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Multi-Party Business Transactions

Authors
Bob Haugen, Logistical Software LLC, ebXML and UN/CEFACT TMG Business Process Work Group
Tony Fletcher, Choreology Ltd, OASIS Business Transaction Protocol Committee and UN/CEFACT TMG Business Process and Architecture Work Groups

Abstract
We present a business scenario, the Drop-Dead Order, that is best handled as a multi-party electronic business transaction. We present models of such transactions using the UN/CEFACT Modeling Methodology (UMM) and the OASIS Business Transaction Protocol (BTP).

We claim that the two models are sufficiently equivalent that the same runtime software could execute either. We recommend that BTP be considered as an underpinning implementation technology for UMM, thus harmonizing two specifications that have been considered incompatible. We suggest that further efforts be made to harmonize the other major proposals for electronic business processes so as to converge from a confusion of incompatibility to one global standard, or at least good interoperability.

Along the way, we dip into several other important topics, such as the benefits of transactional behavior, the meaning and scope of transaction contracts, the use of coordinators and commitments to structure complex business collaborations, and the distinction between business coordination and transaction completion.

Multi-Party Business Transactions - PDF format
Appendix - PDF format

Multi-Party Business Transactions - Word format
Appendix - Word format

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