Frequently Asked Questions About Membership and our Standards

Skepticism is the first step in good decision making. Don't worry. We've heard just about every question under the sun over the past 25 years. And, more importantly, we've listened! If you have a question that you can't find an answer to here, please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you and your team may need answering.

What is the ultimate benefit of joining OAGi?

As a member, you’ll have access to our expert staff, the ability to interact with the seasoned experts in our various working group meetings, access to our full suite of online resources, and your own on-premise instance of Score with the latest version of OAGIS installed. The combination of these resources will greatly improve your integration efficiency, accuracy, and deployment schedule. Implementing the same integration work without these resources will prove much more time consuming, and require a much larger development effort from your team. Which means you’ll be paying more to deliver less over a longer period of time. Take advantage of all the benefits of OAGi membership and cut your integration costs down while implementing a standard used by the most successful organizations on Earth.

What is the value of using a canonical integration pattern?

OAGIS isn’t a human-communication language, like French. It is a language for business communications. The toughest challenge in integration is semantics. Understanding each system’s vocabulary is a major obstacle. When all systems being integrated can “speak” OAGIS, integration becomes a breeze.

How many organizations use OAGIS worldwide?

Hundreds of companies use our standards. Some software companies use OAGIS as their internal solution data format. OAGi’s website serves visitors worldwide. OAGIS as the world's premier enterprise canonical standard increases each day.

Here are some examples of organizations who have implemented OAGIS:

  • ADP
  • American Software
  • AT&T Wireless
  • Boeing
  • Canopy
  • Compaq
  • CIMLINC
  • Computer Associates
  • Compuware
  • Contivo
  • Daimler Chrysler
  • Delphion
  • DHL
  • EDS
  • eXcelon
  • Ford Motor Company
  • Fortress Technologies
  • Frictionless Commerce
  • General Motors
  • HMS
  • Honda
  • iBASEt
  • IBM
  • Intuit
  • iWay
  • J.D. Edwards
  • Johnson Controls
  • Land O'Lakes
  • Lockheed Martin
  • Lucent Technologies
  • Microsoft
  • NEC
  • Net Commmerce Corp.
  • NextSet Software Inc.
  • NIST
  • Oracle
  • PeopleSoft
  • QAD
  • Robocom Systems
  • SAGA
  • SAP
  • Scala
  • Siemens
  • Sterling Commerce
  • Sun Microsystems
  • Texas Instruments
  • Tibco
  • Toyota Motor Sales
  • U.S. Air Force
  • US Data
  • Vesta Technologies
  • webMethods

 

 

What is the best adoption approach for a company?

The typical approach is to select a few business processes to address first. Document the processes and in doing so, identify where data is exchanged between systems or parties. Select the OAGIS messages that meet the requirements of the data flows identified in the process documentation. Profile the OAGIS messages to meet the requirements specific to the data flow. During this process, OAGi staff and its member organizations are available to offer best practice, helpful tips, and training.

My company does not have the resources to implement something like OAGIS. Why even consider it?

While the OAGIS standard requires commitment and discipline to use effectively, and it requires more resources to start, it requires fewer resources in the long run as your organization integrates more and more systems. Bottom line: If your company has resources to integrate systems, your company has the resources to integrate those systems using OAGIS.

Would an OAGIS implementation require a great deal of governance and documentation?

Governance and documentation are critical to effective enterprise-wide interoperability. OAGIS does not eliminate these requirements but makes it easier. OAGi provides governance best practices and documentation to help your company get off to a great start that is sustainable.

OAGIS appears to have a steep learning curve. Will it lead to a delay in our project?

OAGIS does have a steep learning curve relative to other options and your company’s first integrations will take longer, however, the payoff comes after the first few integrations where the work from prior integrations can be leveraged extensively. The benefits of using OAGIS compound the more integrations your company has. Additionally, OAGIS reduces the overall risk and makes long-term project estimating more realistic, reducing time and cost.

My company is not sophisticated enough to use OAGIS, so why bother?

Some people think of sophisticated as meaning complicated. OAGi thinks of sophisticated as meaning powerful and flexible. The OAGIS standard has come a long way over its 25-year history, and we’ve kept strict discipline to ensure that OAGIS has remained relatively simple and easy to use. Especially considering our incredible new tooling like Score. Sure, there’s a small learning curve at first while you learn the verbs and nouns, etc. But you’ll see a recurring pattern throughout OAGIS that is straight forward and easy to understand. OAGi also has a fantastic online resource library to help you get acquainted in record time.

