Introduction to EPC Information Services (EPCIS)In a layered, service-oriented architecture, EPCIS enables persisting supply chain events and sharing the events with internal and external

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Introduction to EPC Information Services (EPCIS)

Eng Koon Goh

BEA Systems

27 September 2007


EPC Data Within and Across Enterprises

Distributor RetailerWarehouseFactory

Data Ctr Data Ctr Data Ctr

Capture of EPC data within one enterprise

Use of EPC data by applications within the enterprise

Exchange of EPC data betweenenterprises


Application: Retail Promotions

Give unique EPC to each case of promotion-packaged item, on RFID tagEquip facilities with RFID readers: loading dock doors, trucks, retail back-room door, dumpsterCan now measure & drive promotion:

Timeliness: is promotional packaging reaching consumer in time?Effectiveness: is promotional item selling better?

Manufacturing Mfr’s Distribution

Center

Retail Store

Retailer’sDistribution

Center


What is EPCIS?

EPCIS = EPC Information Services

A new EPCglobal standardData model for events in life of uniquely identified objectsInterfaces for capture and query of eventsRatified 12 April 2007

Industry and Application AgnosticCross-industry frameworkCross-industry and industry-specific vocabularies and extensionsUser-extensible

A supplement to, not a replacement for, existing enterprise information systems


EPCIS Architecture

Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) approach to separating RFIDdata capture from routing (internal) and sharing (external)

EPCIS Capturing Application

Applies business logic to filtered reads to create Events

EPCIS Capture Interface

Persists Events

EPCIS Query Interface

Takes in standard Events

Allows internal & trading partner access to Events

EPCIS Accessing Applications

EPCIS Repository

Product Authentication

Diversion Tracking

ePedigree


EPCglobal Standard Network Architecture

Readers

Filtering & Collection

EPCIS Capture App

EPCIS Repository



ALE Interface

Reader Protocol

Internal Applications

External Applications

EPCIS

In a layered, service-oriented architecture, EPCIS enables persisting supply chain events and sharing the events with internal and external applications.

Decouples data capture from data use by applications


Data Capture Example –Palletizer

Reader

Filtering & Collection

PalletizerCapture App

EPCIS Repository

Reader Protocol

Reader

ALE

EPCIS

dozens of individual tag read events from specific antenna

“between the time the case crossed the first beam a nd the second beam at location L, the following tag was re ad”

“at time T, the association of the following case t ags to the following pallet tag was created at palletizer #3, to fulfill order #1234”

R R

What, Where, When

What, Where, When, WhyEdge

Enter;rise


EPCIS Events

EPCIS Capture Apps

EPCIS Capture Apps

Palletizer Portal Portal Portal PortalShelving

CommissionObserve

ObserveAggregate

Observe Observe ObserveDisaggregate

ObserveObserve

Doorway

Observe

Manufacturer Retailer

Dist Ctr Dist Ctr Store

Tagging Station


EPCIS Events

EPCIS Data – Starting Point for Biz Apps

CommissionObserve

ObserveAggregate

Observe Observe ObserveDisaggregate

ObserveObserve Observe

Manufacturer Retailer

Dist Ctr Dist Ctr Store

Combined EPCIS Data

Combined EPCIS Data

Case #123 of Cherry Hydro

ObserveRetail Store #5

front room

2/8 5:23pm

ReceivingRetail Store #5

back room

2/7 4:28am

ShippingMfr DC #22/5 1:23pm


EPCIS Data

EventsRecords of activity happening in real world

“What, where, when, why”

More events generated as you do more business

Descriptive information (“master data”)Provides context for the events

Descriptions of locations, products, etc

Does not grow merely because business is transacted (grows slowly as companies grow)


Event and Master Data

BizStep Vocabulary

urn:…:receivingurn:…:shipping …

BizLocation Vocabulary

urn:epc:id:sgln:0614141.12345.0urn:epc:id:sgln:0614141.33254.0urn:epc:id:sgln:0614141.33254.1…

Event Data

Master Data

sampleattrname = samplevalue…

ObjectEvent

Time = 1:23pm 15 Mar 2004EPC = urn:epc:id:sgtin:0614141.100734.400bizStep = shippingbizLocation = urn:epc:id:sgln:0614141.12345.0

address = 123 Elm Stcity = AnytownpostalCode = 12345

Children urn:epc:id:sgln:nnnnn …

……

Master Data Vocabularies Master Data Attributes

Event Field

Event Type


The EPCglobal Network ArchitectureStandards View


EPCIS Repository

Filtering & Collection (ALE) Interface

EPCIS Capturing Application

Reader Protocol

Filtering & Collection (“RFID Middleware”)


