ISO/IEC 19987:2015

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 19987
First edition
2015-09-15
Information technology — EPC
Information services — Specification
Technologies de l’information — Services d’information sur les codes
de produit électronique — Spécification
Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2015
© ISO/IEC 2015, Published in Switzerland
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ii © ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved

Foreword
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Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
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technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.
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described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for
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For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical
Barriers to Trade (TBT), see the following URL: Foreword — Supplementary information.
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology.
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved iii

EPC Information Services (EPCIS)
GDSN Package Measurement Rules
EPC Information Services (EPCIS)
Version 1.1 Specification
GS1 Standards Document
GS1 Standard
Version 1.1, May 2014
Version 1 13 2 Dec 2013
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EPC Information Services (EPCIS)

© 2007–2014 GS1 AISBL
All rights reserved.
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Avenue Louise 326, bte 10
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Disclaimer
GS1 AISBL (GS1) is providing this document as a free service to interested industries.
This document was developed through a consensus process of interested parties in developing
the Standard. Although efforts have been made to assure that the document is correct, reliable, and technically
accurate, GS1 makes NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, THAT THIS DOCUMENT IS CORRECT,
WILL NOT REQUIRE MODIFICATION AS EXPERIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DICTATE,
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EPC Information Services (EPCIS)
2 Abstract
3 This document is a GS1 Standard that defines Version 1.1 of EPC Information Services (EPCIS).
4 The goal of EPCIS is to enable disparate applications to create and share visibility event data,
5 both within and across enterprises. Ultimately, this sharing is aimed at enabling users to gain a
6 shared view of physical or digital objects within a relevant business context.
7 Status of this document
8 This section describes the status of this document at the time of its publication. Other
9 documents may supersede this document. The latest status of this document series is
10 maintained at GS1. See www.gs1.org/gsmp for more information.
11 This version of the GS1 EPCIS 1.1 Standard is the ratified version and has completed all GSMP
12 steps.
13 Comments on this document should be sent togsmp@gs1.org.
14 Differences from EPCIS 1.0.1
15 EPCIS 1.1 is fully backward compatible with EPCIS 1.0.1.
16 EPCIS 1.1 includes these new or enhanced features:
17 • Support for class-level identification is added to ObjectEvent,AggregationEvent,
18 and TransformationEvent through the addition of quantity lists.
19 • A new event type, TransformationEvent, provides for the description of events in
20 which inputs are consumed and outputs are produced.
21 • The “why” dimension of all event types are enhanced so that information about the sources
22 and destinations of business transfers may be included.
23 • The “why” dimension of certain event types are enhanced so that item/lot master data may be
24 included.
25 • The SimpleEventQuery is enhanced to encompass the above changes to event types.
26 • The introductory material is revised to align with the GS1 System Architecture.
27 • The XML extension mechanism is explained more fully.
