Detailed documentation of eCommunity Builder

    The eCommunity Builder makes possible the exchange, auditation, conversion of business documents for different organizations. With this product, with windows like interface, the users can handle easy their robust e-business environment.
    The eCommunity Builder supplies an easy to use toolkit for the definition and administration of dynamic electronic business systems:
        • partner administration
        • business document definitions (XML, EDIFACT, X.12, SAP, other)
        • process adjustability
        • complex data conversion and mapping
        • system control and administration
        • document auditation and track

    The documents can be in any format. The used technology provides a fast communication with many protocols: FTP, SMTP, HTTP(s).

The eCommunity Builder enables for servers:  
        • the connection of front-end systems to Web-services
        • the connection between front-end and back-end systems
        • the connection of back-end systems to business partners
        • the dynamic generation of interactive Web-based forms
 

Front-end system connection to back-end systems

    The eCommunity Builder makes possible the connection between front-end Web-environments and backend business environments (ERP/CRM system, SQL database or older). This connection is free from the exchangeable data types and the communication mode between the systems.
    The eCommunity Builder handles separately the data-level and the communication-level, in this way the solution can be updated for the new technology level. The connection could be a synchronous request-reply, or a not interactive store and forward solution.
    The eCommunity Builder doesn't need a costly development to realize these things. The configuration of the integrated solution is a simple 5 step process: business partner definition, the identification of the exchangeable data, the description of the used communication protocols, mapping, configuring the target environment.
    For example you can create with the eCommunity Builder a real-life communication connection between an InterShop front-end Web-environment and a SAP R/3 back-end business system.
 

Back-end system connection to business partners

    The eCommunity Builder can connect back-end business systems (ERP/CRM system, SQL database or older systems) with the company or organization's partners. The eCommunity Builder man edges the document's conversions and exchange.
   The eCommunity Builder has many communication protocols, it could be used by heterogeneous partners servers (increased value networks, FTP, email). Independently from the exchangeable documents type, the eCommunity Builder has robust partner management and log creation skills, in this way the organizations can have always actualized information about their partners.
    As option the eCommunity Builder can send automatically bills after receiving a document. The bill could have a standard X.12 997 or any other defined format. Additionally the eCommunity Builder associates the incoming bill with the outgoing document. Because all incoming and outgoing document and bill is saved into a relational database, you can always have information about the documents state by using the tracking tools.

   The eCommunity Builder has effective, standardized mapping tool. Near the „drag and drop” user interface the definable functions and continuously error checking makes possible that only the wanted documents to be handled by the system.
   

Web-form creation on fly

    The eCommunity Builder can create dynamically on fly interactive web pages and web forms. The business partners by completing these forms can send document (requests, offers) to the back-end engine. After incoming the engine converts the web-forms into a wanted format and uses them as the other documents. This dynamic process works for the outgoing documents too: the documents could be sent form the back-end engine to the partners. The completed forms can be responded be the "reply document" function. This function uses a mapping and takes the information from the original document. In this way you can create a fully working system which can convert any document format into web form and conversely.

    The eCommunity Builder by "talking" with the user creates automatically the Web Pages and forms. For every user can be created a different environment: different styles, message formats etc. These functions are introduced into the same interface with the configuration/administration of the documents exchange and it requires minimal web-format knowledge for its use. The eCommunity Builder works with many web servers, like the Microsoft Internet Information Server, or the Apache HTTP Server. The eCommunity Builder generally should be installed on the computer, which on runs the server, but there is a possibility to use it in other computers too.

   By using the eCommunity Builder the partners needs only a web browser to connect to the back-end business engines. The e-mail is used frequently as a response in external systems. In this case the conversion is from HTML to other format (XML, X.12, ERP) and reverse. In this way you can create a full business cycle or portal.
 

Architecture

   The eCommunity Builder has a three level client-server architecture.

Handling level: configure and monitor
    The configuration and monitoring is on the client's computer with the System Manager or the System Monitor. The System Manager is used for remote configuration and monitor, the System Monitor is only for remote monitorizing By using these programs you can access all conversion and document handling function to the eCommunity Builder. The Implementation Manager client is used only for test purposes.

Business function's level: the broker
   The broker is on the server application side, which means the eCommunity Builder server; it processes the incoming and outgoing documents.

Database level
   The database covers a relational database server, which could be the already existing database of the company (Oracle, MS SQL, Sybase), or a newly installed Sybase database. The database saves all information about the partners, documents definitions, mappings, and error logs and data traffic.
 

