| |

Introduction

This glossary lists notions and terms that you may encounter when reading UDDI literature and provides their definition. In particular, and as far as Ruddi attempts to translate in software objects terms the various UDDI notions, this glossary may also be used as a support to the reading of the Ruddi manuals and Javadoc documentation.

A

• accessPoint

The accessPoint is used to convey the network address suitable for invoking a Web service. This is typically a URL but may also be an electronic mail address, or even a telephone number.

B

• bindingTemplate

A bindingTemplate describes the technical information necessary to use a particular Web service. It must contain either the accessPoint for a given service or an indirection mechanism that will lead to the accessPoints.

• businessEntity

A businessEntity describes a business or organization that typically provides Web services. It contains descriptive information about the business or organization and about the services it offers. This includes information such as names and descriptions in multiple languages, contact information and classification information. Service descriptions and technical information are expressed within a businessEntity by contained businessService and bindingTemplate structures.

• businessKey

A given instance of businessEntity is uniquely identified by its businessKey. When a businessEntity is published within a UDDI registry, the businessKey must be omitted if the publisher wants the registry to generate a key. When a businessEntity is retrieved from a UDDI registry, the businessKey is always present.

• businessService

A businessService describes a collection of related Web services offered by a business or organization described by a businessEntity. Each businessService contains descriptive information such as names, descriptions and classification information outlining the purpose of the individual Web services found within it. For example, a businessService structure could contain a set of Purchase Order Web services (submission, confirmation and notification) that are provided by a business.

C

• categorization

One of the design goals associated with the UDDI registration data is the ability to assign category information. Without categorization, locating data within a UDDI registry would prove to be very difficult. Especially for the discovery of previously unknown businesses, services, bindings or service types, it is indispensable that the corresponding UDDI registration data is marked with a set of categories that can universally be searched on. For example, the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code System (UNSPSC), a set of categorization codes representing product and service categories, can be used to specify a business product and service offering in a more formalized way.

• categoryBag

The categoryBag contains a list of business categories that each describes a specific business aspect of the businessEntity. Examples of categories are industry, product category or geographic region.

D

• D&B

Initials of "Dun & Bradstreet". Refer to "Dun & Bradstreet's Data Universal Numbering System".

• D-U-N-S number

Acronym for "Dun & Bradstreet's Data Universal Numbering System" number.

• Dun & Bradstreet's Data Universal Numbering System

The Dun & Bradstreet's Data Universal Numbering System number (D&B D-U-N-S number) is a unique nine-digit identification sequence, which provides unique identifiers of single business entities, while linking corporate family structures together. D&B links the D&B D-U-N-S Numbers of parents, subsidiaries, headquarters and branches on more than 62 million corporate family members around the world. Used by the world's most influential standards-setting organizations, it is recognized, recommended and/or required by more than 50 global, industry and trade associations, including the United Nations, the U.S. Federal Government, the Australian Government and the European Commission. More information on the www.dnb.com Web site.

EFG

• Green Pages

UDDI accepts and organizes three types of information into three categories: the White, Yellow and Green Pages. Green Pages hold the technical information about services that are exposed by the business, including references and interfaces to the services a company can deliver.

H

I

• identifier

One of the design goals associated with the UDDI registration data is the ability to mark information with identifiers. The purpose of identifiers in the UDDI registration data, namely for businessEntity and tModel instances, is to allow others to find the published information using more formal identifier systems. For example, businesses may want to use their D-U-N-S (Dun & Bradstreet's Data Universal Numbering System), Global Location Number (GLN), or tax identifier in their UDDI registration data, since these identifiers are shared in a public or private community in order to unambiguously identify businesses. In UDDI registries that are only used in private communities, businesses may also want to use privately known identifiers.

• inquiry port

Every UDDI Registry implementation provides two ports which a developer can interact with: the inquiry and publishing ports. The inquiry port allows browsing and searching information which is published to a UDDI Registry.

K

• keyName

Commentary that aids in readability of various UDDI data structures but usually isn't required. For example, the D-U-N-S identifier for IBM has a keyName of D-U-N-S, whereas the keyValue is the actual nine-digit D-U-N-S number, 00-136-8083. However, the keyName does have important meaning in the uddiorg:misc-taxonomy category.

• keyValue

Specifies a business classification, such as the nine-digit DU-N-S number used for businesses worldwide.

LMNO

• OASIS

OASIS is a not-for-profit, global consortium that drives the development, convergence and adoption of e-business standards. Members themselves set the OASIS technical agenda, using a lightweight, open process expressly designed to promote industry consensus and unite disparate efforts. OASIS produces worldwide standards for security, Web services, XML conformance, business transactions, electronic publishing, topic maps and interoperability within and between marketplaces. More information on the www.oasis-open.org Web site.

• operator site

An operator site is another name for each instance of a UDDI business registry. For example, Microsoft, IBM, SAP and NTT Communications are all operators that maintain instances of the UDDI Business Registry.

• overviewURL

The overviewURL holds a URL that refers to a long form of an overview document that covers the way a particular tModel is used as a component of an overall Web service description.

P

QRS

T

• taxonomy

Taxonomy (from Greek taxis meaning arrangement or division and nomos meaning law) is the science of classification according to a pre-determined system, with the resulting catalogue used to provide a conceptual framework for discussion, analysis, or information retrieval. In theory, the development of a good taxonomy takes into account the importance of separating elements of a group (taxon) into subgroups (taxa) that are mutually exclusive, unambiguous, and taken together, include all possibilities. In practice, a good taxonomy should be simple, easy to remember, and easy to use.