28 • The QuantityEvent is deprecated, as its functionality is fully subsumed by
29 ObjectEvent with the addition of quantity lists.
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EPC Information Services (EPCIS)
31 Table of Contents
32 1 Introduction.6
33 2 Relationship to the GS1 System Architecture .7
34 2.1 Overview of GS1 Standards . 7
35 2.2 EPCIS in Relation to the “Capture” and “Share” Layers. 8
36 2.3 EPCIS in Relation to Trading Partners . 10
37 2.4 EPCIS in Relation to other GS1 System Architecture Components. 12
38 3 EPCIS Specification Principles.15
39 4 Terminology and Typographical Conventions.16
40 5 EPCIS Specification Framework .16
41 5.1 Layers . 16
42 5.2 Extensibility . 18
43 5.3 Modularity. 18
44 6 Abstract Data Model Layer.19
45 6.1 Event Data and Master Data. 19
46 6.2 Vocabulary Kinds . 22
47 6.3 Extension Mechanisms . 23
48 6.4 Identifier Representation. 25
49 6.5 Hierarchical Vocabularies . 26
50 7 Data Definition Layer .26
51 7.1 General Rules for Specifying Data Definition Layer Modules. 27
52 7.1.1 Content. 27
53 7.1.2 Notation. 28
54 7.1.3 Semantics . 29
55 7.2 Core Event Types Module – Overview . 29
56 7.3 Core Event Types Module – Building Blocks. 33
57 7.3.1 Primitive Types. 33
58 7.3.2 Action Type . 34
59 7.3.3 The “What” Dimension . 34
60 7.3.4 The “Where” Dimension – Read Point and Business Location . 40
61 7.3.5 The “Why” Dimension . 44
62 7.3.6 Instance/Lot Master Data (ILMD). 47
63 7.4 Core Event Types Module – Events . 48
64 7.4.1 EPCISEvent . 48
65 7.4.2 ObjectEvent (subclass of EPCISEvent). 50
66 7.4.3 AggregationEvent (subclass of EPCISEvent). 54
67 7.4.4 QuantityEvent (subclass of EPCISEvent) – DEPRECATED . 60
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EPC Information Services (EPCIS)
68 7.4.5 TransactionEvent (subclass of EPCISEvent) . 61
69 7.4.6 TransformationEvent (subclass of EPCISEvent) . 67
70 8 Service Layer .71
71 8.1 Core Capture Operations Module . 73
72 8.1.1 Authentication and Authorization . 73
73 8.1.2 Capture Service . 73
74 8.2 Core Query Operations Module . 75
75 8.2.1 Authentication . 75
76 8.2.2 Authorization . 75
77 8.2.3 Queries for Large Amounts of Data . 76
78 8.2.4 Overly Complex Queries. 76
79 8.2.5 Query Framework (EPCIS Query Control Interface) . 77
80 8.2.6 Error Conditions . 87
81 8.2.7 Predefined Queries for EPCIS . 90
82 8.2.8 Query Callback Interface . 109
83 9 XML Bindings for Data Definition Modules.109
84 9.1 Extensibility Mechanism. 109
85 9.2 Standard Business Document Header. 112
86 9.3 EPCglobal Base Schema. 114
87 9.4 Additional Information in Location Fields . 114
88 9.5 Schema for Core Event Types. 115
89 9.6 Core Event Types – Examples (non-normative). 123
90 9.6.1 Example 1 – Object Events with Instance-Level Identification . 123
91 9.6.2 Example 2 – Object Event with Class-Level Identification. 124
92 9.6.3 Example 3 – Aggregation Event with Mixed Identification. 125
93 9.6.4 Example 4 – Transformation Event. 126
94 9.7 Schema for Master Data . 127
95 9.8 Master Data – Example (non-normative). 130
96 10 Bindings for Core Capture Operations Module .131
97 10.1 Message Queue Binding. 131
98 10.2 HTTP Binding. 132
99 11 Bindings for Core Query Operations Module .133
100 11.1 XML Schema for Core Query Operations Module . 133
101 11.2 SOAP/HTTP Binding for the Query Control Interface. 141
102 11.3 AS2 Binding for the Query Control Interface . 148
103 11.4 Bindings for Query Callback Interface . 153
104 11.4.1 General Considerations for all XML-based Bindings . 153
105 11.4.2 HTTP Binding of the Query Callback Interface. 154
106 11.4.3 HTTPS Binding of the Query Callback Interface . 154
107 11.4.4 AS2 Binding of the Query Callback Interface . 155
108 12 References .156
109 1
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EPC Information Services (EPCIS)
110 Introduction
111 This document is a GS1 Standard that defines Version 1.1 of EPC Information Services (EPCIS).
112 The goal of EPCIS is to enable disparate applications to create and share visibility event data,
113 both within and across enterprises. Ultimately, this sharing is aimed at enabling users to gain a
114 shared view of physical or digital objects within a relevant business context.
