Business to Business Schema

A business to business schema in general is a specific, well-documented, and consistent plan for business. Like traveling, you may be going nowhere if you don’t know where you are heading. A good schema will give a clear picture of the overall functioning of the business to business process.

How to develop a business to business schema and what are the things to consider when developing a business to business schema?

Business to Business Schema Introduction

Business-to-business (B2B) describes commerce transactions between businesses, such as between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer.

The term “business-to-business” was originally coined to describe the electronic communications between businesses or enterprises in order to distinguish it from the communications between businesses and consumers (B2C)

Since the transactions involved electronic communications, some standard communications format and documentation are needed to ensure a smooth development and construction of the overall system.

Generally, to develop a robust and extensible business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce applications, people use XML schemas.

Business to Business Schema with XML

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a set of rules for encoding documents electronically. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C and several other related specifications; all are fee-free open standards.

3 main reasons why people use XML:

1. Easily processable syntax
- XML is a formal meta-language

2. Many of available tools
- The list of XML-enabled software packages is long and growing

3. Webbiness
- Because XML is a web technology, it encourages experimentation and the “running code” ethic. Thinking tends to be more revolutionary, and developers at all levels tend to be self-empowered. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)*, as a result of its long history, tends to be a more conservative type of high-tech culture.

* Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) refers to the structured transmission of data between organizations by electronic means. It is used to transfer electronic documents from one computer system to another, i.e. from one trading partner to another trading partner. It is more than mere E-mail

A few keys to consider when designing a business to business schema:

1. There is a lot to be gained from looking at existing EDI frameworks and standards as EDI applications have been in use for nearly 10 years, so the analysis to define data types has been well-tested in the field.

2. Data types should be defined with extension and refinement in mind.

3. The business to business schema itself should be designed from the perspective of the business process, and not a particular application.

As use of XML schemas grows, the potential for reuse expands. A good design in business to business schema will ensure a smooth development and maintenance of the business to business process. With a business to business schema clearly defined, there is little room for mistake in running a business to business EDI successfully.

For more information on XML schema, refer: http://www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-0/

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