Ebxml : The Technical Reports - 02 edition

Preface
You hold in your hands the richest source of supplemental Electronic Business Extensible Markup Language (ebXML) technical information on the planet. Taken directly from the sources of ebXML activity, the technical reports and white papers that unfold in the pages of this book are official ebXML documents produced through a joint initiative between the United Nations Centre For Trade Facilitation And Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) and Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS).

UN/CEFACT and OASIS started the ebXML initiative in the fall of 1999 with a mission to "provide an open XML-based infrastructure enabling the global use of electronic business information in an interoperable, secure and consistent manner by all parties." A key collection of the resulting documents created by this unprecedented initiative is in this book.

A direct complement to the official ebXML: The Technical Specifications (0-13-034798-1), produced by UN/CEFACT and OASIS and published by Prentice Hall PTR as part of the Internet and World Wide Web Specifications series, ebXML: The Technical Reports contains a wealth of information I believe you'll find vital to the success of your ebXML development efforts.

The material you'll find in this book fall into two distinct categories: technical reports and white papers. The Technical Reports part of this book contains guidelines for you to follow as you interpret and implement the ebXML technical specifications, as well as catalogs of foundational material based on the ebXML technical specifications and related reports. The White Papers part of this book provides you with an overview of ongoing work within the ebXML project teams. The following Introduction provides a brief overview of each section of this book and the chapters it contains.

In the preface to ebXML: The Technical Specifications, I wrote that ebXML is a landmark of technological evolution rooted in XML and based on open standards (such as HTTP, TCP/IP, MIME, and other open and public standards) that promises to spark a revolution in electronic business. As a set of related specifications developed by more than 75 companies spanning the globe, ebXML was designed specifically for business in the Internet age. By enabling entirely digital business transactions that are modular, transport-independent, and loosely coupled by design, ebXML effectively brings Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) to the Internet and World Wide Web.

If you already own ebXML: The Technical Specifications, you might recall from that book that more than 2000 individuals from over 30 countries ultimately contributed to ebXML 1.0. This massive worldwide collaboration was undertaken to ensure that the standard solved the fundamental business requirements established by a wide range of participants. Although it is possible to run EDI over public networks, doing so is typically off-limits to many small and medium-sized businesses because of the high cost associated with implementation, infrastructure, and support. ebXML, on the other hand, was designed from the onset to run over public networks using open and publicly available standards, making ebXML a viable and cost-effective solution for small, medium, and large companies. Consequently, ebXML deployment costs are expected to be minimal as compared to EDI and proprietary electronic business framework alternatives.

ebXML is new when compared to the venerable EDI practices that have been around for nearly three decades, yet ebXML is already proving itself in the marketplace. As this book went to press, a variety of companies had embraced ebXML as a solution for business-to-business (B2B) electronic commerce, and many more were poised to jump headfirst into the swelling ebXML pool.

The technical reports and white papers in this book are a natural complement to ebXML: The Technical Specifications, which, when taken together, are the master keys to unlocking the future of global electronic business.

Walsh, Aaron E. : Boston, Massachusetts