Core Components
Like business processes, ebXML relies on core components to provide interoperability among industries and business functions, but core components work at the individual data-element level. Core components identify the data items that businesses use most often and across industries, assigning them neutral names and unique identifiers. With core components, companies can relate data used in one industry to counterparts in another industry, or from an XML vocabulary to previously defined EDI transactions. Core components, as of the time of this writing, are still a work in progress. While the ebXML team responsible for core components identified some of these key data items, much work still remains. However, the EDI standards bodies have agreed to continue work on and relate their data dictionaries to the ebXML core components.