Step-by-Step Guides - Connectivity > CIDX Message eStandards

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Chem XML Message eStandards and CIDX Scenario
With the advent of "eBusiness", companies in chemical industry adopted certain common communication principles to reduce the overall cost of XML-Based integration projects to realize business transactions with partners. These common principles are based on eStandards known as Chem eStandards which are used by chemical industries for exchanging data Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Marketplace.


To facilitate the use of automated data exchange between chemical companies, CIDX an organization has transformed its organization to operate as standards organization. It will support and maintain the Chem eStandards. 

For making the messages interoperable across the chemical industries based on XML standards, chem eStandards leverage the transport, envelope and security aspects of RNIF version 1.1

Find below the explanation of every part of the Chem eStandard Message.
Preamble: It handles information global to document (version, datestamp)

Service Header: It contains the information about transaction routing and processing information for a given transaction. The service header contains three separate data objects:

1.       Process identity: It describes the process to be carried out by the transaction encapsulated in service content.

2.       Service Route: It describes "to" and "from" information.

3.       Transaction control: It provides the information how the transaction encapsulated in the service content is to be processed.

Service Content: This contains the actual message that is considered to be an action message which needs to be transported to partner.

Chem eStandards is developed with number of conventions for content and structure of the data models/messages as described below under sections, Message Definition, Message Responses, Message structure, Message elements.

Message Definition: They are defined with two facets of guiding principles.

1.       Individual messages are intended to support only one business function. Eg: OrderCreate is different OrderChange

2.       Individual messages supporting a single business function can modify the nature of transaction being performed based on data values.

For Eg: OrderCreate message support Standard Order, RushOrder etc..

Message Responses: There are two types of Responses. Technical and Transaction Responses.

1.       Technical responses are returned to source system from destination upon deliver of messages from source to destination. Again there are two types.

a.       Positive:

                                                   i.      ReceiptAcknowledgement is positive Chem eStandard Signal message. When received, it means that the message is received by partner and the message is valid chem eStandard Action message.

b.       Negative:

                                                   i.      ReceiveAcknowledgementException: Received by source to state that the partner has received a message which is invalid in terms of schema validation against DTD

                                                 ii.      General Exception: Received by source system when processing of action message by partner runs into error.

2.       Transaction Response: They are reply or response to requested Action Message. For eg: Purchase Order Response is sent by partner as a response to the action message received like Purchase Order.

They are unique and it is not necessary that every transaction has transaction response.

Note: Action message is the actual message that is sent to partner. Eg: Invoice

Signal message is the response message that is received by source system in response to the action message received by partner.

Message Structure: It is XML document conforming to corresponding DTD (Data type definition). Every message will start with a root element addressing the message itself and has child elements as Header and Body.

Message Elements: An XML specification describes structure data as explained above. XML document elements may either contain other data elements or data (or both). These message elements may contain attributes that describe the data within the message element.

Now let us discuss how to configure and design the objects to support the communication based on CIDX standards in XI.

This is achieved by designing the Message types in Integration Repository and configuring collaboration profiles using CIDX adapter in Integration Repository.

CIDX Adapter: CIDX Adapter supports the chem eStandards described in PartI and facilitates to send the messages between Integration Server and Partner System by transforming the message format in XML to message format compliant to chem eStandard Business transaction (chem XML Message) and vice-versa.

It supports Single-Action Asynchronous business transaction, in the sense, at a time it can send only single action message (for e.g.: Invoice) to partner system in asynchronous mode.

Find below the step by step procedure to design and configure the scenario to send a sample (Invoice) message to Partner system.
Design time activities in Integration Repository:

XI message based on chem. eStandards, must be compliant with message interface content in repository. This means that the DTDs/Schemas need to be downloaded from www.cidx.org and uploaded into Integration Repository through External Definitions as illustrated in the screenshot below:

Observe that Software component CIDX has Software component version 1.0, which in turn has different namespaces created under them.

These namespaces and Schemas should be supporting chem. eStandards, as CIDX Adapter determines/constructs the namespace and interface name of an incoming CIDX Action Message as follows:

<Version> := /ServiceHeader/ProcessControl/ProcessIdentity/VersionIdentifier

Version: Specify the selected version of the message chosen from the schemas available from www.cidx.org 

<Requesting Message> := /ServiceHeader/.../ActionControl/ActionIdentity/GlobalBusinessActionCode

Requesting Message: A big list of messages are provided which would suit the business transactions performed between chemical companies. They support many scenarios like Customer, Logistics Execution, Catalog and RFQ, Purchase Order, Financials, ForeCasting, Exchange Interactions.