Do the OAGIS schemas change often? Will my company need to keep upgrading our integrations to keep up with the latest schemas?

OAGi upgrades OAGIS according to the requirements of its members, which is a couple of minor releases per year. OAGi takes backward compatibility very seriously. Everything in minor releases is backward compatible with previous versions. It has been years since the latest major version, 10, was released. Presently there are no requirements being considered that would lead to a release that breaks backward compatibility.

Is my company likely to encounter integration messages of types not covered by the OAGIS standard?

OAGIS is a standard with a very broad scope. It covers most of the business message types associated with enterprise processes. That said, occasionally new processes emerge for which there is not complete OAGIS support. In those situations, OAGi is prepared to rapidly develop messages to support the requirements. Furthermore, OAGIS architecture includes a rich extensibility mechanism to address any immediate needs.

Would my company end up storing more data and metadata per message using OAGi than using alternatives?

No. OAGIS serves to meet integration-requirement needs. There is nothing about OAGIS that requires more data than is necessary to meet the requirements your company identifies.

When working with third-party software solutions, would OAGi recommend using or not using OAGIS for B2B communication?

OAGi recommends using OAGIS for B2B communications, but it is certainly not a requirement. OAGi has a tool that can produce API specifications for B2B communications.

Does OAGIS include fields to support message tracking, data analytics, and exception handling?

Absolutely. OAGIS provides an “application area” in every message, which supports these requirements. Additionally, OAGIS has a special message with rich support for confirmation and exception information.

Will OAGIS be too complicated for my company’s suppliers and customers to use?

Not at all. Using Score, you can profile an OAGIS message which results in XML or JSON schema that is an exact fit for your shared interoperability requirements - potentially very small. OAGIS is well documented and is commonly used in B2B scenarios.

Would OAGIS require us to rework all our integrations?

There is nothing about OAGIS that forces you to rework existing integrations. You can keep existing integrations in place, and introduce OAGIS at your own pace. Most organizations start using OAGIS with new integration projects and rework older ones at a later time as justified by reduced maintenance costs. You don’t have to “boil the ocean” with OAGIS. Incorporate OAGIS message types at a speed that works best for your team and your organization.

What would my company learn from OAGi that would apply to our business?

The main thing your company would learn would be patterns and best practices around enterprise integration.

So, is OAGIS something that only big companies use in specific projects?

Not at all. Big companies use OAGIS not just in specific projects, but across the enterprise. Small companies use OAGIS - especially now with our improved tooling.

What is the ultimate benefit of joining OAGi?

As a member, you’ll have access to our expert staff, the ability to interact with the seasoned experts in our various working group meetings, access to our full suite of online resources, and your own on-premise instance of Score with the latest version of OAGIS installed. The combination of these resources will greatly improve your integration efficiency, accuracy, and deployment schedule. Implementing the same integration work without these resources will prove much more time consuming, and require a much larger development effort from your team. Which means you’ll be paying more to deliver less over a longer period of time. Take advantage of all the benefits of OAGi membership and cut your integration costs down while implementing a standard used by the most successful organizations on Earth.

What is the value of using a canonical integration pattern?

OAGIS isn’t a human-communication language, like French. It is a language for business communications. The toughest challenge in integration is semantics. Understanding each system’s vocabulary is a major obstacle. When all systems being integrated can “speak” OAGIS, integration becomes a breeze.

How many organizations use OAGIS worldwide?

Hundreds of companies use our standards. Some software companies use OAGIS as their internal solution data format. OAGi’s website serves visitors worldwide. OAGIS as the world's premier enterprise canonical standard increases each day.

