|
|
The WebLogic RFID Enterprise Server processes incoming RFID tag data, adds business-context information, and provides customized reports to business partners. The Enterprise Server can process data from many sources and turn this raw data into useful information which businesses can use for tracking and decision making purposes.
Applications running on the edge, such as the WebLogic RFID Edge Server, send tag event data to the RFID Enterprise Server. This data provides basic information about when and where an RFID tag was read, and depending on the event type, can contain additional information. The Event Service on the Enterprise Server receives this data from the edge, stores it, and makes it available for queries.
Using the master data service, authorized users can create information called master data: human-readable, business-context information that can be associated with event data. This association makes the information encoded in event data both more understandable to humans and more useful as a business modeling tool. The Master Data Administration Console is the graphical user interface for the master data service.
The data exchange service processes queries and sends the results to internal or external destinations. An authorized user can create a subscription for an internal or external client. Each subscription defines a set of query parameters, the times and dates when the query will be run, and the destination where the results will be sent. The Query Subscription Administration Console is the graphical user interface for the data exchange service.
| Note: | The Reporting Service, which provides GUI access to event and master data reports, is described in Generating WebLogic RFID Enterprise Server Reports. |
In summary, the event service captures incoming information from the edge, either from a WebLogic RFID Edge Server or from a custom RFID application; the master data service lets you associate business context information with that event data; and the data exchange service lets you share this information within your company and with your business partners.
Together these services provide the ability to integrate raw RFID data with business context information while tracking tagged items as they move from manufacturer to shipper to warehouse to retail store. In terms of simple event data generated by RFID readers, capturing large amounts of raw data is easy; WebLogic RFID Enterprise Server provides the much more difficult but useful services that distill the captured event data, associate master data (business-context information) with it, and then query both sets of data to provide a human-readable history of locations and transactions for an item or group of items.
| Note: | BEA's implementation of these services is based on the technically complete, but not formally ratified as of October 2006, EPCglobal EPC Information Services (EPCIS) Version 1.0 Specification. A currently available document, The EPCglobal Architecture Framework, provides a high-level description of the EPCIS architecture; it is available at: |
| Note: | http://www.epcglobalinc.org/standards_technology/specifications.html |
Figure 2-1 shows how the services interact within the WebLogic RFID Enterprise Server framework.
The following sections provide a brief introduction to each service:
The event service captures RFID event data sent from the edge, stores it in the event repository, and makes the data available for retrieval by the data exchange service and the reporting service. Incoming data is formatted as XML; supported transport protocols for incoming data are JMS (queues), HTTP, and SOAP.
The edge is one or more systems such as a WebLogic RFID Edge Server or a custom RFID application that can process information from RFID readers and export event data using the defined event types:
There is no graphical user interface (GUI) associated with the event service.
For a detailed description the event service, see Event Service.
The master data service associates business-context information with event data. Master data is created and maintained through the Master Data Administration Console. The data is stored in the master data repository and is mapped to associated events in response to requests from the data exchange and reporting services. For the data exchange service, master data is not returned as part of a query, but it can be specified in a query as a means for filtering the results. For the reporting service, master data is returned as part of a report.
For a detailed description the master data service, see Master Data Service.
In order to realize the business benefits of RFID, trading partners must be able to exchange data. For example, a consumer goods manufacturer can achieve better execution of, and visibility into, sales promotions by tagging individual items, but only if the manufacturer can see data from both its own readers and data generated by the retailer's readers.
The data exchange service makes data available to clients. The service is subscription-based, where a subscription consists of a set of query parameters, a destination, and a schedule. Each time a query is run, the results are sent to the destination specified for that subscription. Subscriptions are created and managed through the Query Subscription Administration Console.
For a detailed description of the data exchange service, see Data Exchange Service.
The reporting service provides four types of reports, which are accessed via the reporting service console:
There is no programmatic access to the reporting service; the reporting service console is the only way to generate reports.
Because the reporting service has its own manual, it receives only a brief mention in this one. See Generating WebLogic RFID Enterprise Server Reports for a full description of the reporting service.
Table 2-1 provides a brief summary of each service's data input and output formats; and the name, URL, and online help for each service that has a GUI.
Table 2-2 lists the XSDs for the EPCIS components.
When you install RFID Enterprise Server on Microsoft Windows, a link to the RFID Enterprise Server Home page is added to the Start menu. To access the Home page directly, open a Web browser and follow this link: http://host:port/enterprise/.
|
