Now that the event has passed, OASIS has published the proceedings for the ebXML workshop at UBL International. Together, the presentations give an overview of where ebXML is today, more than eight years after the initial ebXML project started and several years after ebXML ceased to be at the "hype" stage.

In my opening presentation, I presented the main components of ebXML and the current status of the ebXML specifications at OASIS. The ebXML specifications are used in various large deployments in industries like automotive and telecommunications, as well as in government and healthcare. In fact, new projects are starting to use ebXML also in 2008, and companies like IBM now support ebMS and CPA, based on customer demand. New versions of the specifications have been delivered, providing functional extensions and convergence.

In his presentation, Piero de Sabata of ENEA (the Italian state agency for energy, environment and new technologies) presented their work  on ebXML and UBL. This work has focussed on supporting and promoting the adoption of e-business by small and medium size businesses, mainly in traditional industries like textile/clothing and apparel. ENEA has implemented various components of ebXML, including messaging, collaboration protocols and business process, and is using them in projects with industry partners.

Alessio Bechini presented an application of ebXML in an area that is getting a lot of attention these days: tracking and tracing of food. He presented a data model for traceability information and discussed a project that used ebXML as messaging infrastructure to exchange traceability information.

Finally, Dale Moberg of Axway presented the recent version 3.0 of ebXML Messaging. The main requirements driving this specification where request from industry partners to have convergence of ebXML with emerging Web Services specification. To this effect, ebMS 3.0 has replaced the mechanisms for message security and reliability with more modern Web Services specifications. Separately, ebMS 3.0 also provides functional improvements in the latest versions for multihop messaging and a "mailbox" feature. Together these greatly improve access to the world of electronic  commerce for small and medium size businesses:  the objective that ebXML was originally set out to solve.

Dale closed the session with demonstration of one of the first software products that supports ebMS 3.0.

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