Here are some examples of organizations who have implemented OAGIS:

  • ADP
  • American Software
  • AT&T Wireless
  • Boeing
  • Canopy
  • Compaq
  • CIMLINC
  • Computer Associates
  • Compuware
  • Contivo
  • Daimler Chrysler
  • Delphion
  • DHL
  • EDS
  • eXcelon
  • Ford Motor Company
  • Fortress Technologies
  • Frictionless Commerce
  • General Motors
  • HMS
  • Honda
  • iBASEt
  • IBM
  • Intuit
  • iWay
  • J.D. Edwards
  • Johnson Controls
  • Land O'Lakes
  • Lockheed Martin
  • Lucent Technologies
  • Microsoft
  • NEC
  • Net Commmerce Corp.
  • NextSet Software Inc.
  • NIST
  • Oracle
  • PeopleSoft
  • QAD
  • Robocom Systems
  • SAGA
  • SAP
  • Scala
  • Siemens
  • Sterling Commerce
  • Sun Microsystems
  • Texas Instruments
  • Tibco
  • Toyota Motor Sales
  • U.S. Air Force
  • US Data
  • Vesta Technologies
  • webMethods

 

 

What is the best adoption approach for a company?

The typical approach is to select a few business processes to address first. Document the processes and in doing so, identify where data is exchanged between systems or parties. Select the OAGIS messages that meet the requirements of the data flows identified in the process documentation. Profile the OAGIS messages to meet the requirements specific to the data flow. During this process, OAGi staff and its member organizations are available to offer best practice, helpful tips, and training.

So, is OAGIS something that only big companies use in specific projects?

Not at all. Big companies use OAGIS not just in specific projects, but across the enterprise. Small companies use OAGIS - especially now with our improved tooling.

What is the ultimate benefit of joining OAGi?

As a member, you’ll have access to our expert staff, the ability to interact with the seasoned experts in our various working group meetings, access to our full suite of online resources, and your own on-premise instance of Score with the latest version of OAGIS installed. The combination of these resources will greatly improve your integration efficiency, accuracy, and deployment schedule. Implementing the same integration work without these resources will prove much more time consuming, and require a much larger development effort from your team. Which means you’ll be paying more to deliver less over a longer period of time. Take advantage of all the benefits of OAGi membership and cut your integration costs down while implementing a standard used by the most successful organizations on Earth.

Would an OAGIS implementation require a great deal of governance and documentation?

Governance and documentation are critical to effective enterprise-wide interoperability. OAGIS does not eliminate these requirements but makes it easier. OAGi provides governance best practices and documentation to help your company get off to a great start that is sustainable.

OAGIS appears to have a steep learning curve. Will it lead to a delay in our project?

OAGIS does have a steep learning curve relative to other options and your company’s first integrations will take longer, however, the payoff comes after the first few integrations where the work from prior integrations can be leveraged extensively. The benefits of using OAGIS compound the more integrations your company has. Additionally, OAGIS reduces the overall risk and makes long-term project estimating more realistic, reducing time and cost.

My company is not sophisticated enough to use OAGIS, so why bother?

Some people think of sophisticated as meaning complicated. OAGi thinks of sophisticated as meaning powerful and flexible. The OAGIS standard has come a long way over its 25-year history, and we’ve kept strict discipline to ensure that OAGIS has remained relatively simple and easy to use. Especially considering our incredible new tooling like Score. Sure, there’s a small learning curve at first while you learn the verbs and nouns, etc. But you’ll see a recurring pattern throughout OAGIS that is straight forward and easy to understand. OAGi also has a fantastic online resource library to help you get acquainted in record time.

Does OAGIS include fields to support message tracking, data analytics, and exception handling?

Absolutely. OAGIS provides an “application area” in every message, which supports these requirements. Additionally, OAGIS has a special message with rich support for confirmation and exception information.

Will OAGIS be too complicated for my company’s suppliers and customers to use?

Not at all. Using Score, you can profile an OAGIS message which results in XML or JSON schema that is an exact fit for your shared interoperability requirements - potentially very small. OAGIS is well documented and is commonly used in B2B scenarios.

What would my company learn from OAGi that would apply to our business?

The main thing your company would learn would be patterns and best practices around enterprise integration.

So, is OAGIS something that only big companies use in specific projects?

Not at all. Big companies use OAGIS not just in specific projects, but across the enterprise. Small companies use OAGIS - especially now with our improved tooling.

My company does not have the resources to implement something like OAGIS. Why even consider it?

While the OAGIS standard requires commitment and discipline to use effectively, and it requires more resources to start, it requires fewer resources in the long run as your organization integrates more and more systems. Bottom line: If your company has resources to integrate systems, your company has the resources to integrate those systems using OAGIS.

