ebXML Initiative Releases First Technical Specifications for Public Comment

["Carol Geyer" <geyer@icubed.com>]

ebXML Initiative Releases First Technical Specifications for Public Comment

USA, March 2000--The first ebXML Initiative Technical Specifications has
been released for public comment. The ebXML Requirements Specification is
available for download from the ebXML web site at http://www.ebxml.org.

This ebXML Requirements Specification represents the work of the ebXML
Requirements Project Team. It defines ebXML and the ebXML effort,
articulates overall business requirements for ebXML, and defines specific
technical infrastructure requirements that will be addressed by the various
ebXML Project Teams in preparing their deliverables. The document includes
general guiding principles for the development of other ebXML Technical
Specifications. Major requirements identified in the specification include:

·	general Business Requirements which relate to the need for a single
consistent approach to use XML;
·	the need to support both vertical and horizontal solutions regardless of
the user’s level of sophistication;
·	the need to support a range of basic, low cost solutions for Small or
Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as well as complex solutions appropriate to large
enterprises;
·	a general specification for developing XML-based schematas;
·	the need for globalized solutions that will accommodate national and
international process requirements;
·	completely open accessibility, enabled by a registry and repository;
·	the need for an architecture that will ensure and maximize
interoperability by supporting common business process, common semantics, a
common vocabulary and common character encoding;
·	consistent transport, routing and packaging methodologies to ensure secure
sending and receiving of messages over the Internet; and
·	digital signature and other security related capabilities.

The specification is available for the full ebXML Work Group and all
interested parties in the general public. Comments should be emailed as
plain text in the body of the mail message or as an attachment to Mike
Rawlins, ebXML Requirements Project Team Leader at rawlins@metronet.com or
Mark Crawford, ebXML Requirements Project Team Editor at
mcrawfor@mail.lmi.org. The review period closes 27 March 2000. The
specification will undergo a second cycle of revision and review prior to
the expected final approval at the May ebXML meeting in Brussels.

The ebXML vision is to create a single global XML framework solution. It is
a joint effort of the United Nation/CEFACT organization and OASIS.
Participants represent 14 countries, 83 companies, government agencies and
several national and international standards organizations. More than 500
people around the world participate via Internet mailing lists.

Following the public comment period, the final Requirements Specifications
will be approved by the full ebXML Plenary during its meeting in Brussels
8-12 May 2000. Full details about the ebXML Initiative, its project teams
and meetings is at http://www.ebxml.org. Technical Specifications will be
available for download from the ebXML web site as they are released.

About ebXML
ebXML (www.ebXML.org) is an International Initiative established by
UN/CEFACT and OASIS in late 1999 with a mandate to undertake a 15-18 month
program of work to research and identify the technical basis upon which the
global implementation of XML (Extensible Markup Language) can be
standardized. The goal is to provide an open technical specification to
enable XML to be utilized in a consistent and uniform manner for the
exchange of electronic business data in application-to-application,
application-to-person and person-to-application environments.

About UN/CEFACT
UN/CEFACT (www.uncefact.org) is the United Nations body whose mandate covers
worldwide policy and technical development in the area of trade facilitation
and electronic business. Headquartered in Geneva, it has developed and
promoted many tools for the facilitation of global business processes
including UN/EDIFACT, the international EDI standard. Its current work
programme includes such topics as Simpl-edi and Object Oriented EDI and it
strongly supports the development and implementation of open, interoperable
global standards and specifications for electronic business.

About OASIS
OASIS (http://www.oasis-open.org) is a non-profit, international consortium
dedicated solely to product-independent data and content interchange.
Focusing on product interoperability, OASIS embraces the complete spectrum
of structured information standards including XML, SGML and CGM. OASIS
sponsors include Adobe Systems, Aerospatiale, AND-USA, Arbortext, Bentley
Systems, Boeing, Bowstreet, Chrystal Software, Cohesia, Commerce One,
CommerceNet, CompTIA, Corel, DataChannel, DMSi, Documentum, Dun &
Bradstreet, eCredit.com, Enigma, eXcelon, Extricity Software, GCA, Health
Level Seven, IBM, InformIT, Informix, InterCAP, Interleaf, Interwoven,
ISOGEN, ITEDO, JetForm, Keyfile, Microsoft, NextPage, NII Enterprise
Promotion Association, Nimble.com, NIST, Object Management Group (OMG), Open
Applications Group, Oracle, Pick Systems, ProNet Technology Partners, Reed
Technology, Reuters, Sabre, Sequoia Software, SoftQuad, Software AG, STEP,
StreamServe, Sun Microsystems, Synthbank, Wavo, Webb Interactive Services,
Whitehill Technologies, Xerox, XMLSolutions and XyEnterprise.

For More Information Contact:

Carol Geyer
Media Relations Consultant, OASIS
+1.941.926.2322,
carol.geyer@oasis-open.org

or

Hans Hansell,
Head UN/CEFACT Secretariat
+41 22 917 2457
Hans.Hansell@unece.org