Introduction to ebXML
Mike Rawlins
ebXML Requirements Team Project
Leader
What We’ll Cover
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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
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
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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:
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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
Usage Example
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8 TPA Accepted
DO
BUSINESS!
7 Submit TPA
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10
Specifications
Profiles
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Scenarios
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ebXML BO Library
ebXML BP Model
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 Together
Business Process and Information Models
UML to XML conversion
Retrieval of new or updated
ebXML Models
Registration
Retrieval of new or updated
ebXML Models
Repository
Retrieval of ebXML
Specifications & Models
Internal
Business App
Build
Implementers
Build
Shrink-wrap
Application
TPA
Business
Message
BSI
Interface
ebXML Transport
BSI
Interface
Business
Message
Product versus Process
Business Process and Information Models
UML to XML conversion
Retrieval of new or updated
ebXML Models
Registration
Retrieval of new or updated
ebXML Models
Repository
Retrieval of ebXML
Specifications & Models
Internal
Business App
Build
Implementers
Build
Shrink-wrap
Application
TPA
Business
Message
BSI
Interface
ebXML Transport
BSI
Interface
Business
Message
Technical Specifications
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Requirements Specification
Technical Architecture
Business Process Specification Schema
Registry Information Model
Registry Services Specification
Messaging Services Specification
Collaboration Protocol Profile & Agreement
Technical Reports
• Total of 14
• Business Process
– Overview, guidelines, worksheets, catalogs
• Core Components
• Technical Architecture Risk Assessment
White Papers
• Using UDDI to find ebXML Registry
• Registry Security Proposal
• Proposed revisions to architecture
Proofs of Concept
• Started at May, 2000 meeting - Message
Handling
• Final PoC in May, 2001 demonstrated most
of ebXML
• Many vendors participated
What’s Next
• 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
UN/CEFACT Plans
• Proposal to transform the EDIFACT
Working Group into:
• Electronic Business Working Group
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BPI Modeling
UN/EDIFACT
Syntax & Production Rules
Support Libraries
Architecture
Related Efforts
• EWG/X12 Joint Core Components initiative
– Started in fall, 2000
– Continuing, but dependent on CEFACT reorg
• UBL
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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
decade to establish an international
e-commerce standard.”
“It is clear that ebXML will soon
become the standard for all global trade.
By implementing ebXML, GCI takes
advantage of the excellent work that’s
being accomplished to streamline many
EDI processes and remove waste and
redundancy from supply chains.”
“ebXML provides a platform on
which to build standards ... that are
developed faster and yet supported
by a rich set of software tools.”
For More Information
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ebXML - www.ebxml.org
UN/CEFACT - www.unece.org/cefact
OASIS - www.oasis-open.org
Critical Analysis of ebXML www.rawlinsecconsulting.com