NIH Web Services Discovery System andB2B eXchange

NSF Technology BriefingVienna, VA

January 2006

David RR Webber

webberd@od.nih.gov

2

Agenda

Business Objectives, History, Deliverables

Technology Approach

Technology Detail

Timelines

Opportunity Summary

Business Objectives, History, Deliverables

Overview

4

NIH eRA – Competitive Grants Applications

Currently handling about 2,000,000 pieces of paper annually – scanning to digital images

Web front door - “Commons” system: Number of Commons Logons: FY 2004: 565,344 FY 2005 to present: 946,330+

Registered Organization (All) = 2884, and Registered Persons - 45334

Grants applications posted electronically

eSNAP - FY 2003 =  329 FY 2004 =  2,854 Since 10/1/2004 =   5783+

The total number of FSRs processed (internal and external) = 54657

5

e-CGAP: Electronic Competitive Grant Application Process

Paperless grant applications and all post submission downstream processing

Extending a seamless grant workflow into the external community

Promote the concept of service provider

Leads to need for system to system interfaces and data streams

Which leads to the use of business to business electronic commerce concepts and standards

HHS Award Winning effort

6

Need to provide a common view

The typical grant applicants’ challenge

Juggling all the various different formats and procedures

7

Existing CGAP Transactions in place

Submission of modular grants Submission of full budget grants (no sub-

projects or consortia) Validation result returned to Submitter system Validation service before submission Grant image generation by NIH View and approve generated image for sign-off

of submission (web GUI) Investigator Personal profile query and update Status inquiries in grant workflow processing Notification of peer review assignment

8

Grants.gov Interfacing Schedule

9

Sample - Hourly Diagnostics Reporting

Time Related Reporting:Submissions processed within the last 24 hours: 102Grant images created within the last 24 hours: 25

SBIR/STTR totals:Total SBIR/STTR submissions processed: 7932Total SBIR/STTR grant images created: 1849Total unique SBIR/STTR applications with outstanding validation errors: 517

Grand totals to date:Total submissions processed: 8560Total grant images created: 2011Total applications awaiting verification: 61Total applications verified: 1924Total applications rejected: 26Total applications processed through Receipt and Referral: 1810Total unique applications with outstanding validation errors: 576

10

Beyond Grants Applications The ability to interface quickly and easily to

external parties with limited resources is not just a grants applications need

Secure reliable verifiable common communications infrastructure based on open public specifications

Other potential applicable areas: HHS - Cancer Research Centers

CDC – Emergency Alerting systems

NSF – National Science Foundation grants

Navy – Medical Services coordination

FEMA – Emergency supply chain delivery

DHS – Intra-agency information sharing

EPA – External regulatory reporting

Technology Approach

Overview of Architecture and

Components

12

Leveraging Open Standards

Combining best-of-breed solution with both ebXML and Web services working together

Open source solution components to allow unrestricted integration by partners

Foundation of ebXML formal interchange model

Leveraging loose coupling of web services

13

Registry

Exchange Functional Components

Network

Content

Transport

Security

ManageBusiness

Systems

Workflow

Payload

Handling

14

Registry

Exchange Operational Details

Network

Content

Transport

Security

ManageBusiness

Systems

Workflow

Payload

Handling

ContentVersions

MoUs

Business

Rules

Certificates

Identity

Role +

Context

Profiles

Industry

Semantics

Partners

Events Actions

Errors

Scripts

Scripts

Staged

Synch

Asynch

Fire

Wall

Virus

Check

Receive

Send

Dispatch

Errors

Validation

Business

Rules

15

Grants Implementation Overview

Government Partners

PartnerManagementWeb forms

PartnerManagementWeb forms

CPAinstances

CPAinstances

Local ApplicantCompany

ApplicantAuthority

Proxy SubmissionService Provider

2222

1111

3333

CentralebXMLRegistry

CentralebXMLRegistry

CPAinstances

CPAinstances

System AdministratorsManage PartnerInteractions

4444

XMLStructure

Rules

XMLStructure

Rules

CPAcheckCPA

checkdata

validation

datavalidation

5555Partner transaction authentication

Oracledatabase

Oracledatabase

(Persistent Storage)

TransportebMSserver

TransportebMSserver

MessagesMessages

MessagesMessages

16

Service Provider view - single process

Grant Administration

Clinical TrialSystem

AE reporting

Grant applicationAuthoring

Internal Approvals & Workflows

ProtocolAuthoring

Personal Profile and Pub management

Sin

gle U

ser Interface o

r Site

Institution - Service Provider

REGISTRY

eb

XM

L

ebXML

ebXMLHL7

ebXML

ebXML

ebXMLHL7

17

Example: eRA and Grants.gov (Competitive Grants)