Would an OAGIS implementation require a great deal of governance and documentation?

Governance and documentation are critical to effective enterprise-wide interoperability. OAGIS does not eliminate these requirements but makes it easier. OAGi provides governance best practices and documentation to help your company get off to a great start that is sustainable.

OAGIS appears to have a steep learning curve. Will it lead to a delay in our project?

OAGIS does have a steep learning curve relative to other options and your company’s first integrations will take longer, however, the payoff comes after the first few integrations where the work from prior integrations can be leveraged extensively. The benefits of using OAGIS compound the more integrations your company has. Additionally, OAGIS reduces the overall risk and makes long-term project estimating more realistic, reducing time and cost.

My company is not sophisticated enough to use OAGIS, so why bother?

Some people think of sophisticated as meaning complicated. OAGi thinks of sophisticated as meaning powerful and flexible. The OAGIS standard has come a long way over its 25-year history, and we’ve kept strict discipline to ensure that OAGIS has remained relatively simple and easy to use. Especially considering our incredible new tooling like Score. Sure, there’s a small learning curve at first while you learn the verbs and nouns, etc. But you’ll see a recurring pattern throughout OAGIS that is straight forward and easy to understand. OAGi also has a fantastic online resource library to help you get acquainted in record time.

Do the OAGIS schemas change often? Will my company need to keep upgrading our integrations to keep up with the latest schemas?

OAGi upgrades OAGIS according to the requirements of its members, which is a couple of minor releases per year. OAGi takes backward compatibility very seriously. Everything in minor releases is backward compatible with previous versions. It has been years since the latest major version, 10, was released. Presently there are no requirements being considered that would lead to a release that breaks backward compatibility.

Is my company likely to encounter integration messages of types not covered by the OAGIS standard?

OAGIS is a standard with a very broad scope. It covers most of the business message types associated with enterprise processes. That said, occasionally new processes emerge for which there is not complete OAGIS support. In those situations, OAGi is prepared to rapidly develop messages to support the requirements. Furthermore, OAGIS architecture includes a rich extensibility mechanism to address any immediate needs.

Would my company end up storing more data and metadata per message using OAGi than using alternatives?

No. OAGIS serves to meet integration-requirement needs. There is nothing about OAGIS that requires more data than is necessary to meet the requirements your company identifies.

Will OAGIS be too complicated for my company’s suppliers and customers to use?

Not at all. Using Score, you can profile an OAGIS message which results in XML or JSON schema that is an exact fit for your shared interoperability requirements - potentially very small. OAGIS is well documented and is commonly used in B2B scenarios.

Would OAGIS require us to rework all our integrations?

There is nothing about OAGIS that forces you to rework existing integrations. You can keep existing integrations in place, and introduce OAGIS at your own pace. Most organizations start using OAGIS with new integration projects and rework older ones at a later time as justified by reduced maintenance costs. You don’t have to “boil the ocean” with OAGIS. Incorporate OAGIS message types at a speed that works best for your team and your organization.

What is the best adoption approach for a company?

The typical approach is to select a few business processes to address first. Document the processes and in doing so, identify where data is exchanged between systems or parties. Select the OAGIS messages that meet the requirements of the data flows identified in the process documentation. Profile the OAGIS messages to meet the requirements specific to the data flow. During this process, OAGi staff and its member organizations are available to offer best practice, helpful tips, and training.

My company does not have the resources to implement something like OAGIS. Why even consider it?

While the OAGIS standard requires commitment and discipline to use effectively, and it requires more resources to start, it requires fewer resources in the long run as your organization integrates more and more systems. Bottom line: If your company has resources to integrate systems, your company has the resources to integrate those systems using OAGIS.

OAGIS appears to have a steep learning curve. Will it lead to a delay in our project?

OAGIS does have a steep learning curve relative to other options and your company’s first integrations will take longer, however, the payoff comes after the first few integrations where the work from prior integrations can be leveraged extensively. The benefits of using OAGIS compound the more integrations your company has. Additionally, OAGIS reduces the overall risk and makes long-term project estimating more realistic, reducing time and cost.

Do the OAGIS schemas change often? Will my company need to keep upgrading our integrations to keep up with the latest schemas?

