Electronic repository of business profiles, processes, and document templates

Electronic repository of business profiles, processes, and document templates – a tool for partner collaboration in supply chains

Enterprises perform daily market analyses and make decisions based on numerous economic and operational indicators regarding which materials to procure, from which suppliers, under what terms, and which product portfolio to deliver to which markets, to which customers, and under what conditions. Similar decisions apply to subcontractors and service providers for many core business activities, such as banking, insurance, training, advertising, etc. Therefore, when seeking a partner in the supply chain, it is necessary to publish basic company data (a business card), available resources, methods of operation in the market (implemented processes), and the types and formats of exchanged documents—in other words, the company’s business profile. The exchange of such data requires potential partners to establish information structures, communication protocols and mechanisms, levels of security and trust, technological infrastructure, etc.

Developed under the auspices of international standardization organizations UN/CEFACT1 and OASIS2, the ebXML (electronic business eXtensible Markup Language) standard is the foundation for creating an open, XML-based (eXtensible Markup Language) common business language and global electronic market infrastructure. The fundamental premise of ebXML is to enable collaboration via the Internet for all business entities, regardless of size or geographical location. The standard is based on defined registries, profiles, and business processes, as well as templates for exchanged documents, defining the protocols and mechanisms that enable the establishment and conduct of business collaboration. EbXML takes the form of a set of complementary specifications describing key elements of IT and information architecture, which consist of:
– ebXML Technical Architecture Specification
– Business Process Specification Schema (ebXML BPSS)
– Registry Information Model
– Registry Services Specification (ebXML RSS)
– Collaboration-Protocol Profile (ebXML CPP) and Agreement (ebXML CPA) Specification.

The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” No. 4/2005.