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The
electronic business extensible markup language, better known as ebXML,
aims to allow companies of any size to conduct business electronically
via the Internet. Obviously, companies doing business together isn't a
new idea. EDI (electronic data interchange) has been used between large
businesses to conduct electronic business since the 1960s. However, EDI
often requires the implementation of custom protocols and proprietary
message formats between the individual companies.
Because of this, its use has been restricted to larger corporations
that can absorb the initial costs required to do business in this
fashion. The goal of ebXML is to provide a flexible, open
infrastructure that will let companies of any size, anywhere in the
world, do business together.
The ebXML effort is jointly sponsored by the United Nations Centre for
Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) and OASIS, the
Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards,
along with approximately 30 other industry leaders. UN/CEFACT is also
the standards body behind EDIFACT, an EDI standard used heavily
throughout Europe and the Pacific Rim. The ebXML group has delivered three key components of a next-generation B2B infrastructure: - An XML messaging specification
- A trading partners agreement specification
- A registry/repository specification
A second
initiative at OASIS has begun to create a Universal Business Language
(UBL), essentially a standard set of XML business documents to be used
for B2B transactions. UBL is based on xCBL 3.0, which is freely
available and widely deployed.
In this article we'll explore the ebXML Registry/Repository, one of the
cornerstone components of the ebXML architecture. What Is the ebXML Registry?
The ebXML
Registry serves as a central repository that enables businesses to
share information. The ebXML Registry Services specification defines it
as "a set of services that enable sharing of information between
interested parties for the purpose of enabling business process
integration between such parties based on the ebXML specifications."
So, in addition to being a directory of content, it's a storage
mechanism. Essentially, it's a place where people can locate, store,
and retrieve objects with the intention of performing B2B transactions.
Figure 1 illustrates the role of the registry in a typical B2B
scenario.
What types of objects does the registry handle? Actually, the Registry
Information Model (RIM) is described in its entirety in another
specification (see Resources section). At its core are two key objects: the RegistryEntry and the ClassificationNode.
The RegistryEntry object is meant to contain an ebXML-specified object.
For example, a Collaboration Protocol Profile (CPP), a Collaboration
Protocol Agreement (CPA), a UBL document, or even a software component
could be held within a RegistryEntry.
ClassificationNodes are used to create tree structures that are then
used to define Classification schemes or ontologies. Most of the other
registry objects are associated with one or more RegistryEntries and
are described in Table 1.
Classifications
Before we
discuss how to interact with an ebXML Registry, it's probably
worthwhile to discuss the concept of Classifications. In an ebXML
Registry a classification hierarchy exists independent of any objects
to be classified. A classification hierarchy is described by a
collection of ClassificationNodes.
For example, we may have a "Geography" classification tree, as depicted
in Figure 2. This classification tree simply describes the hierarchy of
possible classifications. For example, it indicates that "Korea" is a
member of "Asia." Both Korea and Asia are ClassificationNodes.
When an object is stored in the registry, it can be associated with a
number of ClassificationNodes. For example, a company submitting a
document for a company in Korea could associate that document with the
Korea ClassificationNode. This is called a Classification.
Then, when someone queries for all the companies in Asia, the
Classification hierarchy is used to determine that any entry with an
association, or Classification, directly to the "Korea"
ClassificationNode is also indirectly Classified by "Asia."
When
operating with an ebXML Registry, it's important to remember the
distinction between a ClassificationNode and an actual Classification.
Both can be created, queried, and modified, so you need to know which
one you actually intend to work upon.
The Public Interfaces
How do we
access the objects described above? The ebXML Registry specification
calls for two basic interfaces for interaction with the registry: the
ObjectManager interface and the ObjectQueryManager interface.
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About the Author: Kristian Cibulskis is a freelance consultant focusing on Enterprise Java and XML solutions.
Other Recent Articles by Kristian Cibulskis
Reader Feedback | 2 Replies | Post Message
ebXML Registry English Version is now available by KTNET.
Posted by Chaemee Kim on Feb. 4 @ 12:14 AM
Dear Kristian,
This is ebXML Lead in KTNET.
I appreciate you quote KTNET's ebXML Registry in your article.
Now we're providing English Version of ebXML Registry 1.0 at http://www.gxmlhub.com/english/index.htm
Plz, revise it correctly.
The
Korea Trade Network provides an openly accessible registry service.
However, most of the site is in Korean, so if you can't read it I
suggest using something like AltaVista's Babel Fish to translate the
pages in real time.
Good article
Posted by Bobby on Mar. 7 @ 03:33 PM
v good article
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