Re: May I ask a question about UBL position in view point of application?

[jon.bosak@sun.com]

Saito-san,

I apologize again for the delay in answering your questions.

| 1. One of my friend, who is a technology executive of
|    RosettaNet Japan, told me the followings about UBL from the
|    view point of RosettaNet.
| 
|    RosettaNet is conscious to UBL.

Yes, I have had many conversations about UBL with RosettaNet staff
over the last two years.

|    The main application of UBL is procurement of MRO
|    (Maintenance and Repair and Operations) or Indirect
|    Materials. At the other hand, the main application of
|    RosettaNet is procurement of Direct Materials. There is no
|    competition each other.

That is not an inaccurate summary of the present situation as far
as it goes, but I don't think it goes quite far enough.

UBL is two things (in addition to naming and design rules,
documentation, class diagrams, formatting specifications, and
other ancillary pieces).  UBL is (1) a standard library of XML
schema components repesenting common business data objects and (2)
a small set of XML schemas providing standard forms for the basic
documents of the core order-to-invoice scenario.

It is expected that industry organizations will do two things with
these two deliverables: (1) They will develop profiles of the UBL
documents to implement the order-to-invoice scenario within their
specific industry context, hopefully by just subsetting the UBL
schemas, and (2) they will build new document types for the other
messages that are used in that industry, using the standard
components from the UBL schema library wherever possible and
contributing new components to the UBL library as necessary.

It is obvious from the examples we provide with the UBL 1.0
package (ordering office supplies, ordering building materials)
that UBL is usable "out of the box" for MRO.  But is also intended
to provide a basis upon which to construct the much larger body of
components and document types that would be needed for Direct
Materials, and I fully expect that industry bodies will build out
UBL to construct complete industrial supply chains.

I think it is important to observe that RosettaNet is primarily
being used in just one industry -- electronics.  There are
hundreds of other industries, and I believe that most of them will
base their supply chains on UBL, because UBL is free, open, and
based on a component library design, which RosettaNet PIP syntax
currently is not.

|    In the real e-business world, there are both procurement of
|    MRO and Direct Materials. Therefore, both RosettaNet and UBL
|    can be complemented mutually.

This is true now, and if that is the official story, I will be
content to allow RosettaNet to continue to say this.  But I believe
that this is not a viable strategy for RosettaNet over the long
run.

RosettaNet has already committed to replacing its outdated XML
DTDs with completely new XML formats based on a component library,
just as UBL does now.  But the fact is that RosettaNet does not
have the resources to actually carry out this work within the time
allotted.  It seems to me that the intelligent thing for
RosettaNet to do at this point would be to adopt the UBL component
library as the basis for its NextGen syntax, to develop profiles
of the UBL core document types for its basic order-to-invoice
process, and to construct the document schemas for its NextGen
PIPs using the UBL component library instead of wasting time and
effort in duplicating all of this work.  I have stated this
opinion many times in conversations with RN staff and elsewhere.

|    In this view point, OASIS has formed 'e-Procurement TC'. This
|    TC is going to do cooperation or adjustment regarding to the
|    procurement standards of e-business. Some RosettaNet members
|    participate at this TC.

I am not aware of any significant work occurring yet in this TC,
but perhaps that is simply because I have not checked recently.
My impression was that it would focus chiefly on process
definition rather than schema development, but again, I could be
wrong about this.

| 2. My questions
| (1) What is the main application of UBL?
| In another word, what application does UBL Standard designed mainly for?
| Which is the suitable description of UBL regarding application described
| below?
| -The UBL Standard is mainly designed for procurement of MRO.
| -The UBL Standard is designed for procurement of all materials or goods.
| Therefore, UBL is applicable both procurement of MRO and Direct Materials.

In its present form it is suitable for MRO, but it is designed to
provide the basis for the procurement of both MRO and Direct
Materials.

| (2) What is the application about Denmark government procurement system?
| Recently, the Danish National XML Committee has announced 'Denmark becomes
| first country to adopt OASIS UBL'.
| The news said 'Danish XML Committee decided to use UBL 0.7 to enable
| integration between systems controlled by state authorities and a newly
| implemented portal for public procurement'.

I really don't know more about this than what appeared in the
press release.  Our primary contact, Mikkel Brun, is on a
six-month vacation right now.  The people responsible for this
relationship while Mikkel is gone are Brian Nielsen <BNI@itst.dk>
and Michael Bang Kjeldgaard <mbk@itst.dk>.  I suggest that you
contact them for more specific information.

Best regards,

Jon

   From: "Yukinori Saito" <y-saito@ecom.jp>
   Cc: "UBL Localization Chairs" <ubl-l10n@lists.oasis-open.org>,
	   "EDIgr\)Tamori" <tamori@ecom.jp>, "EDIgr\)Takao" <takao@ecom.jp>,
	   "EDIgr\)K.Wakaizumi" <waka@ecom.jp>,
	   "EDIgr\)K.Mizoguchi" <mizoguchi@ecom.jp>,
	   "EDIgr\)H.Sugamata" <sugamata@ecom.jp>
   Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 11:11:21 +0900

   Dear Jon Bosak,

   May I ask a question about UBL position in view point of application?

   1. One of my friend, who is a technology executive of RosettaNet Japan, told
   me the followings about UBL from the view point of RosettaNet.

   RosettaNet is conscious to UBL.
   The main application of UBL is procurement of MRO (Maintenance and Repair
   and Operations) or Indirect Materials. At the other hand, the main
   application of RosettaNet is procurement of Direct Materials. There is no
   competition each other.
   In the real e-business world, there are both procurement of MRO and Direct
   Materials. Therefore, both RosettaNet and UBL can be complemented mutually.
   In this view point, OASIS has formed 'e-Procurement TC'. This TC is going to
   do cooperation or adjustment regarding to the procurement standards of
   e-business. Some RosettaNet members participate at this TC.

   2. My questions
   (1) What is the main application of UBL?
   In another word, what application does UBL Standard designed mainly for?
   Which is the suitable description of UBL regarding application described
   below?
   -The UBL Standard is mainly designed for procurement of MRO.
   -The UBL Standard is designed for procurement of all materials or goods.
   Therefore, UBL is applicable both procurement of MRO and Direct Materials.

   (2) What is the application about Denmark government procurement system?
   Recently, the Danish National XML Committee has announced 'Denmark becomes
   first country to adopt OASIS UBL'.
   The news said 'Danish XML Committee decided to use UBL 0.7 to enable
   integration between systems controlled by state authorities and a newly
   implemented portal for public procurement'.
   Do you know what application of this system?
   MRO or Direct Materials or both?
   If you know, please let me know.

   Best Regards,
   Yukinori Saito
   ------------------------------------------------------
   Yukinori Saito
   Electronic Commerce Promotion Council of Japan (ECOM)
   E-mail: y-saito@ecom.jp
   Tel: +81-3-3436-7542    Fax: +81-3-3436-7570
   ------------------------------------------------------