The openXchange Scenario

The openXchange project has developed a complex environment to automise business process integration. It includes a reference archicture, business process models, prototypes and pilot implementations based on specifications of ebXML. The document downloadable below gives an overview over the vision behind openXchange and the scientific approach as well as the pilot implementations.

The openXchange Scenario

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Motivation

Electronic business is changing the way information is exchanged between multiple organisations. Being linked to the Internet, every organisation is enabled to exchange data with any other organisation. In the business-to-consumer segment the Internet is already used widely as a new sales channel. However, looking at the business-to-business segment, processes and activities differ from these transactions. It is not sufficient to just present product information in a browser and wait for an order e-mail. In contrast to individuals, organisations are equipped with computer systems and standardised processes to administer the every day work.

B-to-B-Integration

In order to enable organisations to be linked together electronically, a smooth integration into existing business applications is necessary. Formerly, this problem was solved using EDI transaction formats. Unfortunately, EDI applications have not been affordable for small and medium enterprises and they are only applicable between organisations with a long-term business relationship as EDI applications are very inflexible to install and maintain. With the pervasiveness of the Internet the XML standard came up promising to solve both the infrastructure and the flexibility problem. Several initiatives have been founded to establish XML schemas that define transactions for electronic business processes. However, all these initiatives lack of particular requirements.
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Project Objectives

The openXchange overall scientific and technological objective is to build up a business process framework for the exchange of business information to enable complete business process integration. A commonly agreed set of process components for the exchange of business objects has to be defined and a prototype software tool that allows translation and conversion of proprietary formats to the standardised framework will be developed.

Business Process Framework

The business process framework is designed to suit mainly procurement requirements. Therefore, it comprises the exchange of product catalogues,

the transmission of purchase orders, acknowledgements and changes, the transmission of delivery slips and invoices. openXchange will not be an isolated solution, but will come with a translation module for formats that are already widely-accepted (e.g. ebXML, BMEcat, openTRANS and xCBL).

However, the development of the business process framework will take into future scalability to other areas of application besides procurement. The openXchange business process framework will be developed in close collaboration with companies from different industries to guarantee a cross-industry applicability and consideration of European user needs. Due to its complete approach and synchronised formats it will enable organisations to automate their processes. In other words, with the openXchange business process framework, companies will be able to build up new added value organisations, e.g. virtual enterprises. Moreover, the standardised use of modern XML technology will significantly improve the capability of organisations to react on changing market and customer needs.
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openXchange Reference Architecture

In a first step the project consortium has designed a reference architecture that will facilitate the implementation of the pilot sites. This architecture consists of 4 phases. The modelling phase comprises the formal description and notation of the “external” oriented business processes between trading partners. In the profiling phase the company profiles are stored in a registry based on the modelling information of the business processes. The profile defines the particular capabilities and demands of the company’s organisation and of its information system and furthermore describes the interfaces of the process and document exchange to its information system.