http://www.sajim.co.za/news.main.2nr4.asp?print=1


   
  News Vol.2(4) March 2001

Universal Description, Discovery and 
Integration 
Margaret van Steenderen 
Margaret.vansteenderen@commercequest.co.za 

Introduction  

Continuing with looking at XML and the latest standards being built around XML this 
column takes a brief look at the Universal Description, Discovery and Integration 
specification (UDDI).  With the need for business to tie in more and more to each other, 
there needs to be a way for them to discover and integrate with each other, and a standard 
for this will of course be useful.  Enter UDDI, created by Ariba, Microsoft and IBM. 

    

What is UDDI?  

According to uddi.org, “The Standard creates a platform-independent, open framework to 
enable businesses to: 

1. Discover each other  
2. Define how they interact over the Internet  
3. Share information in a global registry that will more rapidly accelerate the global 

adoption of B2B eCommerce.”   

UDDI is platform-independent and open because it uses HTTP, XML and SOAP (see 
previous columns) and therefore shares the benefits that the above standards provide.  
Otherwise, how does this standard fulfill the other 3 points mentioned above?  Through the 
UDDI Business Registry. 

    

The UDDI Business Registry  

The business registry allows any company to register its business, products and services and 
to make these available to others.  It provides a specific standard for the way that this 
information is provided.  This means that businesses can link together more easily as 
currently the Internet is flooded with different standards for doing business and up to now 
there has been no industry-wide standard.  So, essentially this is a big database, which uses 
SOAP to store and retrieve the data provided.  UDDI allows for: 

General business information to be captured into the White Pages



The business categories to be captured into the Yellow Pages
Business rules and other information on how to “do business” with each other into the 
Green Pages  
What programmers need to know for business interaction is available in the Service 
Type Registration section.  

These registries are run by multiple operators, are freely available, and can be used by 
anyone.  UDDI not only provides a description of the business and it’s services, but also 
what the technical programming interfaces (or API’s) are that the business has available for 
doing B2B trade.  This allows compatible business partners to be discovered automatically.  

   

Uddi.org provides a comprehensive picture of how UDDI v1 works: 

 

   

Business Benefits  

Also according to uddi.org the problem that UDDI is solving goes as follows: 

“Making it possible for organizations to quickly discover the right business out of the 
millions that are currently online  
Defining how to enable eCommerce to be conducted once the preferred business is 
discovered  
Creating an industry-wide approach for businesses to reach their customers and 
partners with information about their products and Web services, and how they prefer 
to conduct business and integrate systems with those trading partners.”  

And some of the immediate benefits are: 

“The ability for UDDI-enabled businesses to quickly and dynamically discover and 
interact with each other on the Internet via their preferred applications, which will 
ultimately drive financial benefit to their bottom line (and to provide the potential to 
be discovered by organizations with whom they are not currently doing business)  
An easier roadmap for businesses to rapidly participate in the global Internet economy
A way for businesses to programmatically describe their services and business 
processes in a single open environment  



A set of specifications that enable business to invoke services over the Internet to 
provide additional value to their preferred customers”  

   

Conclusion 

UDDI provides a single access point that will enable businesses to discover each other using 
one standard.  It continues to build on already available standards (such as HTTP, XML and 
SOAP) allowing companies to build on their current software and to use their current 
Internet infrastructure.  Don’t delay … register your business today.  Registration 
procedures are already available.  To register go to http://www.uddi.org/register.html.  To 
find out more about this process first have a look at the registration FAQ  
(http://www.uddi.org/faqs.html#registration).  

   

The UDDI site  

http://www.uddi.org 

There are white papers (technical and executive) available, along with a comprehensive 
FAQ and of course, a link to register. 

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ISSN 1560-683X

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