The UK Defence Logistics Organisation, part of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), requires the supply of goods and services from companies who in turn have their own groups of suppliers. In order to regulate and control the supply of goods and services, the MoD has to send and receive messages along this supply chain. The definition of the methods and messages to be used during the in-service support stage of the lifecycle are known as the Integrated Supply Support Procedures (ISSPs) and are defined in the standard AECMA S2000M.

The ISSPs are based on UN/EDIFACT standards and have inherent complexities. The messages contain redundancy, they are not easily understood by humans and often require dedicated hardware and software. Using the ISSPs can be difficult and is often beyond the resources of many Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).

As a consequence the MoD is considering moving to XML which is rapidly becoming the de facto standard for information transfer in e-business today. As part of this evaluation Eurostep Limited were tasked to investigate the options and create prototype elements of an XML based system.
 
Results and Benefits
The study showed that
• XML, XML schema and XSLT provide a viable alternative to EDIFACT as a mode of delivery for ISSP messages since XML can carry the same data
• XML solutions are more intelligible than EDI solutions and can be deployed over the existing internet infrastructure. Additionally XML expertise is far more widespread, and cheaper.
• XML use could complement EDIFACT use, and XML adoption is consistent with an incremental migration strategy from EDIFACT to XML meaning that the intellectual effort embodied in existing standards is preserved.
• The cheaper installation and maintenance costs implied by the use of XML provide an opportunity for SMEs to trade electronically with the MoD.
• XML use would enable existing MoD suppliers in the SME category to become electronic traders since most SMEs already posses the required technology.
• XML use would facilitate the recruitment of new SMEs to electronic trading with the MoD since XML use would represent a lowering of the hurdles.
 
Technical Approach
The information requirements in the existing EDIFACT messages were examined, and the corresponding definitions captured in an XML Schema. ISSP data conforming to this schema was then transformed using XSLT to produce the data required for the various classes of users. For example, the same underlying XML invoice might be presented as HTML for viewing on standard web browsers or for printing as paper documents; or as EDIFACT for established suppliers who can accept messages in this format standard; or as raw data tagged with S2000M type-names for message debugging purposes.

Contact
For more information, please contact Rob Howard, Eurostep Limited.