The Application Of EbXML In SCM

Supply Chain Management (SCM) means management of material, information and financial flows in a network that is make up of raw material provider, producer, seller and end user. More and more enterprises adopt the SCM today, but in fact there are several problems in implementation of SCM. The only way to resolve those problems is modern information technology. After having analyzed the traditional e-Business languages EDI and XML in this article, the author puts forward ebXML technology, which can solve the problems in SCM, and analyzes how a supply chain concretely uses ebXML technology, and researches the way to set up an ebXML-based Supply Chain Management System at the end of this article.This article consists of five main parts.The first part introduces the conception and operation principle of Supply Chain and SCM, then brings forward the condition and problem of SCM implementation.The second part introduces the history of e-Business languages. After having analyzed two important languages, EDI and XML, the author introduces a new e-Business language named ebXML because there are several shortcomings and disadvantages in old e-Business languages, such as EDI, XML, and compares ebXML with EDI/XML to find out its advantages. The author gives a high level overview of the interaction of two companies conducting e-Business using ebXML and it' s architecture. Based on these studies, the author thinks that, seen from the managerial, economic ortechnical point of view, ebXML is applicable in SCM companiesIn the third part, the author, according to a normal business demand, analyzes step by step how ebXML leads the supply chain members to do e-Business. The first step is to register the company' s information including Core Components, Collaboration Protocol Profile, and so on. Here, the author introduces the working principle of ebXML Registry. Then the author tells us some thing about how to find appropriate SCM trading partner by using ebXML. After having found a trading partner, the SCM company should sign a Collaboration Protocol Agreement. The author analyzes the CPA' s formal functionality, Agreement processes, and the structure of CPA XML file. The last scenario of a business process is daily business trading taht is implemented by ebXML's Messaging Service. This article analyzes the Massaging Service system structure, Message Structure and Packing, and formal functionality.In the fourth part, there are several problems need to be analyzed in supply chain, including how to transform different data formats, how to integrate systems, how to unify business processes. For the first problem, the author puts forward a transform principle and a transform strategy. And the second problem, the author introduces the overview of the Modeling Methodology, Business Operational View and Functional Service View. Now the third problem, the author introduces the Business Process and Information Modeling and describes the normal functionality and provides some examples of business processes described by XML.In the last part, the author describes a way using Software Engineering to set up an ebXML-based SCM System, and analyzes the network structure and hierarchical structure of the system. But to build such a system needs other technologies, so several important technologies have been introduced. At the end of this part, the author emphasizes several principles in building an ebXML-based SCM system.