Using EPCIS Data Sharing for Full Supply Chain Visibility Kenneth R. Traub, PhD Ken Traub Consulting LLC
About the Speaker Independent Consultant Specializing in EPC/RFID Standards adoption Software architecture for enterprises and solution providers Educational programs on standards tailored to clients needs Actively involved in GS1/EPC standards development as editor of: GS1 System Architecture EPCIS Standard & Core Business Vocabulary EPC Tag Data Standard GS1 Bar Code / RFID Interoperability Guideline GS1 US EPC-enabled RFID Serialization Guideline EPCglobal Applicaion Level Events (ALE) Contributor to four other software specifications
Visibility into the Physical World Business decisions are made here, in the company headquarters data center but there s an awful lot of important action here, in the real world. Factory Distribution Center Retail Store EPC and RFID technology can bring awareness of the physical world
Visibility Within a Business Skier Traffic Analysis Rental Equip Tracking Rental Biz Analysis R1 Visibility Data What Where When Why R2 R4 R7 R3 R5 Rental Shop Base Lodge R6 Repair Area
Visibility in the Supply Chain Demand Planning / Response Promotion / NPI Tracking Supply Routes Analysis Real-time Inventory Correction Product Recall Execution Visibility Data R7 Trash Compactor R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 Store1 Pack Line DC1 - Mfr Ship Door Rcv Door DC2 - Retailer Ship Door Rcv R6 Interior Door Door Back Front
The Role of EPCIS Visibility Data (EPCIS) R Business Applications Data Capture Infrastructure R R EPC Information Services (EPCIS) standardizes the data that flows to business apps. Designed to decouple capture from use
Visibility Data Content Visibility data consists of events, each of which records something that happened in the real world. Often, though not necessarily, triggered by reading an RFID tag. An event has four dimensions: What: what physical objects were involved (EPC or other identifier) When: when the event took place (timestamp) Where: where the event took place (location identifier) Why: what business process step was being carried out Visibility Event ------------------ urn:epc:id:sgtin:0400001.000001.2 2007-10-02 10:00:00 urn:epc:id:sgln:0400001.00300.0 urn:epcglobal:cbv:bizstep:receiving
Visibility Data Content Visibility data consists of events, each of which records something that happened in the real world. Often, though not necessarily, triggered by reading an RFID tag. An event has four dimensions: What: what physical objects were involved (EPC or other identifier) When: when the event took place (timestamp) Where: where the event took place (location identifier) Why: what business process step was being carried out Where and Why are what Visibility Event distinguish ------------------ visibility data useful urn:epc:id:sgtin:0400001.000001.2 to a business application from raw RFID 2007-10-02 10:00:00 data urn:epc:id:sgln:0400001.00300.0 urn:epcglobal:cbv:bizstep:receiving
The Where Dimension A location identifier that says Where the event took place; and/or Where things are following the event urn:epc:id:sgln:0400001.00300.0 Understood by applications Master data synchronization important! Meaningful E.g., two rooms separated by a door, report which room, not the location of the door Room 1 Room 2 Not necessarily the name of the reader E.g., for an RFID-enabled forklift, indicate into which bin the load was dropped, not which forklift did it Location sensor, location tag, etc not reader identity
The Why Dimension Identify the business context of the visibility event: What business step was taking place at the time of the event What is true from a business perspective after the event Any associated business transactions Purchase Order, Invoice, BOL, etc Ski #23 Tue 10:05 Rent Shop Ski #23 Tue 10:15 Base Rack Ski #23 Tue 10:20 Lift #1 Ski #23 Tue 10:23 Summit #1 Ski #23 Tue 11:05 Rent Shop Ski #23 Tue 13:05 Rent Shop Ski #23 Tue 13:06 Base Rack Ski #23 Tue 13:07 Rent Shop Ski #23 Tue 13:08 Repair Ski #23 Tue 13:10 Rent Shop Checkout Rented Observe Observe Observe Checkin Available Checkout Rented Observe Problem BeginRepair DoneRepair Rental Contract #1235 John Doe Rental Contract #1325 Jane Roe
