[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > Chuck -- > > Is there any group working on this? > > Alan
Alan, et al, If you are asking if any group is specifically studying the tradeoffs between XML and EDI, I am not aware of any such efforts. However, these questions have been extensively debated in a variety of forums over the past few years, and I have seen many informal comparisons provided by industry working groups. While these debates have occasionally devolved to religious arguments, industry consensus is that EDI will continue to be used where EDI is already accepted, and that XML business documents should be derived from EDI specifications wherever appropriate. There are numerous industry efforts underway to transition EDI document structures to XML. Two of the more obvious include RosettaNet and OBI. > http://www.rosettanet.org/rosettanet/Rooms/DisplayPages/LayoutInitial > http://www.openbuy.org/ (OBI) The OBI effort might be of particular interest, since OBI took an agnostic approach in the latest version of its spec by defining business documents in XML and both the ANSI X12 and UN/EDIFACT variants of EDI. This makes it easy to do a side by side comparison of the same business document expressed in both EDI and XML. If you are not a member of CommerceNet or the OBI consortium, you may still request a copy of the latest version 3.0 specification via email. Information on the specs is on the OBI web site. The ebXML effort also includes many contributors who come from the EDI world, and there has been a conscientious effort to carry forward experience and specifications from EDI into XML. For the latest on the continuation of ebXML, you can check out: > http://www.ebtwg.org/ The NACHA Internet Council has a project specifically addressing the feasibility of carrying XML documents through the ACH system using addenda records. More information is at: > http://internetcouncil.nacha.org/Projects/default.html One of the options that was being considered in this project (and may still be) involved abbreviating XML tags and data fields for some XML documents to reduce their space requirements. Perhaps other subscribers to this list can provide more pointers to industry initiatives or studies comparing XML and EDI. Regards... -- ...Chuck Wade CommerceNet "Setting the business agenda for global electronic commerce" +1 508 625-1137 Office Phone/Voice Mail +1 309 422-9871 Fax Service http://www.Commerce.Net/initiatives/sipayment/