• tModel

A tModel dscribes a "technical model" representing a reusable concept, such as a Web service type, a protocol used by Web services, or a category system. A tModel is used in UDDI to represent unique concepts or constructs. They provide a structure that allows reuse and, thus, standardization within a software framework. The UDDI information model is based on this notion of shared specifications and uses tModels to engender this behaviour. For this reason, tModels exist outside the parent-child containment relationships between the businessEntity, businessService and bindingTemplate structures.

• tModelKey

A given tModel entity is uniquely identified by its tModelKey. When a tModel is published within a UDDI registry, the tModelKey must be omitted if the publisher wants the registry to generate a key. When a tModel is retrieved from a UDDI registry, the tModelKey is always present.

U

• UBR

Acronym for "UDDI Business Registry".

• UDDI

Acronym for "Universal Description, Discovery and Integration".

• UDDI Business Registry

The UDDI Business Registry (UBR), also known as the "Public Cloud", is a conceptually single system built from multiple operator nodes that has their data synchronized through replication. A series of operator nodes each hosts a copy of the content. The global grouping of operator nodes is jointly known as the UBR. Operator nodes replicate content among one another. Accessing any individual operator node provides the same information and quality of service as any other operator node. Content inserted into the UBR is done at a single node, and that operator node becomes the master owner of that content. Any subsequent updates or deletes of the data must occur at the operator node where the data was inserted. UBR nodes (members of Public Cloud) are run by Microsoft, IBM, SAP and NTT Communications.

• UDDI registry

A UDDI registry is an implementation of the UDDI specification that allows web service vendors to register information about the web services they offer so that others can find them. Public UDDI registries such as Microsoft or IBM UDDI Business Registries are accessible on the Internet; private UDDI registries typically run within a corporate intranet.

• Universal Description, Discovery and Integration

The focus of Universal Description Discovery & Integration (UDDI) is the definition of a set of services supporting the description and discovery of (1) businesses, organizations, and other Web services providers, (2) the Web services they make available, and (3) the technical interfaces which may be used to access those services. Based on a common set of industry standards, including HTTP, XML, XML Schema, and SOAP, UDDI provides an interoperable, foundational infrastructure for a Web services-based software environment for both publicly available services and services only exposed internally within an organization.

• United Nations Standard Products and Services Code System

The United Nations Standard Products and Services Code is a classification convention that is used to numerically identify products and services. It is a flexible classification system for achieving company-wide visibility of spend analysis, as well as, enabling procurement to deliver on cost-effectiveness demands and allowing full exploitation of electronic commerce capabilities. The UNSPSC was developed jointly by the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and D&B (Dun & Bradstreet Corporation) in 1998. More information on the www.unspsc.com Web site.

• UNSPSC

Acronym for "United Nations Standard Products and Services Code System".

• Uniform Resource Identifier

Expanded acronym of "URI".

• Uniform Resource Locator

Expanded acronym of "URL".

• URI

Acronym for "Uniform Resource Identifier". Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs, aka URLs) are short strings that identify resources in the web: documents, images, downloadable files, services, electronic mailboxes, and other resources. They make resources available under a variety of naming schemes and access methods such as HTTP, FTP, and Internet mail addressable in the same simple way.

• URL

Acronym for "Uniform Resource Locator". An informal term (no longer used in technical specifications) associated with popular URI schemes: http, ftp, mailto, etc.

VW

• W3C

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential. W3C is a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding. More information on the www.w3c.org Web site.

• Web service

A Web service is a software system identified by a URI (RFC 2396), whose public interfaces and bindings are defined and described using XML. Its definition can be discovered by other software systems. These systems may then interact with the Web service in a manner prescribed by its definition, using XML based messages conveyed by Internet protocols.

• Web service client

A software application or a part of a software application that makes use of a Web service.

• White Pages

UDDI accepts and organizes three types of information into three broad categories: the White, Yellow and Green Pages. White Pages include address, contact, and known identifiers.

• WSDL

A XML-based language that describes an interface of a web service together with information how to call the web service and where to find it.

X

• XML

The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a simple, very flexible text format derived from SGML (ISO 8879). Originally designed to meet the challenges of large-scale electronic publishing, XML is also playing an increasingly important role in the exchange of a wide variety of data on the Web and elsewhere. XML is a W3C sponsored format. More information on the www.w3c.org/XML Web site.

• XML Protocol

A communication or messaging protocol based on XML.

• XML Schema

XML Schemas express shared vocabularies and allow machines to carry out rules made by people. They provide a means for defining the structure, content and semantics of XML documents. XML Schema defines a richer set of datatypes such as booleans, numbers, dates and times, and currencies than the more traditional DTD. XML Schemas make it easier to validate documents based on namespaces. It is defined in the W3C's XML Schema Working Group. More information on the www.w3c.org/XML/Schema Web site.

• XML Signature

The mission of W3C's XML Signature working group is to develop an XML compliant syntax used for representing the signature of Web resources and portions of protocol messages (anything referencable by a URI) and procedures for computing and verifying such signatures. More information on the www.w3c.org/Signature Web site.

YZ

• Yellow Pages

UDDI accepts and organizes three types of information into three categories: the White, Yellow and Green Pages. Yellow Pages include industrial categorizations based on standard taxonomies.