Review answers to the frequently asked questions below. Post new questions and additional comments at the FAQ Forum. See also: ebBP FAQ, ebCPPA FAQ, ebMS FAQ, and Registry FAQ.
OASIS provides ebXML specifications free of charge. There are no royalties or fees associated with the use of the ebXML specifications. Openness of the ebXML specifications is a requirement in order to encourage adoption.
ebXML's requirements begin with the objective to promote the use of shrink-wrapped, plug-and-play software to support its messages. By keeping that focus paramount, as well as taking advantage of the economies of scale presented by the Internet, ebXML's design and technical architecture remain within the reach of smaller businesses.
If a company does not yet exchange electronic business data, ebXML means making the connections to send and receive these messages, authenticating other parties, editing the contents of the messages, and mapping the data to internal systems. If a company already uses EDI or other business data exchange protocols, it may have already established these facilities but may still need to write new routines for ebXML messages. Packaged software often makes these functions transparent to end-users.
Companies with systems set up for business data exchange will probably have fewer changes in business processes than those starting from scratch. ebXML builds on the lessons learned from EDI, particularly the need to identify trading partners and messages and account for all message traffic. The best practices established for effective EDI apply to ebXML. ebXML also identifies common data objects, called core components, that allow companies to interchange standard EDI data with XML vocabularies compliant with the ebXML specifications.
ebXML supports messages and services among businesses as well as between businesses and consumers. For business-to-consumer exchanges, however, the specifications define only the services and architecture on the business end, not customer screens or interactions.
ebXML was designed to be independent of equipment, software platforms or communication networks. As long as a system supports standard Internet transport protocols and XML, it should also support ebXML.
ebXML is being used around the globe by a wide variety of industries. Review (and add to) the list of deployments and learn more about available case studies.