Re: [ubl-dev] UBL vs xCBL 4.0 - and SAP implementations

[david.lyon@preisshare.net]

Quoting Roger Bass <roger@traxian.com>:

> As far as XML-based B2B goes, I see a fair amount of this out there
> around cXML, albeit still small scale. Bigger suppliers are always first
> - the usual 80/20. cXML seems to have started filtering down to SMBs,
> and we're doing some of that.

Depends on which vertical you are talking about and which country. In  
many verticals there's little or no xml, even with the big players.  
It's just damn impossible to get an xml file out of *most* companies.  
Mostly they'll either give you a web site or send csv or some sort of  
text.

Of course, if you're in finance, with the really good budgets then it  
may well be different. If you're working for a big organisation with  
some money to burn then maybe then you are surrounded in xml.

In my experience, there has been a resurgence of using plain text in  
the last few years. Either that, or everybody uses some version of an  
office file.

> Vertical industry XML standards are
> generally more business critical by definition, which tends to mean more
> complexity and cost - either from reliable/secure messaging requirements
> (any of them are harder than plain https), and/or needs for tighter
> coupling of processes (which drives importance of various kinds of
> special tags or data). Given all that, indirect purchasing, and perhaps
> government in particular, seems like a relatively sweet spot for SMB B2B
> adoption. Where the conditions I described above are met, e.g. with a
> government or enterprise that has implemented an XML interface, and
> wants to see SMB partners adopt it, my company can connect applications
> the SMB suppliers are using - QuickBooks in particular, but others too
> via more loosely coupled approaches.

At the end of the day it, it just comes down to what people will buy  
and what can be sold.

Another thing to understand is that XML is still very immature. It's  
under ten years old in a specification sense.

Ok, a lot of money was blown in wall street, but that was mainly spent  
on high-paid salespeople with nothing to sell. There's a few pockets  
of xml, here and there, yes, stock exchanges, finance companies etc.

But in the SME world, people just need to put a bit more time and  
money into developing UBL so that it can be more widely adopted.  
That's pretty much all there is too it.

Best Regards

David