B2B Integration : A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce

188 B2B Integration — A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce
7.1. Standards Imperative for B2B
Application Integration
In the expanding world of B2B e-commerce, companies have to think
globally. Without global e-commerce standards there can be no seamless
business among companies spread out all over the world. These standards
are a common set of industry-specific definitions representing business
processes. For XML messages to be interpreted by all companies
participating in B2Bi they need to agree on a common XML-based B2B
standard, which will define the document formats, allowable information
and process descriptions. These standards are like common currency for
conducting business. If companies use the same currency to do business,
then there is no need to convert one currency into another, based on
today's conversion rate. In a similar way, communication based on
these standards will be accepted and understood by every other company
that uses the same standards.
The need for industry-wide (vertical industries) B2B e-commerce
standards is becoming increasingly critical and obvious. Several
organizations have been working to define these market-segment-specific
definitions. Standards such as RosettaNet and OASIS are making it
possible for companies to share information with one another without
having to completely re-engineer their internal applications. These
standards will automate the flow of information across all companies in
that industry, independent of the underlying software or hardware
infrastructure supporting the activities related to these transactions.
A few examples of B2B XML standards are:
• RosettaNet — a collection of exchange protocols that define products,
partners and business transactions for the electronic components and
information technology industry;
• Financial products Markup Language (FpML) — a standard for the
financial industry;
• Electronic business Markup Language (ebXML) — a joint initiative
of the United Nations (UN/CEFACT) and OASIS, a set of
specifications for XML-based messages that allow enterprises to
conduct business with each other;