Grants.govIntake &

Processing

eRA eXchangeServices

Business ValidationDB Load

Image generation

Validation ResultsNotification

eRA COMMONSInterface

StatusValidation resultsImage Verification

Sign-Off

ERA

Applicant Grants.gov

eRA COMMONS

eRA Exchange eRA eXchangeServices & eRA

Pure EdgeForms

eRA eXchangeIntake

eRA eXchangeXML validation1111

2222

444455556666

3333

download

emailWeb forms interface

ebXML

OPEN /

PLUGGABLE

MONO

CLOSED

SYSTEM

Technology Detail

Components, Specifications and Implementation

19

Information Exchange Integration requirements

Outward facing messaging systems

Formal agreement profiles for business participants

Business process workflow definitions

Information exchange rules

Registry to hold agreements, definitions, scripts…

Internal integration routing and dispatch methods

User interfacing for entry and control

20

B2B Exchange Design Goals

Automated registration of participants

Ability to self-certify exchange transactions

Version control and ability to approve partners

Centralized registry for participant management

Declared and shared business rule scripting

Integration through messaging services

Backend application integration services

Uses open public specifications and open source

21

MoU

Nouns

HL7/XML Data

ServicesInternal Applications

Architecture Needs Overview

SQL

DB

Message TransferAuthentication,

Validation, Routing

Registry of Rules

and Agreements

Persistence Queue

Network Infrastructure

XML

Dispatch Handler

Queue Monitor

Integration

Management

Partner

Management

Certs

Certification

Service

Roles

Security

Service

Web service delivery

ebXML delivery

Staged delivery

HL7 support

22

Exchange Concurrent Processing Architecture

External

Sender A

Staged Delivery Agent

DownloadQueue

ReceiptAgent(s)

ReceivedQueue

PayloadStagingArea

From: / To: filtering

DispatchAgent

DispatchServices

ProcessQueuing

DeliveryServices

PublishSubscribe

Application

2

3

4

Payload

Requests

Responses

5

6

7

External

Sender B

Notify1

Request /Response

1

Send

PartnerSecurityServices

PartnerSecurityServices

Load Balancing

4

(Pluggable exchanges controlled using Hermes messaging server –using: WSDL, ebMS, AS/2, HL7)

23

Example Messaging Hub and B2B components

Researchers

Fellows

Trainees

Clinicians

ResearchAdministratorsApplicants

Grant Administration

Clinical TrialSystem

AE reporting

Grant applicationAuthoring

Internal Approvals & Workflows

ProtocolAuthoring

Personal Profile and Pub management

Grant Management

Internal Workflow

ApplicationReceipt and Review

Population Tracking

eRA PersonalProfile

NLM Pub system

IRB Approvals,Pop Tracking

Sin

gle U

ser Interface o

r Site

eRA

IC

OpDiv

Institution - Service Provider

AE reportingNIH

REGISTRY• Partner Information• Exchg Agreements• Transactions Def• Bus process info• Authorizations

AUDITS• Tracking• Security• Mgmt statistics• Activity reports

NIHSingle Sign On

eXchange ebXMLservices

ebXMLservices

Messag

e Pro

cesso

rs

Messag

e Pro

cesso

rs

24

Technical discussion of the eXchange

Exchange context

Exchange components

4 major components eRA eXchange eRA eXchange Client eRA eXchange Services eRA Registry

ebXML

Web services

25

Example: Grants.gov interfacing

Era Exchange

Exchange Client

Exchange services

Grants.Gov

1.Get a

pplicatio

n list

3. G

et a

pplic

ation

9. confirm

ation

2. Send pre-notification

5. Request payload

6. Payload delivery

7. Delivery Status

8. Processing status

4. Send notificationOC4J OC4J

Web

serv

ices

ebXML

Staged Delivery

26

OtherNIH Internal Systems

eRA SystemsExchangeServices

eRA eXchange

eRA SAN

eRA eXchange Overview Today

TradingPartnerSystem

Grants.gov

API

eRA-HERMES

PartnerSystem

Interface

eCGAPFormat

HERMESebMS

WSDL

Grants.govWSDL

Tra

ns

ac

tion

Ha

nd

lers

Sta

ge

d D

eliv

ery

Au

tho

rizatio

n re

gis

try

Viru

s C

he

ck

ing

Ma

na

ge

me

nt A

ud

its

Re

po

rting

Va

lida

tion

Se

rvic

e

Ro

utin

g

ebMS Server

eRABus Data

Audits RegistrationebMSClient

Package Handlers Common Services

API

MessageProcessors

HERMESebMS

BusinessApplications

E-Notification

API NLM

HERMESebMS NCRR

NCI ?