115 “Objects” in the context of EPCIS typically refers to physical objects that are identified either at
116 a class or instance level and which are handled in physical handling steps of an overall business
117 process involving one or more organizations. Examples of such physical objects include trade
118 items (products), logistic units, returnable assets, fixed assets, physical documents, etc. “Objects”
119 may also refer to digital objects, also identified at either a class or instance level, which
120 participate in comparable business process steps. Examples of such digital objects include digital
121 trade items (music downloads, electronic books, etc.), digital documents (electronic coupons,
122 etc), and so forth. Throughout this document the word “object” is used to denote a physical or
123 digital object, identified at a class or instance level, that is the subject of a business process step.
124 EPCIS data consist of “visibility events,” each of which is the record of the completion of a
125 specific business process step acting upon one or more objects.
126 The EPCIS standard was originally conceived as part of a broader effort to enhance collaboration
127 between trading partners by sharing of detailed information about physical or digital objects. The
128 name EPCIS reflects the origins of this effort in the development of the Electronic Product Code
129 (EPC). It should be noted, however, that EPCIS does not require the use of Electronic Product
130 Codes, nor of Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) data carriers, and as of EPCIS 1.1 does not
131 even require instance-level identification (for which the Electronic Product Code was originally
132 designed). The EPCIS standard applies to all situations in which visibility event data is to be
133 captured and shared, and the presence of “EPC” within the name is of historical significance
134 only.
135 EPCIS provides open, standardised interfaces that allow for seamless integration of well-defined
136 services in inter-company environments as well as within companies. Standard interfaces are
137 defined in the EPCIS standard to enable visibility event data to be captured and queried using a
138 defined set of service operations and associated data standards, all combined with appropriate
139 security mechanisms that satisfy the needs of user companies. In many or most cases, this will
140 involve the use of one or more persistent databases of visibility event data, though elements of
141 the Services approach could be used for direct application-to-application sharing without
142 persistent databases.
143 With or without persistent databases, the EPCIS specification specifies only a standard data
144 sharing interface between applications that capture visibility event data and those that need
145 access to it. It does not specify how the service operations or databases themselves should be
146 implemented. This includes not defining how the EPCIS services should acquire and/or compute
147 the data they need, except to the extent the data is captured using the standard EPCIS capture
148 operations. The interfaces are needed for interoperability, while the implementations allow for
149 competition among those providing the technology and implementing the standard.
150 EPCIS is intended to be used in conjunction with the GS1 Core Business Vocabulary (CBV)
151 standard [CBV1.1]. The CBV standard provides definitions of data values that may be used to
152 populate the data structures defined in the EPCIS standard. The use of the standardized
153 vocabulary provided by the CBV standard is critical to interoperability and critical to provide for
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EPC Information Services (EPCIS)
154 querying of data by reducing the variation in how different businesses express common intent.
155 Therefore, applications should use the CBV standard to the greatest extent possible in
156 constructing EPCIS data.
157 2 Relationship to the GS1 System Architecture
158 This section is largely quoted from [EPCAF] and [GS1Arch], and shows the relationship of
159 EPCIS to other GS1 Standards.
160 2.1 Overview of GS1 Standards
161 GS1 Standards support the information needs of end users interacting with each other in supply
162 chains, specifically the information required to support the business processes through which
163 supply chain participants interact. The subjects of such information are the real-world entities
164 that are part of those business processes. Real-world entities include things traded between
165 companies, such as products, parts, raw materials, packaging, and so on. Other real-world
166 entities of relevance to trading partners include the equipment and material needed to carry out
167 the business processes surrounding trade such as containers, transport, machinery; entities
168 corresponding to physical locations in which the business processes are carried out; legal entities
169 such as companies, divisions; service relationships; business transactions and documents; and
170 others. Real-world entities may exist in the tangible world, or may be digital or conceptual.
171 Examples of physical objects include a consumer electronics product, a transport container, and a
172 manufacturing site (location entity). Examples of digital objects include an electronic music
173 download, an eBook, and an electronic coupon. Examples of conceptual entities include a trade
174 item class, a product category, and a legal entity.
