next

• Proposal to transform the EDIFACT Working Group into:

• Electronic Business Working Group– BPI Modeling– UN/EDIFACT– Syntax & Production Rules– Support Libraries– Architecture

UN/CEFACT Plans

Related Efforts

• EWG/X12 Joint Core Components initiative– Started in fall, 2000– Continuing, but dependent on CEFACT reorg

• UBL– Universal Business Language– Initiated by Jon Bosak of Sun– Interim solution, based on xCBL– Trying to work under UN/CEFACT auspices

““ebXML is our only chance this ebXML is our only chance this decade to establish an international decade to establish an international e-commerce standard.”e-commerce standard.”

““It is clear that ebXML will soon It is clear that ebXML will soon become the standard for all global trade. become the standard for all global trade. By implementing ebXML, GCI takes By implementing ebXML, GCI takes advantage of the excellent work that’s advantage of the excellent work that’s being accomplished to streamline many being accomplished to streamline many EDI processes and remove waste and EDI processes and remove waste and redundancy from supply chains.”redundancy from supply chains.”

““ebXML provides a platform on ebXML provides a platform on which to build standards ... that are which to build standards ... that are developed faster and yet supported by developed faster and yet supported by a rich set of software tools.”a rich set of software tools.”

• ebXML - www.ebxml.org

• UN/CEFACT - www.unece.org/cefact

• OASIS - www.oasis-open.org

• Critical Analysis of ebXML - www.rawlinsecconsulting.com

For More Information