ebXML applications demonstrated live at London conference

["Carol Geyer" <carol.geyer@oasis-open.org>]

The XML Europe 2003 conference showcased two days of live ebXML
demonstrations and presentations that tackled demanding real-life
business needs, to an overflow audience each day.

Highlighting the event, a group of five technology companies--XT-I,
Seeburger AG, Sun Microsystems, Sonic Software, TIE
International--representing the e-Business Board for European
Standardization, in association with OASIS, demonstrated ebXML messaging
in real-life steel industry business scenarios.  The business cases,
supplied by the European steel industry e-marketplace Steel24-7, showed
transactions with XML and EDI business payloads sent and received by
different vendors’ systems using the ebXML Messaging Services protocol.
In each case the systems exchanging the data integrated the payloads
into simulated corporate databases.

The demonstrations showed that ebXML can routinely handle the rigorous
requirements of high-performance business under realistic conditions.
In one demonstration, the participants even took one of the systems out
of service interrupting the transaction, but the message remained in
persistent storage--a key requirement of ebXML messaging–-which allowed
the message to go through once the system came back online.

The event featured several case studies of current business uses of
ebXML including: the telecommunications industry in the U.K. (Martin
Roberts, BT), the container shipping industry in India (Visva
Visvanathan, Indian Institute of Science), a travel industry global
distribution system in the U.S. (Mike Wheaton, Sun Microsystems),
General Motors (Dan Malks, Sun Microsystems), and the international
paper industry (Tilo Zimmermann, Ponton Consulting).

The program also discussed innovative applications and extensions of the
ebXML architecture, including: the European openXchange project (Erwin
Folmer and Dennis Krukkert, TNO E-business), an open-source
implementation of the ebXML registry specifications (Farrukh Najmi, Sun
Microsystems), Content Assembly Mechanism (David Webber, SmartDraw),
ebXML Test Framework (Jacques Durand, Fujitsu), ebXML Test Centers
(Monica Martin, Sun Microsystems), and interoperability of ebXML
messaging (Rik Drummond, Drummond Group).

Patrick Gannon, president and CEO of OASIS who gave the welcoming
address to the conference participants said, "The ebXML Showcase
illustrated that these specifications are for real, and delivering solid
business value for companies large and small."  Gannon added, "The
demonstrations and cases discussed at the conference should erase any
doubt that the ebXML framework can provide the reliability, security,
and flexibility companies need to do e-business in the 21st century."

Ray Walker, Chair of the UN/CEFACT Steering Group who gave the wrap-up
address at the meeting said, "The coming together of companies and
organizations from Europe, Asia, and North America to tell their stories
about ebXML’s success shows the strength of open global standards that
contributed to the rapid spread of ebXML."  Walker noted, "The London
conference demonstrated conclusively that ebXML has begun to fulfill its
promise to make e-business possible for any company or organization
anywhere in the world."

Congratulations to all who participated in this exciting event. Special
thanks to conference coordinators, Sang Shin of Sun Microsystems, and
Alan Kotok of DISA, track chair of the ebXML Showcase.

____________________________________________
Carol Geyer
Director of Communications
OASIS
http://www.oasis-open.org
carol.geyer@oasis-open.org
Voice: +1 978.667.5115 x209