175 GS1 Standards may be divided into the following groups according to their role in supporting
176 information needs related to real-world entities in supply chain business processes:
177 • Standards which provide the means to Identify real-world entities so that they may be the
178 subject of electronic information that is stored and/or communicated by end users. GS1
179 identification standards include standards that define unique identification codes (called GS1
180 Identification Keys).
181 • Standards which provide the means to automatically Capture data that is carried directly on
182 physical objects, bridging the world of physical things and the world of electronic
183 information. GS1 data capture standards include definitions of bar code and radio-frequency
184 identification (RFID) data carriers which allow identifiers to be affixed directly to a physical
185 object, and standards that specify consistent interfaces to readers, printers, and other
186 hardware and software components that connect the data carriers to business applications.
187 • Standards which provide the means to Share information, both between trading partners and
188 internally, providing the foundation for electronic business transactions, electronic visibility
189 of the physical or digital world, and other information applications. GS1 standards for
190 information sharing include this EPCIS Standard which is a standard for visibility event data.
191 Other standards in the “Share” group are standards for master data and for business
192 transaction data, as well as discovery standards that help locate where relevant data resides
193 across a supply chain and trust standards that help establish the conditions for sharing data
194 with adequate security.
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EPC Information Services (EPCIS)
195 The EPCIS Standard fits into the “Share” group, providing the data standard for visibility event
196 data and the interface standards for capturing such information from data capture infrastructure
197 (which employs standards from the “Capture” group) and for sharing such information with
198 business applications and with trading partners.
199 2.2 EPCIS in Relation to the “Capture” and “Share” Layers
200 The following diagram shows the relationship between EPCIS and other GS1 Standards in the
201 “Capture” and “Share” groups. (The “Identify” group of standards pervades the data at all levels
202 of this architecture, and so is not explicitly shown.)
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EPC Information Services (EPCIS)
To/from
external
eCOM (GS1 XML / EANCOM) Interface
parties
GDSN Interface
EPCIS Query Interface
Possible
EPCIS Accessing
EPCIS
bypass for
Applications and other
real-time
Repository
Enterprise-level
“push”
Applications
EPCIS Capture
Share
Interface
Capture
Various app-specific Interfaces
Data
Capture
Application
Human
Data Capture Workflow
Interfaces
ALE Interface
Filtering &
Collection Engine
Composite
Element
LLRP Interface
String
= Interface
RFID Reader
= System Component
RFID Air Interface Bar Code Symbology
RFID Tag Bar Code
204 As depicted in the diagram above, the EPCIS Capture Interface exists as a bridge between the
205 “Capture” and “Share” standards. The EPCIS Query Interface provides visibility event data both
206 to internal applications and for sharing with trading partners.
207 At the centre of a data capture application is the data capture workflow that supervises the
208 business process step within which data capture takes place. This is typically custom logic that is
209 specific to the application. Beneath the data capture workflow in the diagram is the data path
210 between the workflow and GS1 data carriers: bar codes and RFID. The green bars in the diagram
211 denote GS1 Standards that may be used as interfaces to the data carriers. At the top of the
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EPC Information Services (EPCIS)
212 diagram are the interfaces between the data capture workflow and larger-scale enterprise
213 applications. Many of these interfaces are application- or enterprise-specific, though using GS1
214 data as building blocks; however, the EPCIS interface is a GS1 Standard. Note that the interfaces
215 at the top of the diagram, including EPCIS, are independent of the data carrier used at the bottom
216 of the diagram.
217 The purpose of the interfaces and the reason for a multi-layer data capture architecture is to
218 provide isolation between different levels of abstraction. Viewed from the perspective of an
219 enterprise application (i.e., from the uppermost blue box in the figure), the entire data capture
220 application shields the enterprise application from the details of exactly how data capture takes
221 place. Through the application-level interfaces (uppermost green bars), an enterprise application
222 interacts with the data capture workflow through data that is data carrier independent and in
223 which all of the interaction between data capture components has been consolidated into that
224 data. At a lower level, the data capture workflow is cognizant of whether it is interacting with bar
225 code scanners, RFID interrogators, human input, etc, but the transfer interfaces (green bars in the
226 middle) shield the data capture workflow from low-level hardware details of exactly how the
227 data carriers work. The lowest level interfaces (green bars on the bottom) embody those internal
228 data carrier details.
