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I was prompted to do some
research and write this
article after sitting
through a dozen or so
presentations on the
subject. It seems there is
no shortage of information
about the Global Data
Synchronization Network
(GDSN). Sometimes it is
inconsistent or confusing
and unfortunately, sometimes
it is simply not true. One
of the problems, of course,
is that the GDSN is still in
the process of defining
itself and transitioning
from a prototype to a
production model, so things
are in a state of flux.
There are several players
involved. There is the
network itself, which
consists of the GS1
Global Registry plus the
Source and Recipient Data
Pools which include new
company partnerships like
Agentrics (WWRE & GNX),
1Sync (UCCNet & Transora). The QRS UPC
catalog service, since
acquired by Inovis, is also
undergoing certification as
a Data Pool, and there are
others. Go to
www.gs1.org to learn more
about certified data pools
as the landscape is
constantly changing.
It is important to note that
UCCNet (1Sync) is a Data Pool – not
the Global Registry.
Initially they served as the
only data pool and people
have confused them with the
Global Registry itself.
To help you communicate with
the network (but not
technically part of the
network) there are third
party service providers,
commonly called
on-boarders. Like any
outsourcing decision, you
may chose to get help from
an on-boarder, but it is not
required. And then, of
course, there are the users
- retailers, distributors
and vendors. Users talk to
their respective data pool
(vendors and distributors to
Source Data Pools and
retailers to Recipient Data
Pools); data pools talk to
each other and to the
GS1 Global Registry.
Unlike the old "U.P.C
Catalogs", a vendor can only
use one Source Data Pool.
There is talk about
"encouraging" the vendor to
join the same data pool that
the retailer uses.
They say it is less
expensive to stay within the
data pool than to have to go
out to the Global Registry
to find out which data pool
has the information.
This, increasingly, is not
true. First of all, a
vendor will likely have more
than one customer and those
customers will be on
different data pools.
So even if you avoid the
Global Registry fee for one
customer, you will not for
the others if they are using
different Recipient Data
Pools. There is also
talk of a new pricing model
where the cost of going to
the registry will be
absorbed by the data pools,
which means it will no
longer be true that staying
within the data pool will be
less expensive.
What Do I Have to Do to
Get Ready?
Let’s take it from the
vendor’s perspective. What
do you have to do to get
ready for GDSN? First
select a Source Data Pool as
your single point of entry
into the Global Registry.
They will help you
understand the
requirements. At some point
you will subscribe to the
Global Registry. You do not
have to join UCCNet/1Sync unless
you have chosen them as your
Source Data Pool.
The most important thing is
to capture correct and
current data for all of your
items and all of the
packaging configurations for
those items. Make sure they
all have unique Global Trade
Item Numbers (GTIN). If you
currently mark all levels of
packaging for your trade
items with U.P.C.’s
according to GS1 guidelines, then you are
ready to go. Either you or
your Source Data Pool will
add two zeros to the UCC-12,
to create the “fourteen
digit representation of the
GTIN” as it goes into the
Registry. Review the
attribute information
(description, cube, weight,
etc.) for each item to make
sure it is complete and
accurate to start with, and
then put a process in place
to update your information
when it changes.
You will also need to create
a Global Location Number for
your company, as the
provider of the
information. If you go
through a distributor and
they will be providing the
information, then they will
use their GLN. You create a
GLN exactly the same way you
create your U.P.C.’s, using
your company prefix and an
item reference number you
create for your company,
plus a check digit. The
identification number itself
is twelve digits, with an
additional zero (the
“country code” for North
American companies) added to
the left to make it a total
of thirteen digits.
Next the GTIN and GLN are
combined with the ISO code
for the country in which the
product will be sold. This
piece of information is
called the “Target Market
Code”. It is used because
certain countries may need
to collect different
attributes about a product,
for instance, recycling
information in Germany or
animal-content information
for France. You may not
offer all products in all
target markets because there
may be legal restrictions.
For the most part, U.S.
vendors will initially use
code 840 for the U.S. and as
retailers in other countries
want to buy the product, you
can register it for their
location. No matter how
many or how few “Target
Market Codes” you use, there
is no legal
restriction on where you may
or may not sell your items.
It will only be needed if a
customer in another country
wants to retrieve your
information from the Global
Registry.
Finally you will implement
the GS1 Global Product
Classification scheme for
each of your products.
Again, GS1 and your
Source Data Pool or an
on-boarder can help you
understand how to correctly
assign product
classifications to your
items.
As you can see, there is a
lot of work to do. Start by
creating a corporate
strategy for existing GTIN’s
and for new product set-up.
Collect good clean item
master data, store it in a
primary location, feed the
rest of your system from the
primary location and create
a process to keep it
updated.
Do I Have to Do XML and
AS2?
Data will be communicated
between the Data Pools and
the Global Registry using
XML messages. Most Data
Pools and on-boarders can
communicate with you using
EDI or flat files. They
are, after all, service
providers and will do
what they can to help you
register your data. Data Pools, which have to go
through rigorous
certification, must
communicate within the
network using XML, but you
don’t have to.
The same is true with AS2
(also known as “EDI-INT” -
sending EDI or XML over the
internet). You can
communicate with your Data
Pool in any manner of data
transport that is agreeable
between you and your Data
Pool. The Data Pools will
communicate with each other
and with the Registry using
AS2.
So you don’t have to do XML
or AS2 if you don’t want
to. Select a Source Data
Pool that lets you use a
communication method (which
may or may not include AS2
or XML) that is best for
you.
What Will It Cost?
“What will it Cost” is a
difficult question to answer
because, right now (although
as discussed above, this may
change) your GS1 Global
Registry subscription is
based on your annual sales
revenue, and of course,
services are negotiable
between you and the Source
Data Pool you select to help
you register your product.
You may also decide to hire
an on-border or other third
parties to help do things
like weigh and measure your
product.
But one thing is for certain
– you are not required to
pay the Drummond Group, or
any of the Data Pool
certification authorities,
anything. Those fees are
paid by the Data Pools. Of
course some of that cost
comes back to you in the fee
you will pay the Data Pool
for their services, but as a
user you are not required to
pay up front, or yearly, for
training or certification.
You only have to pay for
training and software for
XML or AS2 if you choose to
use them.
You will pay a subscription
fee and an annual renewal to
the Global Registry. As a
not-for-profit organization,
the theory is that those
prices should go down as
additional users subscribe
and they work through their
start up costs.
This is an updated, edited excerpt from an article
written for the Compliance
Advocate.
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