EPCIS Access ing Application

Tag Protocol (UHF Gen 2, Class 0, Class 1)

RFID Reader

RFID Tag

Reader Management

Interface

Reader Management

EPCIS Accessing Application

“Pull”or “Push” mode

“Pull” or “Push”mode

Partner EPCglobal Subscriber EPCglobal Subscriber

Local ONS

ONS Interface

EPCglobal Core Services

ONS Root

EPCIS Discovery

(TBD)

Subscriber Authentication

(TBD)

Manager Number

Assignment

(offline service) ONS I’face (TBD) (TBD)

Optional bypass for real-time

“push”

Figure Error! No text of specified

style in document.-1 EPCIS and Other EPC Standards

Key: = Interface = Role

Services Oriented Architecture (SOA)forEPCInformation Management


Core EPCIS Event TypesObject Events

Observation of a collection of EPCs during Business Step at a Location & Time.

This list of objects was observed entering DC #9 at 10:01AM, during Receiving.

Aggregation Events

Physical association of a set of EPCs with a parent EPC along with a Business Step at a Location & Time.

This list of objects was just Palletized with this Pallet ID at Palletizer #27 at 12:32PM.

Quantity Events

Statements about an object Class (not individual objects), a quantity, a Location & Time.

There were 200 bottles of Brand X cola in store #4123 backroom at 3:20PM.

Transaction Events

Records objects associated with a business transaction.

Order number 123 was fulfilled with objects x, y and z.


EPCIS Events

Four dimensions:

DispositionBusiness StepWhy(business context)

Business LocationRead PointWhere

Event Time

[Record Time]

When

EPC (or other object ID)

EPCClass + quantity (QuantityEvent)

BusinessTransactionList (TransactionEvent)

What

Prospective

(true until contradicted by

subsequent event)

Retrospective

(at the time of the event)


Read Point vs Business Location

Simple Distribution Center

RP:C

Recv Dock#R3

DC#88

RP:B

Recv Dock#R2

RP:A

Recv Dock#R1

RP:M

Shipping Dock#S1

RP:N

Shipping Dock#S2

RP:O

Shipping Dock#S3

Receive & Store Shipping

ReadPoint

K

RP:C

RP:A

RP:BRP:K

RP:O

RP:N

RP:MR&S Shipping

DC#88

Graph View

Physical View

1

2

3


What’s the status of EPCIS?

Currently used by:FMCG for Promotional Visibility and Electronic Proof of Delivery – Phase I and Phase II pilots underway

HLS for Product Authentication

TLS for trans-oceanic track and trace Asia � North America -- Phase I pilot completed and Phase II pilot underway

RatifiedThe 1.0 Specification was ratified April 12, 2007

Conducted successful Interoperability Event with 12 global participants in July 2006

Commercial implementations available from at least half a dozen vendors


EPCIS Spec Layers

Abstract Data Model (Section 6)

Core Event Types (Section 7.2)

XML Binding – Generic (Section 9)

-Common structural features of all EPCIS data-Relationships-Ground rules for all uses of EPCIS

-Specific data types to meet horizontal use cases-ObjectEvent, AggregationEvent, etc-What dimensions of data are common across verticals

depends on

depends on

FMCG Profile

XML Binding – FMCG

-Particular vocabularies and structures for FMCG

depends on

depends on

depends on

End-user Implementation

depends on depends on


Example – Business LocationCore EPCIS Specification says…

Object Events have an optional Business Location field

When a Business Location is given, it is formatted as a URI

FMCG Profile says…The Business Location field is required within FMCG

FMCG Business Location identifiers have the formurn:epcglobal:fmcg:loc:GLN:ID

Three kinds of location identifiers defined:

Site location – a building or other site having a GLN

Site sub-location – a standardized subdivision of a site; e.g., front room, back room, cold storage, etc. ~15 varieties standardized

Site location extension – a specific sublocation within a site; e.g., a specific shelf

Nominally, master data describes a location identifier. As a temporary measure, master data included directly in event as an extension field


Working with Multiple Vocabularies

Manufacturer 3PL Distributor Carrier Retailer

EPCIS

Query

Capture

EPCIS

Query

Capture

EPCIS

Query

Capture

EPCIS

Query

Capture

EPCIS

Query

Capture

If a partner only understands the FMCG vocabulary:Fully understand events from the manufacturer, distributor, retailer

Partially understand events from the 3PL, carrier

Partner can later learn the TLS vocabulary

Same principle applies to company-specific or trading-group-specific extensions


Industry Profiles Evolution

Today, FMCG-specific profile has been defined and is being piloted

HLS concluded that most of it applies directly to HLS

TLS reached similar conclusion

Latest development: Core set of vocabulary elements that span industry groups under development in Data Exchange JRG

May be augmented with additional vocabulary elements from each industry as necessary


How to Adapt EPCIS to an Industry’s Needs

Document the archetypical use cases

Break each use case into a series of discrete business steps

Model the completion of each step as an EPCIS event

Choose from among the four core types

Create a new type if absolutely necessary (hasn’t happened yet!)