27

eRA Exchange – Components

Multiple message handlers

Hermes is used to provide messaging services

Grants.gov toolkit – web services for intake

Current CGAP intake, WSDL web services

eXchange Common Services

Validation, virus checking, routing

Authorization

Audits

Leveraging open source solutions

28

eRA eXchange “client” (local server)

Based on HERMES

Full service ebMS message handler

Open source, fully distributable

eRA enhancements

Simplified API to send and receive messages

Configured to connect to eRA Exchange Registry interface eXchange interface

2 Step message intake for large payloads

Queues to buffer messages and protect business systems

29

eXchange Business Services

Integration with the eRA eXchange client

Message payload processors

Interface with eRA database and business systems

Pluggable XML-driven data persistence

PDF document handling and generation

next – XML-driven versioning and validation

next – Rules engine integration (DROOLS)

30

Rule Driven Transaction Handling

Delivery

XML content

XSD schema

Structure validation

2

1

DynamicStructure rules

Structure sub-components with includes allows re-use

TransactionDelivery Handling Match Transaction

Type to Rule-basethrough enveloping

BusinessRules

Rule DrivenError Reporting

Error Logging

Result logging

Email notifications

XML-based error outputting

3 4

PersistRules for SQL

SQL tables

Application

Triggers

6

7

SQL commands

Oracle API

5

8

31

Rule Components

Structure validation

2

DynamicStructure rules

TransactionDelivery

Match TransactionType to Rule-basethrough enveloping

BusinessRules

Rule DrivenError Reporting

Error Logging

Result logging

Email notifications

XML-based error outputting

3 4

PersistRules for SQL

SQL commands

5

Config

CAM

DROOLS

XSLT

X-DB

Single Controlling IntegratedXML Script

Structure

Rules

TableUpdates

ErrorOutput

Transparency

CPApairs

1

2

3

4

5

OpenPublic Specification +Open Source

32

Linkage Between Messaging and CPA

Messaging envelope contains: Sender name

Service / Action names

Sender CPA id value

Receiver CPA id value

Optional certificate CPA validation contains:

CPA id lookup to registry

Verifies sender

Verifies valid Service / Action pairs for this partner

Coupling from Service / Action to transaction validation

Coupling from Service / Action to backend delivery

Verify certificate

33

Role of the Registry for eRA

Trading partner managementRegistration of trading partners with NIH

Authorization to do e-business with NIH Authentication integrated with COMMONS

Simplified management of CPAs

Self service management of SP capabilities & certifications

Metadata managementAll XML schemas for transactions

All trading partner capabilities (including all of NIH services)

Definition of data elements in each transaction

Instructions, documentation, and other

Version management of objects in registry

Timelines

Schedule of Deliverables

35

Automatedprovisioning

eXchange Project Planning

APR MAYOCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR

Grants.gov interfacing

WSDL +Hermes

HermesclientSelf-Installer +Certification

RulesEngine

BusinessSemantics+ Versioning

RegistryIntegration

Metadata +PartnerProfiles

Self-test

2005 2006

2000 GrantApps

Opportunity Summary

Lessons learned; Technology

Metrics

37

Lessons Learned

Providing self-service facilities is key to rapid adoption

Infrastructure exists today off-the-shelf to create pre-built templates for industry domains

Using open specifications allows integration into wide range of environments

Open source solutions allows partners to readily obtain technology

Use of CPA id to manage partners and versioning

38

Technology Metrics

Create infrastructure that can support large communities via registry-managed control mechanisms

Provide simple integration for external partners by providing open source solutions as base-line

Supports commercial tools that implement ebMS V2.0+ and web services

Built-in methods that allow centralized control over rules, versions, and delivery routing

Reasonable security without being overly inhibiting to adoption

Complete integrated audit trail logging

Using existing specifications and toolsets

Proven technology with wide adoption and reference deployments

39

Opportunities

Provide infrastructure for application across a broad cross section of related agency and departmental areas: HHS - Cancer Research Centers

CDC – Emergency Alerting systems

Navy – Medical Services coordination

FEMA – Emergency supply chain delivery

DHS – Intra-agency information sharing

EPA – External regulatory reporting

NSF – National Science Foundation Grants

Q & A

Discussion

AC-Technologies

For more information

Visit our Website:

http://www.ac-tech.com

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Project Resources

NIH eRA Project site – http://era.nih.gov

NIH Grants site - http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/

Commons online site – https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/

Grants.gov online site – http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted

42

Software Components

Open Source components‘Hermes’ freebXML ebXML messaging server

‘OMAR’ freebXML Registry system

jCAM content assembly mechanism and validation component with versioning capability

Oracle database server

Tomcat Server

Technology Specifications (ISO15000)- http://ebxml.org

- http://oasis-open.org

- http://ebxmlbook.com/interop/

43

Technology Resources

www.freebXML.org

www.ebxml.org

www.oasis-open.org

www.ebxmlbook.com/interop

www.ebxmlbook.com/benefits

www.ebxmlforum.org