The European openXchange project started last year, and progress has been on several related ebXML topics. The openXchange reference architecture consists of a modelling, profiling, agreement and transaction phase, based on ebXML. The main ebXML documents are outputs from each phase. The BPSS is the output of the modelling phase, CPP is the output of the profiling phase, and finally before the transactions can take place the CPA is the result of the agreement phase. Each phase is further decomposed in the reference architecture. Some of the components that are needed and currently not available will be developed by the software partners within the openXchange consortium. These software components will be used in the pilot user sites.

Within Germany as well as in the Netherlands two pilot sites will be used to test the software components, to evaluate the openXchange framework, but also to validate the ebXML concepts. The first pilot site in the Netherlands is between NUON (an utility supplier, and also a large demander of temporary staffing) and Manpower (supplier of temporary staffing) and will be used for dealing with the timesheets and invoices based on ebXML messaging. The second pilot is in the Building & Construction industry between Stoel van Klaveren (supplier of building materials) and Slokker (customer) and aims to automate the process of ordering materials within a framework contract. Although both pilots are between two companies, they want to use standards for reusing the components in a later stage to do automated business with other partners as well.

One of the remaining issues in ebXML is that of automatic matching of profiles (CPP) and BPSS files. Creating a cpa from two cpp files is not a trivial process. One of the main problems is comparing the referenced bpss files. Current research, done by openXchange in combination with the University of Twente, includes matching difference in sequence of activities, the use of pre and post conditions and the contents of messages (based on core components). The difference in sequence usually originates from the use of parallelism that can be tackled by using Birkhoff’s duality theory. The first steps to create an algorithm for matching business activities will be visualized.