# Understanding the Event, Master Data, and Data Exchange Services

# Services Overview

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:

- Event Service
- Master Data Service
- Data Exchange Service
- Reporting Service
Figure 2-1 Event, Master Data, Data Exchange, and Reporting Services

## Event 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:

- An ObjectEvent captures information about an event pertaining to one or more physical objects identified by EPCs.
- An AggregationEvent describes objects that are physically related to one another such that there is a containing (parent) entity (for example, a pallet) and a series of contained (child) objects (for example, cases on a pallet).
- A QuantityEvent is an event that happens to a specified number of objects all having the same type, but where the individual instances are not identified. For example a QuantityEvent could report that an event happened to 200 boxes of widgets, without identifying specifically which boxes were involved. Quantity Events can serve as a bridge between RFID systems and legacy inventory systems that do not identify individuals items.
- A TransactionEvent describes the association or disassociation of physical objects to a business transaction.

There is no graphical user interface (GUI) associated with the event service.

For a detailed description the event service, see Event Service.

## Master Data 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.

## Data Exchange 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.

## Reporting Service

The reporting service provides four types of reports, which are accessed via the reporting service console:

- History: Where and when were assets last seen, and in what context.
- Missing Assets: Which assets have not been seen since the specified time, and optionally, at the specified location.
- Dwell Time: How long have assets remained at the specified location.
- Transit Time: How long does it take for assets to move from one location to another.

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.

## Services: Data Flow, GUI, and Name Space Summary

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.

Table 2-1 Services Summary: Data Input, Data Output, and GUIs
Service | Data Input | Data Output | GUI / Login / Online Help
--- | --- | --- | ---
Event | Internal: None External: Event data from edge as encapsulated XML via HTTP, JMS queue, or SOAP. Store data in event repository. | Internal: To EPCIS query engine and reporting engine. External: None | None
Master Data | Internal: None External: Master data from GUI (manually entered or file upload). Store data in master data repository. | Internal: To reporting service. External: None | Master Data Administration Console `http://<host>:7001/ masterdataadminconsole` Online help is integrated with console, and also available at: Master Data Administration Console Help
Data Exchange | Internal: Data from event engine and master data engine. External: Subscription information and query parameters from GUI. Store data in subscriptions repository | Internal: To internal applications via internal APIs. External: Export query results in XML format via standard notification mechanisms: HTTP, JMS, AS2, console, or file. | Query Subscription Administration Console `http://<host>:7001/ epcis-console` Online help is integrated with console, and also available at: Query Subscription Administration Console Online Help
Reporting | Internal: Data from event engine and master data engine. External: Query parameters from GUI. | Internal: None External: Display in GUI or export to file (CSV or XML format). | Reporting Service Console `http://<host>:7001/ enterprise-reports` Online help is the Generating WebLogic RFID Enterprise Server Reports manual, which is accessible from the console and the Internet.

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/`.

Table 2-2 Schema Filenames and Target Namespace for Events and Master Data
Component and XSD or WSDL Filename | Target Namespace
--- | ---
EPCIS Events `EPCIS.xsd` | `urn:epcglobal:epcis:xsd:1`
Event - Capture `EPCIS-capture.xsd` | `http://www.bea.com/ns/rfid/enterprise/epcis-capture/xsd/2.0/`
Event - Query `EPCIS-query.xsd` | `urn:epcglobal:epcis-query:xsd:1`
Master Data `EPCIS-masterdata.xsd` | `urn:epcglobal:epcis-masterdata:xsd:1`
EPCIS WSDL `EPCIS.wsdl` | `urn:epcglobal:epcis-wsdl:xsd:1`