229 EPCIS and the “Share” layer in general differ from elements in the Capture layer in three key
230 respects:
231 1. EPCIS deals explicitly with historical data (in addition to current data). The Capture layer, in
232 contrast, is oriented exclusively towards real-time processing of captured data.
233 2. EPCIS often deals not just with raw data captured from data carriers such as bar codes and
234 RFID tags, but also in contexts that imbue those observations with meaning relative to the
235 physical or digital world and to specific steps in operational or analytical business processes.
236 The Capture layers are more purely observational in nature. An EPCIS event, while
237 containing much of the same “Identify” data as a Filtering & Collection event or a bar code
238 scan, is at a semantically higher level because it incorporates an understanding of the
239 business context in which the identifier data were obtained. Moreover, there is no
240 requirement that an EPCIS event be directly related to a specific physical data carrier
241 observation. For example, an EPCIS event may indicate that a perishable trade item has just
242 crossed its expiration date; such an event may be generated purely by software.
243 3. EPCIS operates within enterprise IT environments at a level that is much more diverse and
244 multi-purpose than exists at the Capture layer, where typically systems are self-contained and
245 exist to serve a single business purpose. In part, and most importantly, this is due to the
246 desire to share EPCIS data between enterprises which are likely to have different solutions
247 deployed to perform similar tasks. In part, it is also due to the persistent nature of EPCIS
248 data. And lastly, it is due to EPCIS being at the highest level of the overall architecture, and
249 hence the natural point of entry into other enterprise systems, which vary widely from one
250 enterprise to the next (or even within parts of the same enterprise).
251 2.3 EPCIS in Relation to Trading Partners
252 GS1 Standards in the “Share” layer pertain to three categories of data that are shared between
253 end users:
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EPC Information Services (EPCIS)
Data Description GS1 Standards
Master Data Data, shared by one trading partner to many trading GDSN
partners, that provide descriptive attributes of real-
world entities identified by GS1 Identification
Keys, including trade items, parties, and physical
locations.
Transaction Trade transactions triggering or confirming the GS1 eCOM XML
Data execution of a function within a business process as
EANCOM
defined by an explicit business agreement (e.g., a
supply contract) or an implicit one (e.g., customs
processing), from the start of the business process
(e.g., ordering the product) to the end of it (e.g.,
final settlement), also making use of GS1
Identification Keys.
Visibility Details about physical or digital activity in the EPCIS
Event Data supply chain of products and other assets, identified
by keys, detailing where these objects are in time,
and why; not just within one organization’s four
walls, but across organizations.
255 Transaction Data and Visibility Event Data have the characteristic that new documents of those
256 types are continually created as more business is transacted in a supply chain in steady state,
257 even if no new real-world entities are being created. Master Data, in contrast, is more static: the
258 Master Data for a given entity changes very slowly (if at all), and the quantity of Master Data
259 only increases as new entities are created, not merely because existing entities participate in
260 business processes. For example, as a given trade item instance moves through the supply chain,
261 new transaction data and visibility event data are generated as that instance undergoes business
262 transactions (such as purchase and sale) and physical handling processes (packing, picking,
263 stocking, etc). But new Master Data is only created when a new trade item or location is added to
264 the supply chain.
265 The following figure illustrates the flow of data between trading partners, emphasizing the parts
266 of the EPCIS standard involved in the flow of visibility event data.
