OpenEPCIS

Vocabulary Management

Collection of standardized constants and strings for EPCIS event data.

epcis-2-0constantsopenepciscentralizationepcis-toolsstandardizationtraceabilityvocabularycompliancesupply-chain-managementdata-dictionary 2 min read

Quick links

Please find below the links to the codes referenced on this documentation page:

• EPCIS vocabulary/constants application code: https://github.com/openepcis/openepcis-epcis-constants

Introduction

In the development of applications compliant with the EPCIS standard, developers frequently encounter a set of recurring constants and string values. These values, representing standard EPCIS terms, event information, GS1-related keywords, etc., are crucial for ensuring data consistency and interoperability.

Managing these constants across multiple OpenEPCIS projects has been a challenge. Duplication of definitions leads to maintenance overhead and an increased risk of inconsistencies, and it hinders code readability. This project, OpenEPCIS Event Constants, addresses these issues by providing a centralized repository for these essential values.

The EPCIS standard defines a set of vocabulary terms. This data often includes standardized terms and identifiers, such as:

  • bizStep: Represents a business step in the supply chain.
  • disposition: Describes the state of a physical entity.
  • sgtin: Describes a type of identifier in EPCIS.
  • ObjectEvent: Describes a type of event in EPCIS.

These values are fundamental to various EPCIS-based projects during validation and processing.

Usage

The constant information is encapsulated within the EPCIS class, providing direct access to standardized values.

Example 1: Retrieving the bizStep keyword:

Java code snippet
final String businessStep=EPCIS.BIZ_STEP;
System.out.println("Business Step: "+businessStep); // output: bizStep

final String errorDeclaration=EPCIS.ERROR_DECLARATION;
System.out.println("Error Declaration: "+errorDeclaration); // output: errorDeclaration

Contribution

The OpenEPCIS project encourages community contributions to expand and improve the vocabulary repository. Developers can contribute by:

  • Adding new EPCIS vocabulary or constant terms.
  • Improving existing vocabulary.
  • Providing feedback and suggestions.
  • Adding test cases that validate the vocabulary.

By centralizing and standardizing EPCIS vocabulary, this project helps developers develop EPCIS applications more efficiently.