Re: EDI over http?

[chucks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Chuck Shih)]

Peter,

We here at Actra have been working some with the folks at OBI. They have
proposed a "standard" 850 to be used for buying and selling on the
Internet. This amounts to what has been in the past with EDI, Industry
specific guidelines for use of the EDI standards. An example is VICS
EDI, which defines usages of the EDI transaction sets for the retail
industry. OBI is really in its infancy, as they have only defined the
usage of one transaction set - the 850.

The OBI 850 will necessitate some re-mapping, though I've looked at it,
and it is pretty straight forward.

The more thorny issue with the OBI folks is that they are defining a new
protocol using SSL for buyers and sellers to use to send and receive the
850. I would like (and have tried to open a dialogue) with the OBI folks
to insure that what they are proposing will eventually be compatible
with what the IETF comes up with.
            
Peter Rawlinson wrote:
> 
> The aim to have one generic standard for Internet EDI is one which
> consortiums such as the OBI (www.supplyworks.com) are working to
> achieve.  This standard should pave the way for a truly open system, but
> will not be easy to achieve.  In some cases, buyers and suppliers may
> have to make drastic changes to their current translation routines
> and/or their mapping functions to interface with legacy systems.
> 
> I'm looking forward to seeing the IETF EDIINT EDI Work Group address
> this 'challenge'.
> 
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From:  lincoln@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [SMTP:lincoln@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> >Sent:  Tuesday, June 17, 1997 12:34 PM
> >To:    Ma Fei Chun
> >Cc:    ietf-ediint@xxxxxxx
> >Subject:       Re: EDI over http?
> >
> >Dear Ma Fei Chun:
> >
> >Please allow me to describe my viewpoint that there are two ways to
> >perform "EDI" using HTTP.
> >
> >One is through forms where a human being actually fills out or views a
> >form. Maybe the other trading partner is sending and receiving an EDI
> >document, and something in the middle is translating between a form and
> >EDI. This is what GE's Tradeweb (http://www.getradeweb.com) and other
> >types of web form services are doing. This should replace the use of fax
> >machines and the receive-and-print "EDI" going on today.
> >
> >Second, and maybe even more important, the Auto (http://www.aiag.org),
> >Natural Gas (http://www.neosoft.com/~gisb/), and Telco
> >(http://www.atis.org/atis/tcif/) industries, and others, are moving
> >towards using HTTP as an EDI file transfer protocol. The intent among
> >all of these industries, I believe, is to one day have one generic
> >standard (the next task of the IETF EDIINT EDI Work Group), but they are
> >focused on their immediate business drivers for now. This protocol would
> >be primarily used by two trading partners to exchange data in a
> >real-time, point-to-point fashion. Advantages are obvious.
> >
> >Regards,
> >
> >Lincoln Yarbrough
> >
> >
> >Ma Fei Chun wrote:
> >>
> >> Hello!
> >>
> >>         Can you tell me what are the strengthness and weakness of EDI over
> >> HTTP?
> >>
> >>                                                 Best Regards,
> >>                                                 Ma Fei Chun, Patrick
> >
> >--
> >Lincoln Yarbrough               Email: lincoln@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >Actra Business Systems          Tel#: 1.408.542.3261
> >610 Caribbean Drive             Fax#: 1.408.542.3210
> >Sunnyvale, CA 94089             Visit: http://home.actracorp.com