ebXML: Moving Forward
- Technical Overview
Patrick Gannon
President & C.E.O.
OASIS
Copyright OASIS, 2001
ebXML enables
anyone, anywhere
to do business
with anyone else
over the Internet
Copyright OASIS, 2001
ebXML Provides a Standard Way to:
• Exchange business messages
• Conduct trading relationships
• Communicate data in common terms
• Define and register business
processes
Copyright OASIS, 2001
ebXML History
• Begun as 18-month initiative in November
1999
• Specifications delivered on schedule in
May 2001
• Developed in an open process by more
than 4500 participants representing 2000
organizations in 150 countries on virtually
every continent
Copyright OASIS, 2001
• United Nations
Center for Trade
Facilitation and
Electronic Business
• Developers of
EDIFACT
• One of four
organizations in the
world that can set de
jure standards
• World’s largest
independent, nonprofit organization
dedicated to the
standardization of
XML applications
• More than 400
members in 26
countries
Copyright OASIS, 2001
What does ebXML do?
• Lowers the cost/complexity of electronic
business
• Facilitates global trade and puts SMEs and
developing nations in the picture
• Expands electronic business to new and
existing trading partners
• Converges current and emerging XML efforts
• Eliminates dependence by supporting any
language, any payload, any transport
Copyright OASIS, 2001
ebXML Specs--Modular Suite
• Technical Architecture
• Business Process
• Registry and Repository
• Collaboration Protocol Profile and
Agreement
• Message Services
• Core Components
Copyright OASIS, 2001
ebXML: Built on Existing Standards
• HTTP
• TCP/IP
• MIME
• SMTP
• FTP
• UML
• SOAP
• XML
Copyright OASIS, 2001
The ebXML Technical
Architecture
Copyright OASIS, 2001
ebXML Architecture
Business Process and Information Models
UML to XML conversion
Retrieval of New or
Updated ebXML Models
Registration
Repository
Retrieval of Profiles &
new or updated ebXML
Models
Retrieval of ebXML Specifications & Models
Internal Bus App
Build
Implementers
Build
Shrinkwrap App
TPA
Biz Service
Interface
ebXML
Transport
Transport
Biz Service
Interface
Package
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Usage Example
1
3
2
4
11
8 TPA Accepted
DO
BUSINESS!
7 Submit TPA
6
10
Specifications
Profiles
5
9
Scenarios
ebXML BO Library
ebXML BP Model
Copyright OASIS, 2001
ebXML Technical Framework
Copyright OASIS, 2001
ebXML Business Operational
View
Lexicon
Business Knowledge
Build
Library
Core Components &
Core Processes
Business Objects &
Business Processes
Analysis Artifacts
Design Artifacts
Activity Diagrams
Collaboration Diagrams
Sequence Diagrams
State Diagrams
Conceptual Class
Diagrams
Final Class
Diagrams
Requirements Artifacts
Use Cases Diagrams
Use Cases Description
Business Process and Information Models
Copyright OASIS, 2001
ebXML Functional Service
View
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Transformation Rules
Copyright OASIS, 2001
ebXML metamodel in a staged
approach
• You may use TRP section without the rest
– To exchange your own message structures via TRP
• You may use Information section without the rest
– To define message structures to be used in some other TRP
• You may use Process section without the rest
– You may optionally define contract semantics of a process
• You may use Market section without the rest
– To create an independent set of yellow or white pages
• Or: - Use all of them to reach the full vision of ebXML
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Trading-Partner Agreement
Mission
• Define a specification for creating the IT
part of a partner profile and a TPA, which
is a combination of two partner profiles
TPA
• IT configuration file, specifies only things
that TRP messaging service can manage
and enforce
• No business information
• Derive from BP metamodel
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Trading-Partner Agreement
Possibilities
Capabilities
Agreements
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Business Process
Business Operational Map
Business Category
Business Process
Agreement
Partner Type
Business Collaboration
Economic Resource
Business Requirements View
Request Document
Role
Business Transaction
Response Document
Business Transaction View
Request Message
Business Service
Service Transaction
Response Message
Business Service View
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Core Components
Context
Domain: Matl Mgmt
Industry: Auto
Regulatory: Safety
Create Long Term
Contract
•Ship Notice
ProdId
Change Lvl
Forecast Component
Requirements
Part Number
Send Planning Document
Customer
Container
Supplier
Place Order
Ship Materials
Serialized ID
Ship’d Qty
Arrange Payment
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Core Components
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Registry & Repository
ebXML specification
Schemas TPP
Objects w. MetaData
Reference Content
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Registry & Repository
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Messaging Services
e.g. HTTP or SMTP
MIME
An XML document
inside a MIME
Body Part
Each Header Part
is a top level
element within an
XML Document
Transport Envelope
Message Envelope
Header
Header
Part
Header
Part
Header
Part
...