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EPC Information Services (EPCIS)
Services for GDSN Global
Discovery (ONS, etc) Registry
GS1 Networked Services
Trading Partner 1 Trading Partner 2
EPCIS Query traffic – on-demand queries and standing queries
eCOM (GS1 XML / EANCOM) Interface
GDSN Interface
EPCIS Query EPCIS Query
and data pools
Interface (Control Interface (Control
and Callback) and Callback)
EPCIS Accessing EPCIS Accessing
EPCIS EPCIS
Applications and Applications and
Repository Repository
other Enterprise-level other Enterprise-level
Applications Applications
EPCIS Capture EPCIS Capture
Interface Interface
App-specific App-specific
Interfaces Interfaces
Data Capture Infrastructure Data Capture Infrastructure
268 2.4 EPCIS in Relation to other GS1 System Architecture Components
269 The following outlines the responsibilities of each element of the GS1 System Architecture as
270 illustrated in the figures in the preceding sections. Further information may be found in
271 [GS1Arch], from which the above diagram and much of the above text is quoted, and [EPCAF],
272 from which much of the following text is quoted.
273 • RFID and Bar Code Readers Make observations of RFID tags while they are in the read
274 zone, and observations of bar codes when reading is triggered.
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EPC Information Services (EPCIS)
275 • Low-Level [RFID] Reader Protocol (LLRP) Interface Defines the control and delivery of raw
276 RFID tag reads from RFID Readers to the Filtering & Collection role. Events at this interface
277 say “Reader A saw EPC X at time T.”
278 • Filtering & Collection This role filters and collects raw RFID tag reads, over time intervals
279 delimited by events defined by the EPCIS Capturing Application (e.g. tripping a motion
280 detector). No comparable role typically exists for reading bar codes, because bar code readers
281 typically only read a single bar code when triggered.
282 • Filtering & Collection (ALE) Interface Defines the control and delivery of filtered and
283 collected RFID tag read data from the Filtering & Collection role to the Data Capture
284 Workflow role. Events at this interface say “At Logical Reader L, between time T1 and T2,
285 the following EPCs were observed,” where the list of EPCs has no duplicates and has been
286 filtered by criteria defined by the EPCIS Capturing Application. In the case of bar codes,
287 comparable data is delivered to the Data Capture Workflow role directly from the bar code
288 reader in the form of a GS1 Element String.
289 • Data Capture Workflow Supervises the operation of the lower-level architectural elements,
290 and provides business context by coordinating with other sources of information involved in
291 executing a particular step of a business process. The Data Capture Workflow may, for
292 example, coordinate a conveyor system with Filtering & Collection events and bar code
293 reads, may check for exceptional conditions and take corrective action (e.g., diverting a bad
294 object into a rework area), may present information to a human operator, and so on. The Data
295 Capture Workflow understands the business process step or steps during which EPCIS event
296 data capture takes place. This role may be complex, involving the association of multiple
297 Filtering & Collection events and/or bar code reads with one or more business events, as in
298 the loading of a shipment. Or it may be straightforward, as in an inventory business process
299 where there may be readers deployed that generate observations about objects that enter or
300 leave the shelf. Here, the Filtering & Collection-level event or bar code read and the EPCIS-
301 level event may be so similar that very little actual processing at the Data Capture Workflow
302 level is necessary, and the Data Capture Workflow merely configures and routes events from
303 the Filtering & Collection interface and/or bar code readers directly through the EPCIS
304 Capture Interface to an EPCIS-enabled Repository or a business application. A Data Capture
305 Workflow whose primary output consists of EPCIS events is called an “EPCIS Capturing
306 Application” within this standard.
307 • EPCIS Interfaces The interfaces through which EPCIS data is delivered to enterprise-level
308 roles, including EPCIS Repositories, EPCIS Accessing Applications, and data exchange with
309 partners. Events at these interfaces say, for example, “At location X, at time T, the following
310 contained objects (cases) were verified as being aggregated to the following containing
311 object (pallet).” There are actually three EPCIS Interfaces. The EPCIS Capture Interface
312 defines the delivery of EPCIS events from EPCIS Capturing Applications to other roles that
313 consume the data in real time, including EPCIS Repositories, and real-time “push” to EPCIS
314 Accessing Applications and trading partners. The EPCIS Query Control Interface defines a
315 means for EPCIS Accessing Applications and trading partners to obtain EPCIS data
316 subsequent to capture, typically by interacting with an EPCIS Repository. The EPCIS Query
317 Control Interface provides two modes of interaction. In “on-demand” or “synchronous”
318 mode, a client makes a request through the EPCIS Query Control Interface and receives a
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EPC Information Services (EPCIS)
319 response immediately. In “standing request” or “asynchronous” mode, a client establishes a
320 subscription for a periodic query. Each time the periodic query is executed, the results are
321 delivered asynchronously (or “pushed”) to a recipient via the EPCIS Query Callback
322 Interface. The EPCIS Query Callback Interface may also be used to deliver information
323 immediately upon capture; this corresponds to the “possible bypass for real-time push” arrow
324 in the diagram. All three of these EPCIS interfaces are specified normatively in this
325 document.