Relevant GS1 / EPCglobal Standards EPC Information Services (EPCIS) Standard schema and semantics for visibility events Precise definitions of what, when, where, why EPCs not required! EPC Tag Data Standard (TDS) Identifier structures for what Identifier structures for where EPC Core Business Vocabulary (CBV) Identifier definitions for why
Standard EPCIS Event in XML <ObjectEvent> Event type <eventtime>2007-11-06t15:00:02.449z</eventtime> <eventtimezoneoffset>-05:00</eventtimezoneoffset> <epclist> <epc>urn:epc:id:sgtin:0400001.000006.1</epc> </epclist> <action>observe</action> <bizstep>urn:epcglobal:cbv:bizstep:receiving</bizstep> <readpoint><id>urn:epc:id:sgln:0400001.00300.0</id></readpoint> <bizlocation><id>urn:epc:id:sgln:0400001.00300.0</id></bizlocation> When What Why Where </ObjectEvent>
EPCIS Events in Tabular Form EPC Time Biz Loc Store Sub loc urn:epc:id:sgtin: 061414.112345.400 urn:epc:id:sgtin: 061414.112345.401 urn:epc:id:sgtin: 061414.098765.24 2008-10-15 10:12:03Z 2008-10-15 10:12:04Z 2008-10-15 11:12:03Z urn:epc:id:sgln: 0614141.12345.1523 urn:epc:id:sgln: 0614141.12345.1523 urn:epc:id:sgln: 0614141.12345.153 Store 23 Store 23 Store 23 Back room Back room Sale Area Biz Step Receiving Receiving Stocking Disposition Sellable, not accessible Sellable, not accessible Sellable, accessible urn:epc:id:sgtin: 061414.112345.400 2008-10-16 12:12:03Z urn:epc:id:sgln: 0614141.12345.153 Store 23 Sale Area Stocking Sellable, accessible..................... What When Where Why
EPC Core Business Vocabulary Actual spelling in EPCIS data urn:epcglobal:cbv:bizstep:arriving Business Steps accepting arriving assembling commissioning decommissioning departing destroying disassembling holding inspecting killing loading packing shipping receiving [plus 16 others] Dispositions active destroyed inactive in_progress in_transit sellable_not_accessible sellable_accessible non_sellable non_sellable_expired non_sellable_recalled non_sellable_damaged non_sellable_no_pedigr ee_ match returned [plus 6 others]
Visibility Data Across a Business Process Manufacturer Retailer Dist Ctr Dist Ctr Store Tagging Station Palletizer Portal Portal Shelving Portal Portal Doorway Capture Apps [ID of case] DC #1 Commission [ID of cases + pallet] DC #1 Packing DC #1 Shipping DC #2 Receiving DC #2 Stocking DC #2 Shipping Store 1 s Back Room Receiving Store 1 s Back Room Stocking [ID of case] Store 1 s Sales floor Observe
Visibility Data Across a Business Process Manufacturer Retailer Dist Ctr Dist Ctr Store [ID of case] DC #1 Commission [ID of cases + pallet] DC #1 Packing DC #1 Shipping DC #2 Receiving DC #2 Stocking DC #2 Shipping Store 1 s Back Room Receiving Store 1 s Back Room Stocking [ID of case] Store 1 s Sales floor Observe Case #123 of Cherry Hydro 2/5 1:23pm Mfr DC #2 Shipping Mfr EPCIS + Retailer EPCIS 2/7 4:28am Retail Store #5 back room Receiving 2/8 5:23pm Retail Store #5 front room Observe
EPCIS Data Sharing How do you get data from across the supply chain? 1. Capture your own EPCIS data 2. Find other parties who also have data 3. Exchange data point-to-point using EPCIS EPCIS is not a single giant database: Each party keeps its own data, and shares it only with whom it chooses
Data Sharing with Known Trading Partners Supplier Retailer Factory Distribution Ctr Distribution Ctr Retail Stores 1. EPC data collected during tagging and shipping EPCIS Database 3. Retailer data shared with supplier via retailer s network EPCIS Database 2. EPC observations collected as product moves 4. Combined data used to gain business benefits
Finding EPCIS Data How do you find other parties who have data of interest? Three options: Pre-arrangement with your known trading partners Object Name Service (ONS) finds the party that commissioned a given EPC Discovery Services finds all data in the supply chain still under development
Conclusion Visibility of What s Happening drives the design of RFID hardware/software systems Key design area: Visibility data interface between Data capture infrastructure; and Data consumption by business applications Principle: decouple data capture from data use What, When, Where, and Why Not just raw tag reads! Relevant standards: EPCIS, EPC Tag Data Standard, EPC Core Business Vocabulary www.kentraub.com/epcis