OAGi upgrades OAGIS according to the requirements of its members, which is a couple of minor releases per year. OAGi takes backward compatibility very seriously. Everything in minor releases is backward compatible with previous versions. It has been years since the latest major version, 10, was released. Presently there are no requirements being considered that would lead to a release that breaks backward compatibility.

Is my company likely to encounter integration messages of types not covered by the OAGIS standard?

OAGIS is a standard with a very broad scope. It covers most of the business message types associated with enterprise processes. That said, occasionally new processes emerge for which there is not complete OAGIS support. In those situations, OAGi is prepared to rapidly develop messages to support the requirements. Furthermore, OAGIS architecture includes a rich extensibility mechanism to address any immediate needs.

When working with third-party software solutions, would OAGi recommend using or not using OAGIS for B2B communication?

OAGi recommends using OAGIS for B2B communications, but it is certainly not a requirement. OAGi has a tool that can produce API specifications for B2B communications.

Does OAGIS include fields to support message tracking, data analytics, and exception handling?

Absolutely. OAGIS provides an “application area” in every message, which supports these requirements. Additionally, OAGIS has a special message with rich support for confirmation and exception information.

How many organizations use OAGIS worldwide?

Hundreds of companies use our standards. Some software companies use OAGIS as their internal solution data format. OAGi’s website serves visitors worldwide. OAGIS as the world's premier enterprise canonical standard increases each day.

Here are some examples of organizations who have implemented OAGIS:

  • ADP
  • American Software
  • AT&T Wireless
  • Boeing
  • Canopy
  • Compaq
  • CIMLINC
  • Computer Associates
  • Compuware
  • Contivo
  • Daimler Chrysler
  • Delphion
  • DHL
  • EDS
  • eXcelon
  • Ford Motor Company
  • Fortress Technologies
  • Frictionless Commerce
  • General Motors
  • HMS
  • Honda
  • iBASEt
  • IBM
  • Intuit
  • iWay
  • J.D. Edwards
  • Johnson Controls
  • Land O'Lakes
  • Lockheed Martin
  • Lucent Technologies
  • Microsoft
  • NEC
  • Net Commmerce Corp.
  • NextSet Software Inc.
  • NIST
  • Oracle
  • PeopleSoft
  • QAD
  • Robocom Systems
  • SAGA
  • SAP
  • Scala
  • Siemens
  • Sterling Commerce
  • Sun Microsystems
  • Texas Instruments
  • Tibco
  • Toyota Motor Sales
  • U.S. Air Force
  • US Data
  • Vesta Technologies
  • webMethods

 

 

Do the OAGIS schemas change often? Will my company need to keep upgrading our integrations to keep up with the latest schemas?

OAGi upgrades OAGIS according to the requirements of its members, which is a couple of minor releases per year. OAGi takes backward compatibility very seriously. Everything in minor releases is backward compatible with previous versions. It has been years since the latest major version, 10, was released. Presently there are no requirements being considered that would lead to a release that breaks backward compatibility.

Is my company likely to encounter integration messages of types not covered by the OAGIS standard?

OAGIS is a standard with a very broad scope. It covers most of the business message types associated with enterprise processes. That said, occasionally new processes emerge for which there is not complete OAGIS support. In those situations, OAGi is prepared to rapidly develop messages to support the requirements. Furthermore, OAGIS architecture includes a rich extensibility mechanism to address any immediate needs.

Would my company end up storing more data and metadata per message using OAGi than using alternatives?

No. OAGIS serves to meet integration-requirement needs. There is nothing about OAGIS that requires more data than is necessary to meet the requirements your company identifies.

Will OAGIS be too complicated for my company’s suppliers and customers to use?

Not at all. Using Score, you can profile an OAGIS message which results in XML or JSON schema that is an exact fit for your shared interoperability requirements - potentially very small. OAGIS is well documented and is commonly used in B2B scenarios.

Would OAGIS require us to rework all our integrations?

There is nothing about OAGIS that forces you to rework existing integrations. You can keep existing integrations in place, and introduce OAGIS at your own pace. Most organizations start using OAGIS with new integration projects and rework older ones at a later time as justified by reduced maintenance costs. You don’t have to “boil the ocean” with OAGIS. Incorporate OAGIS message types at a speed that works best for your team and your organization.