Overview
BASDA, the Business Application Software Developers Association, represents more than 300 of the world's leading applications software developers and is the acknowledged voice of the industry, recognised by the United Nations, the European Commission and the United Kingdom Government.
eBIS-XML is BASDA's electronic business interchange standard in XML. The standard was first developed in 1999 and has been widely implemented since. eBIS-XML is the only standard to have demonstrated and deployed interoperable eCommerce between standard software packages.
The successful development of the BASDA interface is due to the XML technology through which it operates. The standard messages are designed in the form of 'schemas' which allow large corporate accounting systems, like SAP, to communicate with small business systems such as TAS Books. Furthermore, if the messages are received by systems which are not eBIS-XML enabled or the organisation does not have accounting software, they can simply be displayed and printed out as documents. This means that a company does not need to know if its supplier or customer is eBIS- XML enabled before it sends an eBIS-XML order or invoice.
It is very easy for software developers to enable their software for eBIS-XML and up to 100 software suppliers are already working on making their software capable of sending, receiving, reading and posting eBIS-XML messages. The schemas for purchase orders and invoices are available for downloading, free of charge, from the www.basda.org.
Since its inception, the BASDA eBIS-initiative has been fully supported by Microsoft and IBM. Microsoft is represented on the eBIS-XML Working Party and will include the BASDA schema in its Outlook and BizTalk eMail libraries. Like IBM, it has also pledged to publish the BASDA eBIS-XML schema on its website and to promote the standard worldwide. The BASDA eBIS-XML schema has been developed as an international open standard supporting European, US and Asian requirements. [adapted from the Introduction to eBIS-XML]
[October 04, 2000] "BASDA eBIS-XML standard has become the world's first many-to-many eBusiness standard which allows orders and invoices to be exchanged directly between different accounting applications. The big advantage of the eBIS-XML message is that customers using eBIS-XML enabled business applications can send their orders via e-mail to anyone. If the receiving company is not using a BASDA eBIS-XML enabled application, the message can be simply treated like an ordinary e-mail. The schemas that define the eBIS-XML messages are available for downloading to software developers and users, free of charge, from Microsoft BizTalk [www.biztalk.org] and the BASTA eBIS-XML website. To date, twelve (12) packages have been tested against the BASDA eBIS-XML standard. BASDA has developed a detailed specification covering the whole eBIS-XML suite. The specification details all the information necessary to develop eBIS-XML enabled messages together with the code list for unusual variations. The specification is available from BASDA in hard copy and is also supplied as an electronic version on CD. The CD also contains sample messages and stylesheets used to display the message. The charge includes one year free electronic update as the schema changes."
"More than 100 of the worlds leading business and accounting software developers have attended BASDA's eBIS-XML workshops and more than 120 developers have now confirmed that they are implementing the BASDA eBIS-XML interface which will enable their software to use the XML messages. A full testing service is available from BASDA with detailed specifications, sample messages and style-sheets. Eleven developers have already undergone the BASDA eBIS-XML Certification process and have been awarded the new logo which is a BASDA Trademark."
"ebis-xml.org - The BASDA eBIS-XML testing and support service allows subscribers to access the BASDA ebis-xml.org web-site. A public area provides information on the testing service, the subscribers area holds a library of eBIS-XML messages, stylesheets and full documentation and specifications which can be downloaded free of charge. An e-mail support service is available to developers incorporating the message into their applications. The test service is an automatic e-mail response type service to allow web orders, purchase order processing, sales order processing and invoicing systems to be tested and certified. Applications that meet the test criteria will be awarded the following Trade-marked logo to use on the marketing and publicity."
eBIS-XML Certification - "BASDA has certified the first commercially available business and accounting software packages to comply with the BASDA eBIS-XML standard and also the first world-wide user application. The eBIS-XML initiative enables the direct exchange of purchase orders and invoices and other business documents between different software packages, via e-mail and the Internet, without the need for EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) middleware or Value Added Networks. The following software packages have now been certified as meeting the requirements to send and receive eBIS-XML messages: Access Accounting - Access Horizons; Anagram - ENCORE-eBIS; CODA - CODA eProcurement; Dataflow (UK) Ltd - Dataflow-32; Exchequer Software - Enterprise; Get Real Systems - PROACTIS; Microgen - Microgen Billing; OpenAccounts - OpenAccounts Version 4.1; SquareSum - DREAM; TAS Software - TAS Books; Weir Systems - I-CON360; Westland Systems - Supply Chain. The first worldwide user application to use the eBIS-XML message is: Hill Price Davison - eFIZ."
References:
Snapshot of BASDA eBIS-XML Suite, viewed 2003-06. eBIS-XML Suite v3.08, Issued 1-May-2003. See the file listing. "This is the BASDA eBIS-XML suite of messages for electronic business. These messages may be extended for various industry sectors. Fully valid samples are included for invoice, order and batch envelope. Further samples are under development. XML Schema Versions in this release: Order: v3.08; Invoice: v3.08; Order Response: v3.08; Batch Envelope v3.08; XDR Compat: v1.1 [BatchEnvelope-v3.xsd; Order-v3.xsd; OrderResponse-v3.xsd; XDR-compat-v1.xsd; Invoice-v3.xsd]. Please see the following web sites for further information: Developer Collaboration, Corporate, and Test Services.
eBIS-XML.org web site "This site is the focus of BASDA's electronic Business Interchange Standard (eBIS) and in particular the eBIS-XML schema developed by BASDA for the exchange of standard business documents.
