Re: Specifying Processing Time Across Transactions

["William J. Kammerer" <wkammerer@foresightcorp.com>]

Brian Hayes asks "...how do you enforce a relationship between a
document in one transaction with a document in another?... how do you
specify that a ASN must be sent within 48 hours of an accepted
[purchase] order?" with respect to Spec Schema 0.90.

The Advance Ship Notice (or Despatch Advice) isn't generally sent until
right before the supplier is ready to ship the goods, or even sometimes
just as the truck leaves the dock.   In any event, the only real
requirement is that the ASN arrive before the actual goods do!  Besides,
there may be multiple ASNs if the order has to be split among different
shipments.

So asking for the ASN to be delivered within a particular time period is
kind of a roundabout - and not especially efficient - way of saying when
you want the goods to be shipped or to arrive.  This should be
application data sent in the business message.  Sometimes you'll even
give a narrow window for arrival - so you can ready your own loading
docks.  Why would it ever be desirable to have application level stuff
like this encased in concrete within the specification schema?  Did I
say that right? - I really haven't read the Spec Schema 0.90!

As an aside, the ASN may have a business acknowledgement requirement of
a Receipt Advice (i.e., something to say I did indeed receive some or
all of the stuff).   Applying timing requirements to the Receipt Advice
vis à vis the ASN might be reasonable, though.

William J. Kammerer
FORESIGHT Corp.
4950 Blazer Pkwy.
Dublin, OH USA 43017-3305
+1 614 791-1600

Visit FORESIGHT Corp. at http://www.foresightcorp.com/
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