UBL Briefing

1
UBL Briefing

• Jon Bosak, Sun Microsystems
• Chair, OASIS UBL Technical Committee
• Generic Briefing
• Web Version
• 30 April 2002

2
Goals for B2B

• Extend the benefits of EDI beyond the Fortune 500
• Web-enable 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.
3
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 ebXML

4
Why UBL

• XML alone doesn't solve anything we need
  agreed-upon semantics for the payload
• UBL standardizes the XML syntax for
  cross-industry business semantics
• UBL fulfills the promise of XML for business by
  defining a specific standard vocabulary
• UBL plus web service technology enables the next
  generation of EDI
• Cheaper, easier, Internet-ready
• Extends benefits of EDI to SMEs

5
UBL Advantages

• Starts with the low-hanging fruit (invoices,
  purchase orders, shipping notices, price
  catalogs...)
• Provides easily-understood transition from
  traditional EDI and fax-based business practices
• Gets small businesses on board
• Fits existing legal and trade concepts
• Allows re-use of data (analysis, reporting)
• Hides details internal to an enterprise
• Defers the rocket science for later

6
UBL Deliverables

• Library of standard XML business document
  components (core library)
• 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
• Core library and basic documents 2002
• Context methodology 2003

7
Basic UBL Documents

• Procurement
• Purchase Order, P.O. Response, P.O. Change
• Materials management
• Advance Ship Notice, Planning Schedule, Goods
  Receipt
• Payment
• Commercial Invoice, Remmitance Advice
• Transport/logistics
• Consignment Status Request, Consignment Status
  Report, Bill of Lading
• Catalogs
• Price Catalog, Product Catalog
• Statistical reports
• Accounting report

8
UBL Inputs

• xCBL 3.0 (an existing XML business library in the
  public domain)
• ebXML (ISO 11179) naming rules
• ebXML Context Methodology
• ebXML Core Components Technical Specification
• W3C XML and XDR Recommendations

9
Some UBL Participants

• APACS
• Boeing
• Commerce One
• Danish Bankers Association
• France Telecom
• General Electric
• Government of Hong Kong
• Government of Korea
• HP
• Intuit
• 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

10
UBL Differentiators

• 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

11
A2A vs. B2B

• A2A (e.g., OAGIS)
• Binds data (nouns) to process (verbs)
• Crosses application boundaries
• Exposes internal process details
• Optimized for performance and integration

• B2B (e.g., EDI, UBL)
• Separates data and process
• Crosses enterprise boundaries
• Hides internal process details
• Optimized for persistence and collaboration

12
UBL as an Interchange Format
13
UBL Liaisons

• ACORD (insurance industry)
• EIDX (electronics industry)
• ARTS (retail sales)
• RosettaNet (information technology)
• XBRL (accounting)
• X12 (EDI)
• UN/EDIFACT (EDI)

14
International Standardization

• OASIS is a Class A Liaison to ISO TC 154
  (Processes, data elements, and documents in
  commerce, industry, and administration) the
  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

15
UBL and Core Components

• UBL is committed to international semantic
  standardization (UN/CEFACT CC)
• The editor of the CC tech spec and former leader
  of the Joint X12/EWG CC Initiative is vice chair
  of the OASIS UBL TC and also vice chair and
  editor of the UBL Naming and Design Rules SC.
  Were for CC!
• But UBL starts with about 4x the content of CC...
• We tried mapping from CC to UBL but gave up
• Now were committed to mapping from UBL to CC and
  contributing the results to the UN CC effort

16
UBL TC Meetings

• First meeting 29 October 1 November 2001 in
  Menlo Park, California
• Second meeting 22 25 January 2002 in Menlo
  Park, California
• Third meeting 18 22 March 2002 in Barcelona,
  Spain, hosted by the UN/EDIFACT Working Group
• Fourth meeting 3 7 June 2002 in Minneapolis,
  Minnesota, hosted by ASC X12
• Fifth meeting in September on the East Coast, TBD
• Sixth meeting in January on the West Coast, TBD

17
OASIS UBL Subcommittees

• Naming and Design Rules Subcommittee
• Library Content Subcommittee
• Context Methodology Subcommittee
• Context Drivers Subcommittee
• Tools and Techniques Subcommittee
• Liaison Subcommittee

The OASIS UBL TC is open to public comment, and
every UBL subcommittee has its own publicly
visible mailing list. Subcommittees meet mostly
by phone.
18
UBL Naming and Design Rules Subcommittee

• Chair Eve Maler lteve.maler_at_sun.comgt
• Vice Chair and Editor Mark Crawford
  ltmcrawford_at_lmi.orggt
• Archive http//lists.oasis-open.org/archives/ubl-
  ndrsc
• Web page http//oasis-open.org/committees/ubl/ndr
  sc/

19
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
• First position drafts available for review (see
  http//oasis-open.org/committees/ubl/ndrsc/ )

20
UBL Library Content Subcommittee

• Chair Tim McGrath lttmcgrath_at_portcomm.com.augt
• Vice Chair Marion Royal ltmarion.royal_at_gsa.govgt
• Archive http//lists.oasis-open.org/archives/ubl-
  lcsc
• Web page http//oasis-open.org/committees/ubl/lcs
  c/

21
LC SC Progress Report

• Straw schemas for Purchase Order and associated
  library components now available for review (see
  http//oasis-open.org/committees/ubl/lcsc/ )
• Not backward-compatible with xCBL 3.0
• Current review cycle ends 13 May 2002

22
UBL Context Methodology Subcommittee

• Chair Matthew Gertner ltmatthew.gertner_at_schemantix
  .comgt
• Editor Eduardo Gutentag lteduardo.gutentag_at_sun.com
  gt
• Archive http//lists.oasis-open.org/archives/ubl-
  cmsc
• Web page http//oasis-open.org/committees/ubl/cms
  c/

23
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

24
CM SC Progress Report

• Have reviewed ebXML Methodology and are
  considering proposed changes
• Have reviewed existing context drivers and are
  considering proposed additions

25
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

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For More Information

• OASIS UBL Technical Committee
• http//oasis-open.org/committees/ubl
• UBL white paper
• http//oasis-open.org/committees/ubl/msc/200204/ubl
  .pdf
• UBL public comment and news list
• http//lists.oasis-open.org/archives/ubl-comment

To join the OASIS UBL Technical Committee,
contact jon.bosak_at_sun.com