ebXML Chair Klaus-Dieter Naujok announced the availability of review specifications for ebXML Core Components and Business Process. The review materials include three Core Components reference documents and the draft Core Components specification in four parts. (1) ebXML Methodology for the Discovery and Analysis of Core Components; (2) ebXML Core Components Dictionary Entry Naming Conventions; (3) The Role of Context in The Re-Usability of Core Components and Business Processes (4) ebXML Specification for the Application of XML Based Assembly and Context Rules. Supporting documentation includes an ebXML White Paper for the eBusiness community, "Core Component and Business Process Document Overview v1.01." Comments may be sent to the CC project editor, James Whittle. ebXML is "a joint initiative of the United Nations (UN/CEFACT) and OASIS, developed with global participation for global usage; its vision is to enable a global electronic marketplace where enterprises of any size and in any geographical location can meet and conduct business with each other through the exchange of XML based messages."

From the review materials:

• Reference Document: "Core Component and Business Process Document Overview v1.01" An ebXML White Paper for the eBusiness community. 16-February-2001. 9 pages. This document provides an overview explaining the relationship between a number of ebXML specifications and white papers. "The ebXML Specification Schema provides a standard framework by which business systems may be configured to support execution of business transactions. The ebXML Specification Schema provides for the nominal set of specification elements necessary to configure a runtime system in order to execute collaboration through a set of ebXML business transactions. This schema facilitates the infrastructure release of ebXML's Transport Routing and Packaging, Trading Partner, and Registry Repository specifications. Users of the Specification Schema will create business process specifications as either UML diagrams, or eXtended Markup Language (XML) documents. The Specification Schema supports the specification of Business Transactions and the choreography of Business Transactions into Business Collaborations. Each Business Transaction can be implemented using one of many available standard patterns. These patterns determine the actual exchange of messages and business signals between the partners to achieve the required electronic commerce transaction. The current version of the specification schema addresses collaborations between two parties (Binary Collaborations). The current version does not address semantics of economic exchanges and contracts, multi-party choreography, and context based content..."
• "ebXML Methodology for the Discovery and Analysis of Core Components. ebXML Core Components." "Historically, the definition and analysis process for electronic business standards has been much more of an 'art' rather than 'science', leading to inconsistent philosophies and results. ebXML makes extensive use of new technologies, techniques and best practices to ensure a scientific approach produces predictable results. Information included in this specification defines the methodology for that approach, detailing discovery and analysis of common components and processes involved in the interchange of business information."
• "ebXML CC Dictionary Entry Naming Conventions. ebXML Core Components." "This specification specifies the rules for naming ebXML Core Components and Business Processes. In addition to the naming convention rules that lead to a Dictionary Entry Name, the document also provides rules for creating definitions. It also establishes the principle of synonyms to cover the instances where a commonly used business term equates to a well-formed Dictionary Entry Name according to the rules."
• The role of context in the re-usability of Core Components and Business Processes. ebXML Core Components." The document "describes those contexts that have been identified as most critical in describing the use of generic Core Components for business information purposes. It also suggests source lists of context such as, for example ISO 3166 for country related contexts. The document will also describe how new context categorisations can be added and used. This might include adding new categories, or refining existing ones. The refinement may include both addition and subtraction of sections of a context taxonomy. This document contains the context definitions, the recommended sources; and examples of how these contexts may be applied in business use."
• "ebXML specification for the application of XML based assembly and context rules. ebXML Core Components." "This document deals with two specific aspects of the task: (1) The assembly of core component schemas into full business document schemas, (2) The modeling of core components for business documents that provide useful building blocks for real-world trading scenarios and, at the same time, are open enough to take into account the wide variety of document formats required by organizations with differing business practices and requirements."