Practical ebXML Registry uses for interoperable eBusiness Open Forum 2003 on Metadata Registries 8:40am to 10am January 22, 2003

Presenter David Webber http://drrw.net co-author of ‘ebXML – the new global standard for doing business via the internet’, New Riders Publishing Chair of the OASIS CAM TC Co-chair of OASIS/CEFACT ebXML JMT Pioneering XML eBusiness drrwebber@acm.org http://drrw.net

Agenda Part 1 – XML integration Part 2 – Demonstration / Technologies W3C approach – web-centric ebXML approach - Registry-centric / assembly / core components Upcoming Registry developments ebXML V3.0 enhancements Partner discovery / UDDI Part 2 – Demonstration / Technologies Review of OAGIS V8.0 technology ebXML Registry and Content Classification Summary / Q&A

ebXML Registry Part 1

Electronic Business Technologies This chart is based on estimated adoption figures, and known measures from the last five years expansion of internet based eCommerce and eBusiness.

ebXML Adoption Q4 - 2002 These figures are from the survey conducted in November, 2002 and available from: http://www.ebxml.org/ebxml_jmt/index.htm/#documents

Standards Chemistry Market Adoption Open Standardization Traction XML W3C web services SOAP v1.1 SOAP v1.2 W3C BPSS CEFACT eb MS v2 OASIS ebXML spec’s Market Adoption WSDL v1.2 W3C WSDL v1.1 CCSD CEFACT OAG BODs eb Reg v2 OASIS UMM/ UML UDDI v3x OASIS UDDI v3 UDDI.org Content Assembly UBL XML UN/EDIFACT SGML ISO Proprietary JCV Consortia SDO Standing Open Standardization

W3C approach Web-centric

The need for XML XML – eXtensible Markup Language. XML makes data portable. XML is a global standard with pervasive use. XML can be built from any structured data (DB’s, EDI, TEXT).

XML is self-annotating <?xml version=“1.0”?> <Data> <Item ID=“112”> <Name>Rod</Name> <Price>12.00</Price> <Units>1</Units> </Item> <Item ID=“114”> <Name>Reel</Name> <Price>15.00</Price> <Units>1</Units> </Item> <Item ID=“120”> <Name>Bait</Name> <Price>24.00</Price> <Units>3</Units> </Item> </Data>

XML Management Challenges <lat_deg>30N</lat_deg> <latitude units=“degrees” hemisphere=“north”>30</latitude> <latitude> <hemisphere>N</hemisphere> <degrees>30</degrees> </latitude> XML schemas and XML documents can be developed with a text editor, although there are free or cheaply-available tools to assist in their production. This creates a situation where the bar is so low that it becomes trivial to develop a vocabulary – one that is well-formed and valid and non-interoperable with others. These 3 XML fragments are: Equally valid ways to express the same data in XML Well-formed per W3C Specification Different terms and syntax NOT INTEROPERABLE!

Lessons Learned Expect Heterogeneity! No Single Standard can be imposed! Various industry communities will adopt multiple “standards:” Government (message, database, symbology), Commercial, International, de facto/legacy etc.

W3C Schema Provides Definition of all permitted element structural combinations Ability to define local typing constraints Ability to create re-usable chunks of structure elements

W3C Schema weaknesses Permitted combinations of attributes within elements Content assembled from multiple namespaces and cross-associations Context mechanism has to be externally resolved using XSLT All semantics are in the schema

ebXML Approach registry-centric assembly and context core components legacy non-XML payloads

What does ebXML do? “Who, What, When, How” Trading Profile Management and Discovery. Assembly of transaction content. Establishing consistent data definitions Business Process Collaboration. Message Handling Services Web Services

ebXML Registry Mission Collaboration - give industry groups and enterprises the ability to share business semantic information and business process interfaces. Semantics - provide universal infrastructure that seamlessly delivers semantic integration into business applications. Interfaces - open deployment machine-to-machine and user web enabled visual.

Registry Interactions : Registry User Interface Registry Search Tools and Information Engine Business Analyst Access Content / Rules Information Profiles and Transform Mapping Templates Interchange Program Level Semantics Industry Business Standards Registry Protocol Standards ebXML, ISO11179, OASIS, UDDI, xCBL, RosettaNet, Biztalk XML/ EDI Software Developers / Tools

ebXML Registry capabilities Provides services for sharing information Provides publishing and discovery of information Accessible as a web service Communicates using XML based request and responses Provides mechanisms to store and retrieve persistent information Includes a Repository

XML itself is not enough XML, by itself, does not solve interoperability problems yet it is an important tool for doing so. XML does not provide semantics. XML by itself is not the magic bullet. What we really need is a consistent set of methods for building interoperable eBusiness systems using XML – “railroads and telephony”.