Either:
• a single MIME
body part, or
• a multi-part MIME
message
Payload
Message
Payload Part
Message
Manifest
Message
Header
Error
Message
...
<EdNote>It is likely that additional Header
Parts will be specified in later versions of
this specification </EdNote>
Message
Payload Part
Message
Payload Part
...
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Now that ebXML specs are available...
• Do I have to choose between EDI and ebXML?
• How does ebXML fit into web services?
• How does ebXML work in relation to other
standards such as UDDI, SOAP…?
• Who’s implementing ebXML now?
• Is ebXML going to replace industry specific
vocabularies?
• Can I implement some ebXML specs and not
others?
• What’s next?
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Do I have to choose between
EDI and ebXML?
Copyright OASIS, 2001
“ebXML is not a replacement for EDI.
Large companies that have spent billions
developing EDI systems can run those in parallel
with ebXML. ebXML allows large companies to
trade with smaller partners who don’t have EDI.”
Copyright OASIS, 2001
No business communicates
solely in its supply chain
EDI
• Limited to large
organizations
• High cost-of-entry
• Rigid message sets
• Used by 5% of
enterprises outside
the Fortune 1000
ebXML
• Takes advantage of
cheap Internet
technology
• Built on EDI
experience with input
from EDI community
• Preserves EDI
investment
• Designed for the
other 95%
Copyright OASIS, 2001
How does ebXML fit into
web services?
Copyright OASIS, 2001
“ebXML, SOAP and XHTML have
emerged as technologies likely
to provide the foundations for
future Web services.”
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Web Services
• Step 1: Description
– WSDL
– ebXML CPP Spec and ebXML Business Process Spec
• Step 2: Publication and Discovery
– UDDI
– ebXML Registry Spec
• Step 3: Invocation
– SOAP over HTTP
– ebXML Messaging Spec integrating SOAP, HTTP
Copyright OASIS, 2001
WSDL and ebXML CPP
WSDL provides:
ebXML CPP provides:
 Service name
 Service parameters
 Endpoint for
invocation
 Service name
 Service parameters
 Endpoint for
invocation
 Role of an
organization in the
context of a service
 Error-handling
 Failure scenarios
Copyright OASIS, 2001
WSDL and ebXML BP
WSDL identifies
ebXML BP identifies
 Business processes
 Business processes
 Roles an organization
must play
 Messages being
exchanged
Copyright OASIS, 2001
“ebXML and UDDI are likely to end up as
complementary solutions in E-business
systems... UDDI should help accelerate
the integration of systems used in
marketplaces, while ebXML aims to
standardize how XML is used in general
business integration.”
Copyright OASIS, 2001
“Although ebXML does not rely on the UDDI
service registry, instead providing one of its
own, it does not exclude interoperability with
UDDI, making it possible for businesses to
locate ebXML-ready services through UDDI
registries. Because ebXML goes beyond UDDI
to include key data for building b-to-b
partnerships and transactions, there's a clear
advantage to its use.”
