Prologue

Over 25 years ago, the idea of electronic business was born to eliminate the use of paper documents for exchanging business data, by linking computer systems together so that the data could be sent from one system to the other. This concept became known as Electronic Data Interchange ( EDI ). The advantages of EDI are still valid today: no reentering of data and therefore fewer errors, if any. However, looking at the numbers of companies with EDI, one must wonder why every business is not using it. Among the top 10,000 companies in the world (the Fortune 1000 in the top 10 countries ), almost all are using EDI, 98%, to be exact. However, for the rest of the world only 5% of the companies are EDI users. In other words, millions of companies are still using faxes and paper documents instead of e-business. Why? The answer is well known: startup cost. EDI saves a lot of money, but only over time.

In order to reduce the cost of EDI so its implementation becomes routine and inexpensive, one would have to agree to a single data format for a particular EDI message. This step would allow software vendors to create an EDI application that would have a large enough market to reduce the cost for small and medium- sized companies to be able to afford. This situation will never happen. So what does it take for software companies to build software that's not tailored for each of the different EDI message implementations , but is able to adapt to the different data requirements for a particular customer and its trading partners ?

The answer is to capture the business processes and associated information needs for a particular business goal in an unambiguous way that can be processed by a computer program. Instead of looking at the data requirements based on internal legacy database records, business experts identify the collaborations with other parties in order to achieve a certain business goal. Those collaborations are then documented in business process and information models.This book describes the latest efforts that followed this path of e-business standards called ebXML (Electronic Business XML).

The United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business, known as UN/CEFACT, saw the potential for such an initiative (ebXML) by making the dream of business data exchange a reality for millions of smaller businesses. In partnering with OASIS, business knowledge was merged with XML experience. ebXML gave UN/CEFACT the chance to apply its rich experience in business semantics ”the data exchanged between parties in transactions ”as well as its more recent work in crafting a methodology for describing businesses processes.

These business aspects of ebXML offer more businesses more opportunities for exchanging more data, more easily and with more business partners than ever before. This book tells the story about ebXML for businesspeople, outlining the issues facing business of all sizes and how ebXML can address them. Unlike other specifications generated by a few companies, usually technology vendors, the ebXML specifications represent a global consensus across industry and geographic boundaries, taking in the views of vendors and business users alike.

The ebXML initiative released the first version of its specifications following the plenary meetings held in May 2001 in Vienna, Austria. As of production of this book, software vendors are expected to deliver ebXML-compliant products very soon. One of the other key drivers will be the creation and adoption by industry bodies and associations of registries of business semantic information that will allow their members to build consistent application software systems. Particularly important is how well legacy EDI formats can be migrated to and based around the ebXML registry and associated core component business information guidelines.

While all this is important, perhaps the most important factor is that of mindshare or commitment. That mindshare means the will to succeed and the confidence to inspire businesses around the world to commit to using the ebXML specifications and stepping from the current paradigm to a new world and a new age in the chapter of world trade and human endeavor.

The next moves now are up to the businesspeople who want to take advantage of these powerful technologies to reap the benefits of exchanging data with their business partners, as the larger companies have done so well. This book describes in compelling terms the ebXML ideas and shows how you can use them in your business. As business managers, your job is to make the important decisions that affect the future of your business. Along with Alan and David, the authors of this book, I urge you to consider the benefits of ebXML compliance in your next e-business systems. It will be a decision that will pay off well for your business for many years to come.

” Klaus-Dieter Naujok

Chief Scientific Officer, IONA Technologies Inc. Chair of ebXML