ubl: the universal business language jon bosak, sun microsystems chair, oasis ubl technical...
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UBL: The Universal Business Language
Jon Bosak, Sun MicrosystemsChair, OASIS UBL Technical Committee
Web Services Edge East 2002New York City25 June 2002
Goals for Business Services
• Web-enable existing fax- and paper-based business practices
• Allow businesses to upgrade at their own pace
• Preserve the existing investment in EDI
• Integrate small and medium-size businesses into existing EDI-based supply chains
The standardization of XML business documents is the easiest way to accomplish these goals.
The Universal Business Language
• Defines a library of standard electronic business documents
• Plugs directly into existing traditional business practices
• Eliminates re-keying of data in existing fax-based supply chains
• Fills the “payload” slot in B2B frameworks such as the UN/OASIS ebXML initiative (http://ebxml.org)
UBL and ebXML
• UBL fulfills the promise of XML for business by defining a standard cross-industry vocabulary
• UBL plus ebXML enables the next generation of EDI
– Cheaper, easier, Internet-ready
– Extends benefits of EDI to small businesses
– Fits existing legal and trade concepts
– Allows re-use of data (analysis, reporting)
• UBL can provide the XML payload for a wide variety of other web-based business frameworks
Why UBL
ChemicalMfr C
C’s industrypartners
CIDX
AutoMfr B
B’s industrypartners
OAGIS
ElectronicsMfr A
A’s industrypartners
RosettaNet
UBL as an Interchange Format
UBL Deliverables• Naming and design rules for UBL XML schemas
• Library of standard XML business information entities (BIEs)
• Set of standard XML business documents (purchase order, invoice, shipping notice, price catalog, etc.)
• Context methodology to make the standard documents interoperate across industries
• Timeline:
– NDR, BIE library, and basic documents: 2002
– Context methodology: 2003
Basic UBL Documents• Procurement
– Purchase Order, P.O. Response, P.O. Change
• Materials management– Advance Ship Notice, Planning Schedule, Goods Receipt
• Payment– Commercial Invoice, Remittance Advice
• Transport/logistics– Consignment Status Request, Consignment Status Report, Bill of
Lading
• Catalogs– Price Catalog, Product Catalog
• Statistical reports– Accounting report
UBL Inputs
• xCBL 3.0 (a large existing XML business library unencumbered by intellectual property claims)
• ISO 11179 naming rules
• ebXML Context Methodology and Core Components Technical Specification
• W3C XML and XDR Recommendations
UBL is a highly pragmatic effort that builds on many years of EDI and XML standards work.
Some UBL ParticipantsAPACS
Boeing
Commerce One
Danish Bankers Association
France Telecom
General Electric
Government of Hong Kong
Government of Korea
HP
IBM
KPMG
LMI
Northrop Grumman
Oracle
PricewaterhouseCoopers
SAP
SeeBeyond
Sterling Commerce
Sun Microsystems
U.K. Cabinet Office
United Parcel Service
U.S. General Services Administration
U.S. Navy
Visa International
OASIS
• Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards
• Non-profit
• Open, publicly visible process
• Open membership
• http://oasis-open.org
• http://xml.org
• OASIS is a Class A Liaison to ISO TC 154, the international standards body for electronic commerce syntax
• OASIS is a member of the Management Group for the ISO IEC ITU UN/CEFACT Memo of Understanding on Electronic Commerce Standards
• UBL is on the continuing agenda of the ISO IEC ITU UN/CEFACT MoU/MG
• UBL is intended to become a de jure standard for global electronic commerce
International Standardization
OASIS UBL SubcommitteesTechnical SCs
– Naming and Design Rules*
– Context Methodology*
– Tools and Techniques
Content SCs– Library Content*– (future domain-
specific SCs)
Administrative SCs– Marketing– Administration– Liaison– SC Chairs
* These SCs have their own web portals in addition to the main UBL TC portal
UBL Naming and Design Rules Subcommittee
• Chair: Eve Maler <[email protected]>
• Vice Chair and Editor: Mark Crawford
• Archive: http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/ubl-ndrsc
• Web page: http://oasis-open.org/committees/ubl/ndrsc/
NDR SC Progress Report• Canonical schema language: XSD• Canonical naming rules: ebXML (ISO 11179)• Position papers
– Modularity– Namespaces– Versioning– Type Derivation– Elements vs. Attributes– Code Lists
• Position drafts are available for review (see http://oasis-open.org/committees/ubl/ndrsc/ )
UBL Library Content Subcommittee
• Chair: Tim McGrath <[email protected]>
• Vice Chair: Marion Royal <[email protected]>
• Archive: http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/ubl-lcsc
• Web page: http://oasis-open.org/committees/ubl/lcsc/
LC SC Progress Report
• UBL will not be backward-compatible with xCBL 3.0
• First schemas for Purchase Order and associated library BIEs are available for review (see http://oasis-open.org/committees/ubl/lcsc/ )
• Send comments to ubl-comment list
UBL Context Methodology Subcommittee
• Chair: Matthew Gertner <[email protected]>
• Editor: Eduardo Gutentag <[email protected]>
• Archive: http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/ubl-cmsc
• Web page: http://oasis-open.org/committees/ubl/cmsc/
Context Methodology• Defines how document formats can be extended
based on specific trading partner characteristics
• Takes ebXML context rules as starting point
• Builds on experience with OO extension methodology, but will be
– More structured
– More consistent
– Easier to track
– Easier to automate
– Require a lower level of skill
CM SC Progress Report
• Have reviewed ebXML Methodology and are considering proposed changes
• Have reviewed existing context drivers and are considering proposed additions
• Completely open, public, accountable standards process
• Nonproprietary and royalty-free
• Based on UN, OASIS, and W3C specifications
• Intended for normative status under international law
• Designed for B2B
• Intended for exchange of legal documents
• Human- and machine-readable
• Compatible with existing EDI systems
UBL Differentiators
The Value of Joining Forces
• As a non-profit cross-industry effort, UBL depends on expert domain input to “get it right”
• We actively solicit industry and standards liaisons
• Organizations appoint representatives to the UBL Liaison Subcommittee
- If the organization is not an OASIS member, an individual representative joins at USD 250/year
- Telcons are held every two weeks
- Liaisons arrange for specification reviews
UBL Liaisons So Far
• ACORD (insurance industry)
• EIDX (electronics industry)
• ARTS (retail sales)
• RosettaNet (information technology)
• XBRL (accounting)
• X12 (EDI)
• UN/EDIFACT (EDI)
Summary• UBL is “the real deal” – actual standard XML
business schemas– Completes the ebXML stack
– Combines the experience of XML and business experts
• UBL is dedicated to vendor-neutral interoperability– Open process
– Unencumbered IP
– Cross-industry semantic harmonization
• UBL can enable the “B2B web”– HTML + HTTP = web publishing
– UBL + ebXML = web commerce
For More Information• OASIS UBL TC portal
– http://oasis-open.org/committees/ubl
– White papers and SC portals are linked from here
• UBL public comment and news list archive
– http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/ubl-comment
– Subscribe at http://lists.oasis-open.org/ob/adm.pl
• To join the OASIS UBL Technical Committee, contact the TC chair: [email protected]
