If EDI were created today with todays technologies it might look very much like RosettaNet. PIPs are Partner Interface Processes that define the way in which companies do business. RosettaNet is an interface between trading partners only. The framework is the underlying structure on which the PIPs operate. This framework defines both rules for packaging and transmitting RosettaNet messages as well as providiong design guidelines for the PIPs.
Dictionaries help define both business properties and technical product descriptions.
The business properties are generated from the workshops that create the PIPs while the technical properties dictionary is maintained by input from the industry. Standard codes are used for partner and product identification within the RosettaNet PIPs. These include the DUNS number to identify a business entity and a DUNS plus 4 to identify a specific location. The GTIN is used as a product identifier similar to the ISBN in the book industry or the UPC code in the retail industry. The technical dictionary completes the product description with a textural description of the product.