The Efficient toolset

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The Efficient toolset

• Efficient
• Toolset for the design and validation of B2B
  transactions
• First International workshop on
• UNCEFACT Modeling Methodology

Centre de Recherche Public Henri Tudor Luxembourg
Bertrand Grégoire Michael Schmitt
more on http//efficient.citi.tudor.lu
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The Efficient toolset

• Introduction
• B2B challenges
• Sample business case
• The Efficient toolset
• Efficient in a nutshell
• Modelling of the business domain
• Modelling of the flow and content of messages
• Adding business rules
• Code generation and validation
• Demonstration
• Outlook and QA

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Introduction - a sample business case
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Introduction B2B challenges

• Find an agreement on roles responsibilities
• The syntax the semantics of the exchanged data
• In an N to N environment

Standard
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Introduction B2B challenges

• E2E scope message vs transaction
• Message development _at_ appropriate cost
• Shorten time to market (STP)
• Enable SME participation

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Efficient project the objectives

• Choose or design a B2B transaction that
• Fits business needs (economic value analysis)
• Creates value for all participants
• Is sound and sustainable from a business point of
  view
• Set up the transaction chosen
• Facilitate communication among TPs
• Low cost infrastructure for transaction
  development
• Generation of a mock-up for interactive validation

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The validation of a transaction
Scenario 1 A-posteriori validation
Modelling Verification
Software development
Elicitation
Software engineers
Validation
Business experts
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The validation of a transaction
Scenario 2 A-priori validation
Modelling Verification
Validation
Elicitation
Business experts
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Enhanced validation of a transaction through
animation
Modelling Verification
Elicitation
Code Generation
Distributed Animation
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Efficient modelling layers
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Efficient a tool for code generation

Code Generation
Business Objects (XML rules)
GUI
Workflow Engine
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The Efficient toolset

• Introduction
• B2B challenges
• Sample business case
• The Efficient toolset
• Efficient in a nutshell
• Modelling of the business domain
• Modelling of the flow and content of messages
• Adding business rules
• Code generation and validation
• Demonstration
• Outlook and QA

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Efficient modelling layers
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Transaction modelling with Efficient - The
business domain

• Business Domain
• common understanding of roles
• no implementation choices

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Transaction modelling with Efficient - The
business domain

• Business Domain
• common understanding of terms

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Efficient modelling layers
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Transaction modelling with Efficient - overview

• the transaction dynamics
• its messages
• and rules governing the exchange

UML
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Transaction modelling with Efficient Flow
modelling

• restricted UML Activity Diagram
• 1 AD describing the transaction (end-to-end)
• 1 role 1 swimlane
• based upon exanged messages
• object flow and content
• single final state
• synchronisation restrictions

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Transaction modelling with Efficient Flow
modelling

• restricted UML Activity Diagram

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Transaction modelling with Efficient Messages

• restricted UML Class Diagram
• 1 CD per business document (message)
• user friendly
• Message models are composed from the Business
  Domain model
• hierarchical structure
• easy XML mapping (code generation)
• no loops
• limited inheritance

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Transaction modelling with Efficient Messages

• restricted UML Class Diagram

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Transaction modelling with Efficient Business
rules

• User friendly business rules
• Natural Language interpretation
• Progressive (driven) refinement
• GF
• Constrain or permit to calculate the content of
  data elements

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Transaction modelling with Efficient Business
rules

• Rules constraining data elements based on facts
• Existance of a field or document
• a max/min delay between two date fields or data
  expiry
• Referring to any data element of any message
• Computations with arithmetic, boolean and set
  operators
• Rules facilitating data entry and linking
  documents
• Pass data between different messages
• Ex Delivery address from ORDER to ORDRSP
• References can be either mandatory or optional
• Control the number of instances of a class

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Transaction modelling with Efficient Business
rules

• Rules facilitating data entry and linking
  documents

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Efficient modelling layers
Code Generation
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Interactive model validation

• Objectives
• Validation of the flow and content of business
  documents before its implementation
• Enhancement completion of the business process
• Low-Cost use and Open Standards oriented (OSS)
• Animator
• Work-flow based process simulation
• Easy to use web interface
• business documents as web forms

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Interactive model validation The animator

• At each phase, the animator
• Verifies the syntactical and rule-based
  constraints and outputs an error message if
  applicable
• Otherwise, forwards the message to the recipient
  together with a list of possible successors
  (choice) according to the description of the
  process flow

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Interactive model validation Architecture
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The Efficient toolset

• Introduction
• B2B challenges
• Sample business case
• The Efficient toolset
• Efficient in a nutshell
• Modelling of the business domain
• Modelling of the flow and content of messages
• Adding business rules
• Code generation and validation
• Demonstration
• Outlook and QA

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The Efficient toolset

• Introduction
• B2B challenges
• Sample business case
• The Efficient toolset
• Efficient in a nutshell
• Modelling of the business domain
• Modelling of the flow and content of messages
• Adding business rules
• Code generation and validation
• Demonstration
• Outlook and QA

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Efficient project the objectives

• Choose or design a B2B transaction that
• Fits business needs (economic value analysis)
• Creates value for all participants
• Is sound and sustainable from a business point of
  view
• Set up the transaction chosen
• Facilitate communication among TPs
• Low cost infrastructure for transaction
  development
• Generation of a mock-up for interactive validation

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Business models and link to transaction models

• How to define a sound business model?
• Context of the transaction to be put in place
• Transaction (flow content) does need to fit the
  business needs
• References
• E3-value Gordijn, Amsterdam NL
• Idea of a value object and the exchange of VO
  among BP
• Business process modelling differs from business
  modelling
• Compensation is a pre-requisite for a sustainable
  business.
• BM ontology Osterwalder Pigneur, Lausanne
  CH
• Business model ontology with 4 main pillars

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Business models and link to transaction models
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Business models and link to transaction models
H O W
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Objectives

• Alignment between BM and BPM
• Different process models for the same business
  model
• Subjective perception of the risks, and the
  costof various alternatives for an exchange
• Examples
• Risk of delayed or non payment of goods
• introduction of trusted intermediaries, L/C,
  payment in advance
• Risk of transportation damage
• Insurance, INCOTERMS
• Risk of currency fluctuation (payment terms)
• Payment in home currency, forwards futures
• Map business choices onto market scenarios
  (patterns)

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Objectives

• Develop a methodology to develop new patterns
  where no standardized scenarios exist
• Speech act theory

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• Thank you for your attention!

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More information

• Publications and information available from
• http//efficient.citi.tudor.lu
• Contact information
• Bertrand.Grégoire,Michael.Schmitt _at_ tudor.lu