XML Information Exchange Quality (and long-term consistency) ebXML Secure Authenticated Delivery and Tracking: ebXML Messaging system, envelope format and payload with exchange source profile (CPP) controls Delivery Assembly XML Content Assembly: Business logic for content structure decisions and explicit rules to enforce content, and interdependencies, with business exchange context, and content definition UID references Schema: Content structure definition and simple content typing Schema Registry/ Dictionary business information UID content referencing system ensures consistent definition usage UID

Consistent Meaning Business Collaboration Partner #1 Collaboration XML Instance XML Instance Data <ListPrice>9.99</ListPrice> <UnitPrice>9.99</UnitPrice> Machine-to-Machine <Currency>$</Currency>

Context Everywhere! OAG304 Schema or Template Schema or Template Registry OAG304 Collaboration Partner #2 UnitPrice Dollars Collaboration Partner #1 ListPrice Currency Schema or Template Schema or Template <Rep href= “http://www.oag.org”>OAG</Rep> <ELEMENT rep= ‘OAG’ name=‘ListPrice’ uid =‘OAG304 > <Rep href= “http://www.oag.org”>OAG</Rep> <ELEMENT rep= ‘OAG’ name=‘UnitPrice uid =‘OAG304 > XML Instance XML Instance Data <ListPrice>9.99</ListPrice> <UnitPrice>9.99</UnitPrice> <Currency>$</Currency> UIDs allow for domain crosswalks and light transactions

Classification Structure Industry HealthCare Automotive Retail Taxonomies e.g. Dewey Decimal Geography USA Japan Europe Toyota:object Ford:object BMW:object Nissan:object Chevy:object

Information Methodologies TOP DOWN APPROACH UMM / UML Modeling BOTTOM UP APPROACH UN/CEFACT Core Components Payload Metadata Final Business Payload Payload Metadata Information Components Legacy Data

Registry-centric benefits Legacy payloads can be used “as is” Supports vocabulary alignment and multi-lingual element tags Minimizes overhead in payload itself – can be just simple structure Provides ability to do automated mapping Uses Content Assembly Mechanism to capture business rules and context parameters (OASIS CAM TC)

Business Process Pyramid   Collaboration Partner Agreements Collaboration Partner Profiles 5 Contract Business Integration Registry Taxonomy BP Specification 4 Workflow Process XForms Specifications Schema 3 Messages Assemblies Artifact relationships Web Services 2 Motivation Time People Presentation Roles Rules Events This pyramid is the “snapshot” of all the critical components needed for consistent ebusiness information processes. Therefore – take-away is that XML needs to provide these BOTH as Data components, and also XML scripts. XML can describe both data and processes as Machine executable definitions. Directory Services Technology Integration Data/Codes Services/Functions Network 1 ebMS/SOAP Nouns Verbs Secure content delivery

eBusiness delivery flow     Collaboration Partner Profiles Business Process Catalogue 1 2 Collaboration Partner Agreements To/From Partner Registry Roles Events Context Rules Messages 5 Verbs BP engine Messages Nouns 3 Verbs 5 Process Nouns Payload Content Assembly Templates Secure Content Delivery 6 4 Messaging Assembly Templates Mapping Business Application Content Adaptors

Concept to Runtime Approach Business Re-usable Information Components- BRICs Registry Components Vocabularies and Industry Dictionaries Physical Conceptual Application Database Structure Choices 1 2 Required Content Structure 3 Payload Mapping Content Assembly Mechanism Template Process Engine Content References Context Values Payload / Rendering Logical

Assembly components

Registry Lookup GoXML Transform provides direct Registry lookup based on “UIDs”. UID, unique identifiers, provide a mechanism to normalize data from various parties. We create Core Components for, say a business term like telephone, then we use the UID contained in that CC in our transformation. UID lookups from Transform can be either a design-time lookup to enhance the output structure tag, or a run-time lookup to resolve codes. The code lists are found in the registry by their relationship to a given CC. Lookups can take place against a single element or an entire sub-tree. One could use this feature to convert terms used in incoming documents match those terms that are internally used. Example: Purchase order arrives, and it always says “SKU”, but internally you use the full term “Stock Keeping Unit”, or a different term like “Product Code”. Use the registry lookup to build a transformation that inserts the correct code into the transformed document. Then, use the run-time registry lookup to actually resolve the SKU code to the Product Code you use internally. The Registry Code-List facility lets you upload codes lists so you can do this.