Decide what data fields are to be included

Fields that are optional in the core spec may be required for use within a particular industry

Define extension fields if necessary

Define the vocabularies that populate each field

A fixed list of identifiers with standardized meanings for things like business step and disposition

Rules of construction for user-created identifiers like read point and business location

Borrow from other verticals where semantics coincide exactly


Example EPCIS analysis (pharma example)

Commission Bottles b Receive Tote

Object EventCommission Bottles at Packaging Plant in Bottling Line

• Event Time• Record Time• EPC List – EPC for each

unit • Action - "ADD" to

commission tag• Business Step -

"hls:commissioning"• Disposition -

"hls:active"• Read Point – string for

bottling line read tunnel• Business Location –

GLN sub-location for Bottling Line X

• Batch Number – 123• Lot Number - 456• Expiration Date – 1/1/08• Temperature - 20

Object EventReceive Cases at Distribution Center

• Event Time• Record Time• EPC List – Case EPCs • Action – "OBSERVE"• Business Step -

"hls:receiving"• Disposition -


dock door #3• Business Location –

GLN sub-location for DC Y receiving area

• Temperature - 22

Goal: Record bottle movements in supply chain

Pack Bottles into Case

Aggregation EventPack Bottles into Cases at Packaging Plant in Bottling Line

• Event Time• Record Time• Parent EPC – Case

EPC• Child EPC List – Unit

EPCs in Case• Action – "ADD"• Business Step -

"hls:unit to case aggregation"

• Disposition -"hls:active"

• Read Point - string for bottling line read tunnel

• Business Location –GLN sub-location for Bottling Line X

• Target Customer –GLN for Distributor DC A

Receive Cases

Object EventPack Units into Totes at Distribution Center

• Event Time• Record Time• EPC List – Unit EPCs • Action – "OBSERVE"• Business Step -

"hls:packing"• Disposition -


pick area #5• Business Location –

GLN sub-location for DC unit picking area

• Business Transaction– type = hls:po; ID = http://txn.dist.com/po/ 1234

• Temperature - 19• Target Customer –

GLN for Retail Pharmacy Z

Pick & Pack into Tote

Object EventReceive Totes at Pharmacy

• Event Time• Record Time• EPC List – Unit EPCs • Action – "OBSERVE"• Business Step -

"hls:receiving"• Disposition -

"hls:active"; "fmcg:sellable_available"

• Read Point – string for pharmacy backdoor

• Business Location –GLN sub-location for pharmacy

• Temperature - 21


Why is EPCIS valuable?

Provides standard capture & query interfaces to enable track and trace, product authentication, diversion detection, and other use cases across supply chain partners across multiple industries

A standard interface is a much lower cost interface than multiple, custom, partner-specific

mappings

Security is a core concept – Each trading partner keeps their data –events remains distributed with trading partners only moving / sharing data elements they wish to share on an on-demand basis

Authentication, authorization, encryption

Support for both AS2 and secure web services

Can readily route events to existing enterprise applications

Layered architecture can support long-term scalability and flexibility

No vendor lock in - 20+ companies active in EPCIS SAG – large & small – and trading partners can chose to build their own

Already in use today in FMCG


Why is EPCIS valuable?

� Lower complexity of developing new sensor-aware app sAvoid locking RFID Event data into any single enterprise app

Once you gather RFID data you will want multiple apps to use the events

Existing EPCIS Integrations: ePedigree, MES, WMS, ERP, Thief Detect.

Integration of RFID Event data w/ Master Data is complexMaster Data on products and locations is built into the EPCIS Spec

Queries can request a mix of RFID Event and/or Master Data

Makes the development of each application much easier

Most legacy systems were not built to handle large volumes of real-time streaming data

Applications can subscribe to only those events of interest

EPCIS to act as a single point to handle streaming data complexity

RFID Events can be summarized to further reduce data burden


Use cases

- TLS Pilot

- Managed Services:- GS1HK for Manufacturers in PPRD

- Telstra

- Beijing Olympics for Package Food traceability and tracking

- Thailand – Tracking of Jasmine Rice

- New Zealand – Tracking of Kiwi Fruits


Thank You

[email protected]

Introduction to EPC Information Services (EPCIS)In a layered, service-oriented architecture, EPCIS enables persisting supply chain events and sharing the events with internal and external

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