RosettaNet and the role of RNIF in XI
RosettaNet is a global standard support protocol for High tech Industries, focuses on the supply chain and its optimization by improving efficiency and performance through enhanced B2B integration. The RosettaNet e-business process standards provides speed, efficiency and reliability to allow greater collaboration and communication between different trading partners. RosettaNet provides a common language or common platform of communication that allows the different trading partners involved in a business process to automate that process and to conduct it through Internet. Unlike EDI and earlier B2B integration efforts RosettaNet has been designed to incorporate security and on-demand integration. The main difference between EDI and RosettaNet is that EDI exchanges documents such as purchase order between companies, where as RosettaNet defines business processes such as purchase order management across the network and integrates them to determine the best course of action. Benefits of RosettaNet over EDI are the ability to automate a greater number of business process, easier and cost efficient implementation and greater scalability. The RosettaNet Implementation Framework (RNIF) in XI The focus of RosettaNet Implementation Framework is specification that is packaging, routing and transferring of RosettaNet business messages as well as specification of business signal messages used in the execution of RosettaNet Partner Interface Processes or PIPs. The SAP Exchange Infrastructure enables A2A and B2B Integrations which supports open standards like XML, SOAP and industry standards like Rosettanet, CIDX and PIDX to implement B2B integrations across organization boundaries. XI provides a set of technical and industry specific adapters that facilitate communication using industry standards. XI focuses on supporting RosettaNet-based scenarios that are standardized for the High Tech industries. XI provides the RNIF Adapter, developed based on Rosettanet framework which supports RosettaNet-based communication between different business partners. RosettaNet’s standardization effort essentially involves the alignment of business processes between trading partners in a given supply chain. RosettaNet specifies these as Partner Interface Process (PIP) specifications. The solution will enable an application, which implements a private business process to interact with a business partner in conformance to a specific PIP. RNIF adapters support the data communication standards that is RosettaNet Implementation Framework which is defined by RsettaNet.This standard defines RNIF protocols version 1.1 and 2.0. These adapters change the XI message formats to the required RosettaNet message format and also change the format of messages from partner systems to XI system. RNIF adapters are used to send messages between the Integration Server and RosettaNet compliant system. 
RNIF adapters are implemented when we want to communicate with partner systems that do not understand the XI message format. The RNIF adapters send messages from XI to a RosettaNet-compliant system and receive messages from a RosettaNet-compliant system. These adapters transports (HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP), packaging (S/MIME) and route all PIP messages and business signals based on the relevant information retrieved at runtime from the Integration Repository and Integration Directory. It provide measures to enforce the security, authentication, authorization, confidentiality and message integrity. The RNIF adapter handles the RosettaNet-defined error handling procedures and the notification of exceptions to the backend applications. Process Integration Content is available in the Integration Repository and consists of the standards content that reflects the RosettaNet PIPs as business scenarios, PIP metadata reflected in the imported DTDs and the configuration templates delivered for each of the supported PIPs and the integration content contains the mappings from industry standards interfaces and process to application-specification interfaces. The RNIF adapter uses this information stored in the Integration Repository to drive the business transaction choreography for a specified PIP. Collaboration Agreements for PIP-based interactions is leveraged through configuration templates delivered for the supported PIPs. Partner Interface Processes (PIPs) PIPs are the business processes in every level of the supply chain. They are set of processes that could serve for B2B and real-world alignment. PIPs are specification and not an implementation. PIPs are to encapsulate business processes by specifying the structures, documents, activities, roles and actions for each trading partner. Simply PIPs are the message content exchanged and choreography with trading partners. RosettaNet divides the entire e-business supply chain domain into eight groups called “clusters“. Each cluster is made up of two or more segments. Segments are group of related functionality. As an example, cluster : Order Management, has segments to manage quote and order entry as well as transportation and distribution. Segments are further divided into PIPs, which define one or more Activities, which in turn specify Actions. CLUSTER 5: Order Management Segment A: Quote and Order Entry PIP 5A1: Request Quote Activity: Request Quote Action: Quote Request Action Action: Quote Confirmation Segment B: Transportation and Distribution Segment C: Returns and Finance Segment D: Product Configuration 