Contact: info@basda.org
[October 04, 2000] "BASDA Announces eBIS-XML Website to Back Office Link." - "Following the successful launch of its eBIS-XML initiative earlier this year, BASDA (the Business and Accounting Software Developers' Association) has now introduced its latest eBIS-XML Web Shopping Cart schema which enables companies to transmit orders generated on their websites, directly into their back office, order entry and financial systems. The BASDA eBIS-XML technology already allows direct exchange of purchase orders and invoices between different business software applications, via e-mail and the Internet. More than 150 national and international business application software developers are implementing the BASDA eBIS-XML interface, which will enable their software to generate and read the XML messages. A number of those companies have already had their software tested to ensure compliance to the BASDA eBIS-XML standard and have launched eBIS-XML enabled products which, in turn, are creating a growing network of users who are automating their supply chains. 'We believe that this new development will be of particular interest to web developers who have been looking for a simple and inexpensive way to link their clients` websites to their back office systems,' said Dennis Keeling, CEO of BASDA, 'By using the BASDA eBIS-XML standard with the Web Shopping Cart schema, they can link directly to hundreds of different back office applications, from SAP to TAS Books.' 'Research in the United States shows that there are hardly any good website-to-back office links and, here in the UK, less than 1% of companies can input orders from their web shops directly into their order processing systems. Almost all have to rekey the data. eBIS-XML offers a standard interface for application integration which is simple to implement and operate.' Some 40 developers helped in the development of the BASDA eBIS-XML standard, which has been acknowledged by the United Nations CEFACT / OASIS (ebXML) working group because it uses the power of XML in an entirely new way. The development, which is already revolutionising business-to-business eCommerce, is also supported by IBM, Intel and Microsoft under its BizTalk and Office programmes. BASDA is the international standards body, based in the UK, representing 370 of the world`s leading developers and suppliers of business and accounting software. BASDA has developed standards and accreditations for handling business to business and business to Government eCommerce, euro compliance and VAT handling. It provides an information service and runs seminars and workshops for the benefit of its members and business."
[June 09, 2000] "BASDA Wins the Digital Britain Award for its eBIS-XML Initiative." - "BASDA (Business & Accounting Software Developers' Association) has won the prestigious Digital Britain Award for the Best Value Chain Solution for its eBIS-XML standard. The eBIS-XML standard enables the direct exchange of purchase orders and invoices and other business documents between different software packages, via e-mail and the Internet, without the need for EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) middleware or Value Added Networks. The judges believed this to be an excellent example of the capacity of today's Internet-based technologies -- providing business-to-business solutions quickly and cheaply. It has all the hallmarks of a successful project -- clear vision, cross-industry commitment, short development time and demonstrable cost benefits. It is an inspirational example of how huge benefit can be delivered simply, effectively and quickly. Altogether more than 120 national and international business software developers have now confirmed that they are implementing the BASDA eBIS-XML interface, which will enable their software to use the eBIS-XML messages. This ensures that, rather than printing and mailing orders or invoices in the traditional way, they can be generated and sent automatically, via e-mail or the Internet, directly from one business system to another. Unlike a traditional EDI message, when the new XML-based message is received it can be displayed as a document and printed out as a hard copy of the order / invoice. A company does not need to have eBIS-XML enabled applications to receive and read the eBIS-XML message."
[May 23, 2000] "BASDA Certifies World's First Ebis-XML Enabled Software Packages And Announces First World-Wide Commercial Application." - "BASDA (The Business & Accounting Software Developers' Association) has today certified the first four commercially available business and accounting software packages to comply with the BASDA eBIS-XML standard. It has also announced the first world-wide user application with the award of the first ever eBIS-XML Customer Certification for Invoice Processing to Hill Price Davison (HPD), a leading supplier of financial asset and factoring software, who have developed an integrated solution to link seamlessly factoring Clients' accounting systems to their finance houses via the Internet. HPD has already linked eBIS-XML to its I-Factor software & is working with the certified packages (see separate release). The eBIS-XML initiative enables the direct exchange of purchase orders and invoices and other business documents between different software packages, via E-mail and the Internet, without the need for EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) middleware or Value Added Networks. The following software packages have now been certified as meeting the requirements to send and receive eBIS-XML messages: Anagram - ENCORE-eBIS; Exchequer Software; SquareSum - DREAM and Westland Systems - Supply Chain. The vendors of these packages can now use the official eBIS-XML logo to promote their software. Altogether more than 120 national and international accounting software developers have now confirmed that they are implementing the BASDA eBIS-XML interface which will enable their software to use the XML messages. This ensures that, rather than printing and mailing orders or invoices in the traditional way, they can be generated and sent automatically, via e-mail or the Internet, directly from one accounting system to another. Unlike a traditional EDI message, when the new XML based message is received it can be displayed as a document and printed out as an order / invoice. A company does not need to have eBIS-XML enabled applications to receive and read the electronic message. Some 40 developers helped in the development of the BASDA eBIS-XML messages, which were first demonstrated at the CBI in London in September 1999. The BASDA eBIS-XML initiative has been acknowledged by the United Nations CEFACT / OASIS (ebXML) working group because it uses the power of XML in an entirely new way. The development, which is expected to revolutionise business-to-business eCommerce, has also been fully supported by IBM, Intel and Microsoft under its BizTalk and Office programmes."