Configuration time activities in Integration Directory:

Let us plan for a scenario where in our XI system acts as receiver of the message and partner system sends an Invoice message. That is Partner is starting a message exchange with XI.

Therefore a Sender CIDX adapter needs to be configured which is considered to be Single Action Initiator.

Create a Party: Party represents a larger unit, which is involved in a cross-system process, for example a Seller Company. Communication Parties are assigned alternative identifiers; across the world with identifiers. (for example, Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S number).
Create two parties, one representing Buyer (initiator) and other Seller (Responder), EDI_XML_Buyer and EDI_XML_Seller respectively.

Create a Service: Business Service represents an abstract, addressable unit. Business services are used in cross-company processes. CIDX adapter determines the partner's service name and local service name for an incoming CIDX message based on Service Header fields as described below:
Service Name should be as CIDX<TransactionCode>_Version_PartnerRole.

<Transaction Code>:= /ServiceHeader/ProcessControl/ProcessIdentity/GlobalProcessIndicatorCode

Transaction Code: For every business transaction, CIDX standards have defined unique Code to identify the transaction and process it accordingly. A sample code list is provided earlier in this document.

<Version>:= /ServiceHeader/ProcessControl/ProcessIdentity/VersionIdentifier

<Partner Role>:= /ServiceHeader/ProcessControl/TransactionControl/PartnerRoleRoute/fromRole.PartnerRoleDescription/GlobalPartnerRoleClassificationCode

<Current Role>:= /ServiceHeader/ProcessControl/TransactionControl/PartnerRoleRoute/toRole.PartnerRoleDescription/GlobalPartnerRoleClassificationCode

For example:

Buyer service should be named as CIDXE81_40_Buyer

Seller service should be named as CIDXE81_40_Seller

Create a Communication channel of type CIDX adapter:
      As partner is initiating the message select the adapter type as "Sender".

4. Create a Sender Agreement using the communication channel created for this Scenario within this agreement.

Create other objects to complete the configuration which includes Receiver Determination, Interface Determination and Receiver Agreement.
6. An effort is also made to discuss Security Services in CIDX Adapter:
XI and RNIF protocols support message level security by digital signature and encryption.  Message-level security processing is done in Java part of SAP WAS.

CA (Certificate Authority) certificates to be used need to be entered into Key Store of J2EE Engine that executes the security handling at runtime.

During configuration these certificates are referred while defining the communication channels when certificate logon is used.

Otherwise, UserName/Password authenticity can be used alternatively.

There are three sections to achieve the security of transmission of the messages between chemical companies

Confidentiality: Select HTTPS communication protocol
Authentication, Authorization and Message Integrity: By digitally signing the message authenticates the receiver to receive the message. Validation is done by the receiver to match the identity of the sender. Then message is processed successfully to achieve the integration of Business.
Accountability:
                                                               i.      Non-Repudiation of the message when selected for inbound messages means that partner cannot deny of sending the messages and stores the inbound message in the security archive.

                                                             ii.      Non-Repudiation of the message when selected for Outbound messages means that partner cannot deny or receiving the messages and stores the outbound message in the security archive. 

Testing Results:

Message is sent by Company A which needs to be received by XI of Company B.
Chem. XML message with Preamble, ServiceHeader, Service Content and Digitally signed is received by Adapter Engine.
From the above one can observe that status is delivered and other message details are provided.
CIDX adapter with the available details from the chem. XML message does following
Validates the digital signature with the action message
Using the service header information
DUNS number of sender, receiver identifies Sender and Receiver Party
Transaction code, version, Requesting Message and Partner Roles identifies Sender and Receiver Business Services
Converts chem. XML message to SOAP message encapsulating content as XML message derived from Service content
  Routes the message to Integration Engine and is processed by Pipeline Services.



References


To learn more of Chem-eStandards, download the document from http://xml.coverpages.org/Chem-eStandardsV20.pdf and go through it.

For understanding more about the parameters of CIDX adapter while configuring them, go through [http://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw04/helpdata/en/02/265c3cf311070ae10000000a114084/frameset.htm
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