Each PIP specification is composed of three major parts known as views:
RNIF adapters are implemented when we want to communicate with partner systems that do not understand the XI message format. The RNIF adapters send messages from XI to a RosettaNet-compliant system and receive messages from a RosettaNet-compliant system. These adapters transports (HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP), packaging (S/MIME) and route all PIP messages and business signals based on the relevant information retrieved at runtime from the Integration Repository and Integration Directory. It provide measures to enforce the security, authentication, authorization, confidentiality and message integrity. The RNIF adapter handles the RosettaNet-defined error handling procedures and the notification of exceptions to the backend applications. Process Integration Content is available in the Integration Repository and consists of the standards content that reflects the RosettaNet PIPs as business scenarios, PIP metadata reflected in the imported DTDs and the configuration templates delivered for each of the supported PIPs and the integration content contains the mappings from industry standards interfaces and process to application-specification interfaces. The RNIF adapter uses this information stored in the Integration Repository to drive the business transaction choreography for a specified PIP. Collaboration Agreements for PIP-based interactions is leveraged through configuration templates delivered for the supported PIPs. Partner Interface Processes (PIPs) PIPs are the business processes in every level of the supply chain. They are set of processes that could serve for B2B and real-world alignment. PIPs are specification and not an implementation. PIPs are to encapsulate business processes by specifying the structures, documents, activities, roles and actions for each trading partner. Simply PIPs are the message content exchanged and choreography with trading partners. RosettaNet divides the entire e-business supply chain domain into eight groups called “clusters“. Each cluster is made up of two or more segments. Segments are group of related functionality. As an example, cluster : Order Management, has segments to manage quote and order entry as well as transportation and distribution. Segments are further divided into PIPs, which define one or more Activities, which in turn specify Actions. CLUSTER 5: Order Management Segment A: Quote and Order Entry PIP 5A1: Request Quote Activity: Request Quote Action: Quote Request Action Action: Quote Confirmation Segment B: Transportation and Distribution Segment C: Returns and Finance Segment D: Product Configuration Each PIP specification is composed of three major parts known as views:
- Business Operation View (BOV) is for capturing the semantics of business entities and the flow of information between roles as they engage in business activities. BOVs are typically accompanied by a flow diagram.
- Functional Service View (FSV) is derived from the BOV and details the interactions among the network components during the execution of the PIP.
- Implementation Framework View (IFV) specifies the action message formats and communication requirements between RosettaNet services according to the RosettaNet Implementation Framework. For message formats, RosettaNet distributes XML DTDs and Message Guidelines for the action messages that are exchanged when the PIP is executed.
RosettaNet Standards The standards are developed with the collaboration and expertise of leading high-tech companies worldwide. By adhering to these standards trading partners, solutions providers and systems integrators can leverage this expertise and experience. Furthermore, by adopting RosettaNet trading partners can benefit from a global framework of repeatable specifications and guidelines that enables the alignment and automation of real-time, server-to-server transactions, which means global transaction visibility and consistency across the entire supply chain. Using these standardized processes also lets trading partners reduce costs and respond to customer requests faster and it promotes efficient, high-integrity data processing. The standards cover the following core areas:
- Partner Interface Processes
- The RosettaNet Implementation Framework
- RosettaNet Business and Technical Dictionaries
RosettaNet Dictionaries Some of the problems found by B2B integration in past was terminology that each company used in the process is uniquely defined. This procreates a lot of confusion among trading partners. To overcome these problems RosettaNet provides a common vocabulary for e-business that is RosettaNet Business Dictionary. It defines Business properties, Business Data Entities and Fundamental Business Date Entities in PIP Message Guidelines. The RNTD provides properties for defining products and services. The RNTD eliminates the need for trading partners to use separate dictionaries when implementing multiple PIPs.
http://dev2dev.bea.com/pub/a/2004/12/RosettaNet.html has to be added as reference as most of the content is same apart from XI stuff.
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Regards,
Sravya