Copyright OASIS, 2001
UDDI and ebXML Registry Spec
UDDI
 Basic identification
 Industry
classification
 Technical capabilities
ebXML Registry Spec
 Basic identification
 Industry
classification
 Technical capabilities
 Search capability
 Retrieval of objects in
corresponding
repositories
NOTE: ebXML offers a way to use UDDI to locate ebXML
registries http://www.ebxml.org/specs/rrUDDI.pdf
Copyright OASIS, 2001
ebXML Messaging Spec and SOAP
• ebXML uses SOAP with Attachments,
wrapping XML SOAP format in MIME
envelopes
• MIME envelopes allow SOAP/ebXML
messages to include non-XML content
such as digitized images or programming
code as attachments
Copyright OASIS, 2001
An Important Distinction
SOAP, UDDI, WSDL
• Developed by a small
group of vendor
companies
ebXML
• Developed in an open
process by more than
4500 participants
representing
2000 organizations in
150 countries on
virtually every
continent
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Who’s implementing
ebXML now?
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Backed by Vendors
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Is ebXML going to replace
industry specific vocabularies?
Copyright OASIS, 2001
“ebXML provides a platform on which to
build standards that are developed faster
and yet supported by a rich set of
software tools.”
Copyright OASIS, 2001
ebXML Adoption Making Headlines
• RosettaNet Adopts ebXML in RNIF
• Covisint (GM, Ford, Daimler-Chrysler)
Supports ebXML for Automotive Industry
• OpenTravel Alliance Specs Recommend ebXML
• Open Applications Group Integrates ebXML into
182 Business Transaction Standards
• Global Commerce Initiative (GCI) Adopts ebXML
in Data Exchange Standard for B2B Trade in
Consumer Goods
Copyright OASIS, 2001
“Unlike the general category of Web
services, which has seen its share of
vendor adaptation, ebXML has been
successful in attracting the support of
industry heavyweights across all
industries.”
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Backed by Industry Groups
The Open Healthcare Group
Copyright OASIS, 2001
“We've got to pound a stake in the ground
and move forward. ebXML is the stake
we've chosen.”
Jeff Cripps
Director of Industry Relations
Covisint
(eBusiness exchange founded by General Motors, Ford and Daimler-Chrysler)
Copyright OASIS, 2001
What’s next?
Copyright OASIS, 2001
ebXML Work Continues
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
OASIS UN/CEFACT ebXML Coordination Cmte
OASIS UN/CEFACT ebXML Marketing Team
OASIS UN/CEFACT ebXML Tech Architecture
OASIS ebXML Collaboration Protocol Profile TC
OASIS ebXML Implementation/Interoperability TC
OASIS ebXML Messaging Services TC
OASIS ebXML Registry TC
UN/CEFACT e-Business Transition Ad hoc WG
(eBTWG)
Copyright OASIS, 2001
What do I need to remember
about ebXML?
Copyright OASIS, 2001
ebXML Moving Forward
• ebXML specs are complete and publicly available.
• ebXML integrates SOAP and seeks convergence
with other standards.
• ebXML is being adopted by standards groups around
the world including RosettaNet, GCI, Covisint, OAGI,
OMG, OpenTravel Alliance, HL7…
• ebXML products are being announced daily by
companies that include Bind Systems, XML Global…
• UN/CEFACT and OASIS jointly support ebXML.
Copyright OASIS, 2001
Get involved in ebXML
•
•
•
•
Download the specs from www.ebxml.org
Join OASIS
Subscribe to ebXML-DEV mail list
Review public archives of OASIS ebXML
TC work
• Encourage your industry group to adopt
ebXML specifications in standards
• Specify ebXML-compliance from
providers
Copyright OASIS, 2001
“With its long list of provisions, from security
and messaging to workflow processes and
QoS (quality of service) agreements between
trading partners, ebXML is shaping up to
provide the most comprehensive way to
advance e-business integration.”
Copyright OASIS, 2001
“ebXML is our only chance this decade
to establish an international
e-commerce standard.”
Copyright OASIS, 2001
www.ebxml.org
Copyright OASIS, 2001