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This
documentation refers to Version 1.0.1 of
EPC Information Services (EPCIS), an EPCglobal normative specification.
The goal of EPCIS is to
enable disparate applications to leverage Electronic Product Code (EPC)
data via EPC-related data sharing, both within and across enterprises.
Ultimately, this sharing is aimed at enabling participants in the
EPCglobal Network to gain a shared view of the disposition of
EPC-bearing objects within a relevant business context.
EPCIS Version 1.0.1 is
intended to provide a basic capability that meets the above goal. In
particular, the specification is designed to meet the requirements of a
basic set of use cases that the user community has identified as a
minimal useful set. Other use cases and capabilities are expected to be
addressed through follow-on versions of this specification, and
companion specifications.
The EPCIS specification
focuses on an EPC Information Service approach, recognizing that some
of what must be defined in this approach (such as data element
standards) will be applicable to other approaches as well. The EPC
Information Service approach will define a standard interface to enable
EPC-related data to be captured and queried using a defined set of
service operations and associated EPC-related data standards, all
combined with appropriate security mechanisms that satisfy the needs of
user companies. In many or most cases, this will involve the use of one
or more persistent databases of EPC-related data, though elements of
the Services approach could be used for direct
application-to-application sharing without persistent databases.
With or without persistent
databases, the EPCIS specification specifies only a standard data
sharing interface between applications that capture EPC-related data
and those that need access to it. It
does not specify how the service operations or databases themselves
should be implemented. This includes not defining how the
EPCISs should acquire and/or compute the data they need, except to the
extent the data is captured using the standard EPCIS capture
operations. The interfaces are needed for interoperability, while the
implementations allow for competition among those providing the
technology and EPC Information Service.
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