eBusiness Runtime Components CPP/A BP Rules BPEE ebXML Message Content BPSS ebXML MS URL config Port Security I/O App Server Payload(s) O/S Registry Server

Backend Integration BP Rules BPEE API TRANSFORMS ebXML MS I/O Assembly Templates CPP/A BP Rules BPSS BPEE TRANSFORMS API ebXML MS I/O App Server Instance values Transform Templates O/S

Upcoming Features, Implementing ebXML, and Registry Demonstration Part 2 Upcoming Features, Implementing ebXML, and Registry Demonstration

Upcoming Registry Developments V3.0 ebXML, UDDI, ISO11179

New Features in Version 3.0 Cooperating registries Event notification HTTP interface to registry Content management services Iterative query support

Cooperating Registries Enables multiple ebXML Registries to work together to address user needs Based on a loosely-coupled federation model Allows local autonomy to each registry operator Enables smaller registries to access resources of larger registries Enables federated queries to multiple registries Inter-registry object references A registry may belong to multiple Federations

Event Notification Enables notification of events regarding registry objects Clients may be registry users or other registries Leverages existing Registry Services interfaces Subscription Service registers clients for notification Supports e-mail notification and programmatic Flexible notification options References to event Actual event Objects affected by the event

HTTP Interface to Registry Provides a pure HTTP interface to Registry Does not require SOAP Registry objects and Repository items addressable via URLs Allows ebXML Registries to interoperate with other types of registries Improves access to Registry content

Content Management Services Enables content management based on object type Content cataloging and validation Validate on submission Cataloging metadata applied on submission Content-based publish, discovery and subscribe User-defined relationships between content Associations of internal and external classification Invocation control file defines rules for cataloging service

Cataloging Invocation Model

Deploying ebXML Technologies Planning and Implementation Guide

Deployment Planning Incremental adoption of components and operational maturity Plan 1 year, 2 year and 5 years out. Issues, implementation criteria, ROI, support, interoperability, XML. Schema neutral content assembly. Separation of business semantics from XML mechanics. Web services and discovery.

Implementing ebXML roadmap Existing Integration New Deployment 1 Install messaging 2 Create partner delivery details 3 Document business process Agree on business process 4 Migrate existing payloads to new delivery Make assembly definitions Select payload standards Map to applications Build payload content Adopt Business Process automation - BPSS 5 Cross reference assembly to registry dictionary 6 Publish details to registry I N C R E A S I N G M A T U R I T Y

Some ebXML selection metrics B2B or large A2A Environments— extending or integrating enterprise systems, or when loosely coupled messaging is desirable Need Reliable Messaging— when enterprise services perform updates, insert, or deletes to the underlying data model, reliable messaging becomes critical Security is a Concern—when different security profiles and requirements exist between trading partners High scalability requirements—ebXML’s loosely coupled messaging architecture allows for horizontal scalability, queuing, and clustering Want to Leverage Industry Standards—XML grammars, business process modelling and trading partner agreements

Main ebXML concepts Business Processes – defined as models in UMM, scripted in XML Business Messages – content agnostic - exchanged using ebMS Trading Partner Agreement – specifies parameters for businesses to interface with each other – expressed in XML Messaging Layer – moves the actual XML data between trading partners – ebMS Core components – library of pre-defined business vocabulary artifacts Collaboration Registry - Provides a “container” for process models, vocabularies, assembly templates, partner profiles + discovery.

Additional Information OASIS ebXML Registry Technical Committee http://oasis-open.org/committees/regrep/ OASIS CAM (assembly) Technical Committee http://oasis-open.org/committees/cam/ ebXML.org http://www.ebxml.org/ Version 2.0 Implementations Open Source Implementation http://sourceforge.net/projects/ebxmlrr ebxmlsoft Inc. Implementation http://www.ebxmlsoft.com/ XMLGlobal Implementation http://www.xmlglobal.com/

Pioneering XML eBusiness Thank you Pioneering XML eBusiness http://www.ebXML.org http://drrw.net