RE: SOAP and ebXML

>>>>>>Comments below.

> I'm wondering if  participants here agree with the notion that SOAP is for
> simple services and ebXML for mission critical transactions.  If so, what
> about ebXML makes it more suitable for mission critical work?
> (Transaction
> processing support, maybe?)

I agree with the notion that ebXML is not appropriate for every uses case,
and that SOAP is a better choice for many applications. What I do not agree
with is that SOAP can not be the base upon which something such as ebXML
could be built. A perfect example of this is BizTalk. It has the same
requirements as ebXML, but is built on top of SOAP.

>>>>>>Your point is valid, though I would stipulate that SOAP serves as a
messaging protocol for XML RPC, whereas ebXML is establishing a globally
agreed upon framework that addresses: 

- XML messaging (ebXML Messaging Services)

- Business process modelling (including the conversion of object models to
XML)

- A Registry and Repository system for the storage and retrieval of XML
business documents, trading partner profiles, etc.

- A Trading Partner information model, which includes both Trading Partner
Profiles (TPP) and Collaboration Protocol Agreements (CPA)

- A Core Component library of business objects (which are highly reusable
and may be aggregated into more complex business documents, which ultimately
represent a business process.


Do you really think that BizTalk is built on top of SOAP. I would argue that
BizTalk is built on the MS platform, and utilizes SOAP as the underlying XML
messaging protocol. BizTalk is a set of products and components that were
developed to accomplish something similar to what software vendors will
provide as they develop ebXML compliant products and components. The main
difference being that BizTalk is a set of product-related components,
whereas ebXML is more of an global framework that aspires to lower the
barriers to entry for small to medium enterprises that wish to conduct
global eBusiness. 

The ebXML architecture clearly goes beyond the scope of what core SOAP
functionality accomplishes. Now don't get me wrong, I've been a supporter
for the convergence of SOAP and ebXML messaging, and hoped that the XP
Activity would provide the venue for this convergence to happen. An I
believe that with the inclusion of Dick Brooks as an invited expert, we can
make this happen. 


My 0.02.

--Brian Eisenberg

Standards & Technology Liaison
co-editor, ebXML Technical Architecture
DataChannel, Inc.
http://www.datachannel.com