326 • EPCIS Accessing Application Responsible for carrying out overall enterprise business
327 processes, such as warehouse management, shipping and receiving, historical throughput
328 analysis, and so forth, aided by EPC-related data.
329 • EPCIS-enabled Repository Records EPCIS-level events generated by one or more EPCIS
330 Capturing Applications, and makes them available for later query by EPCIS Accessing
331 Applications.
332 • Partner Application Trading Partner systems that perform the same role as an EPCIS
333 Accessing Application, though from outside the responding party’s network. Partner
334 Applications may be granted access to a subset of the information that is available from an
335 EPCIS Capturing Application or within an EPCIS Repository.
336 The interfaces within this stack are designed to insulate the higher levels of the architecture from
337 unnecessary details of how the lower levels are implemented. One way to understand this is to
338 consider what happens if certain changes are made:
339 • The Low-Level [RFID] Reader Protocol (LLRP) and GS1 Element String insulate the higher
340 layers from knowing what RF protocols or bar code symbologies are in use, and what reader
341 makes/models have been chosen. If a different reader is substituted, the information sent
342 through these interfaces remains the same.
343 • In situations where RFID is used, the Filtering & Collection Interface insulates the higher
344 layers from the physical design choices made regarding how RFID tags are sensed and
345 accumulated, and how the time boundaries of events are triggered. If a single four-antenna
346 RFID reader is replaced by a constellation of five single-antenna “smart antenna” readers, the
347 events at the Filtering & Collection level remain the same. Likewise, if a different triggering
348 mechanism is used to mark the start and end of the time interval over which reads are
349 accumulated, the Filtering & Collection event remains the same.
350 • EPCIS insulates enterprise applications from understanding the details of how individual
351 steps in a business process are carried out at a detailed level. For example, a typical EPCIS
352 event is “At location X, at time T, the following cases were verified as being on the
353 following pallet.” In a conveyor-based business implementation, this may correspond to a
354 single Filtering & Collection event, in which reads are accumulated during a time interval
355 whose start and end is triggered by the case crossing electric eyes surrounding a reader
356 mounted on the conveyor. But another implementation could involve three strong people
357 who move around the cases and use hand-held readers to read the tags. At the Filtering &
358 Collection level, this looks very different (each triggering of the hand-held reader is likely a
359 distinct Filtering & Collection event), and the processing done by the EPCIS Capturing
360 Application is quite different (perhaps involving an interactive console that the people use to
361 verify their work). But the EPCIS event is still the same for all these implementations.
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EPC Information Services (EPCIS)
362 In summary, EPCIS-level data differs from data employed at the Capture level in the GS1
363 System Architecture by incorporating semantic information about the business process in which
364 data is collected, and providing historical observations. In doing so, EPCIS insulates applications
365 that consume this information from knowing the low-level details of exactly how a given
366 business process step is carried out.
367 3 EPCIS Specification Principles
368 The considerations in the previous two sections reveal that the requirements for standards at the
369 EPCIS layer are considerably more complex than in the Capture layer of the GS1 System
370 Architecture. The historical nature of EPCIS data implies that EPCIS interfaces need a richer set
371 of access techniques than ALE or RFID and bar code reader interfaces. The incorporation of
372 operational or business process context into EPCIS implies that EPCIS traffics in a richer set of
373 data types, and moreover needs to be much more open to extension in order to
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