Remote maintenance and system administration

    The next functions are available for the remote control and maintance of the eCommunity Builder:
 

Remote maintenance (configuration)

Document formats
    XML, EDIFACT, ANSI X.12, HTML and these different formats. The producer delivers the engine with EDIFACT and X.12 standard documents. You can import many document formats (ex. XML, SAP, etc.).

Documents
   From the mentioned formats you can build up any document (ex. order, bill)

Document conversions
    Definable conversion between XML, HTML, in-house and EDI formats, with conditioned relations and standard functions.

Business partners and electronic addresses
    Definable business partners and their email addresses (ex. SMTP address, URL, VAN mailbox, X.400 address).

Connectors
    Definable connectors for business applications (ERP/CRM or older systems, SQL database), web environments (web-shop, community, portal) and for different networks. In the communication you can use drivers (POP3/SMTP, IBM MQ Series, HTTP(s), MSMQ, SoniqMQ) and third parties plugins. There are supported the delivery, cancellation and readment feedbacks.

Web styles
    Definable styles for documents and forms after the partners requests.

Web users
  Definable web users with identifier, password, language and style. The eCommunity Builder automatically authorizes any user who tries to connect to the engine. This ensures that only the authorized persons will handle the critical data.

Warranties
   The accesses are definable by function and user.

Archive documents
    The processed documents could be archived automatically or manually.

Import and export
    Settings, document-definitions, and conversion standards could be imported/exported from/for any other environment.

Import other producers document definitions
    Definitions could be imported, ex. in the following formats: XML DTD (1.0 or newer), XML BizTalk Schema (1.0 or newer), XML Schema (1.0 or newer), DIRDEF (D95B or newer), SEF (1.3 or newer), SAP R/3 IDOC (3.0 or newer).
 

Remote control (Monitor)

Flow-management
    The incoming and outgoing documents processing is managed completely.

Audit trail
    Every document could be track by using the audit trail function. This information is saved into an SQL database, and is always accessible. There is a possibility to define the tracking too.
 

Operational systems

The eCommunity Builder runs on the following operational systems:

Client (Configuration, Monitor)
        • Windows 95/98, NT, 2000.

Server (eCommunity Builder Broker)
        • Windows NT, 2000
        • Sun Solaris
        • Linux
 

Databases

The eCommunity Builder supports the following databases:
        • Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, 7, 2000.
        • Oracle 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8, 8i
        • Sybase Adaptive Server 10.x, 11.x

There will be more supported databases in the future.
 

Web servers

The eCommunity Builder supports the following webservers:
        • Apache HTTP Server 1.3 or newer
        • Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0 or newer
        • Oracle Web Application Server 3.0 or newer
 

Web browsers

The eCommunity Builder supports the following browsers:
        • Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or newer
        • Netscape Navigator 4.0 or newer
 

Communication

Other producers communication software
    The documents can arrive from any network and can be sent too. Any network accessing software could be connected to the eCommunity Builder, including the Internet, VAN, X.400, etc. Depending on the software the communication could be physically on X.25, ISDN, or phone line. The eCommunity Builder is able to communicate on many networks in the same time.

Native drivers
The eCommunity Builder supports the following native drivers:
        • MAPI interface with Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft Outlook
        • OFTP (EICON X.25 or CAPI ISDN network interface)
        • SMTP/POP3
        • IBM MQ Series
        • Microsoft MSMQ
        • HTTP(s)

Note:
        • the eCommunity Builder all network connections supports the delivery notifications. This guarantees the full tracking of the business data.
 

Formats

   The eCommunity Builder supports the following formats:
        • XML
        • HTML
        • SQL
        • EDIFACT 
        • ANSI X.12
        • TRADACOMS
        • EANCOM
        • GENCOD
        • any other format based on XML, ANSI X.12 or EDIFACT
        • VDA
        • ODETTE
        • any user defined format

   The following not standard formats are supported:

In-house format
    The segment identifiers can have 1-5 characters. The elements in function of the record structure could start from fixed positions. The in-house documents can be disrupted in many files; in this case every file could contain a different record type. These files could be imported into the database directly.

Business Document format
   The records identification is solved by fixed starting rows or by identifier strings or by shifting. The data elements are in fixed positions.

   The format definitions used by the eCommunity Builder could be changed by the user and enables new format definition.