Relationship between Acknowledgement, DeliveryReceipt,and BPSS Business Signals

According to the Messaging Service spec, the 
Acknowledgement element is an optional element that is used by one MHS to 
indicate to another MHS that it has received a message (to support the 
implementation of reliable messaging). The DeliveryReceipt element is defined as 
an optional element that is used by the To Party who received a message to let 
the From Party who sent the original message know that the message was 
received.

 

The BPSS spec, on the other hand, defines Business 
Signals as application level documents that 'signal' the current state of the 
business transaction. "These business signals have specific business purpose and 
are separate from lower protocol and transport signals." Business signals 
include receipt acknowledgements, acceptance acknowledgements and exceptions. 
The structure of signal messages is not application specific and is defined in 
Section 9 of the BPSS spec.

 

In Section 7.5.11.1 of the CPPA spec, it is pointed 
out that the syncReplyMode attribute can take on the possible values: 
signalsOnly, responseOnly, signalsAndResponse, and none. Some how, the CPPA spec 
is not aware of the Acknowledgment element or the DeliveryReceipt element 
defined by the Messaging Service. If syncReplyMode is set to signalsOnly, 
responseOnly, or signalsAndResponse, isn't an Acknowledgement at the MHS level 
also required to be returned synchronously? In fact, the meaning of responseOnly 
is is not clearly defined. If only the response is to be returned synchronously, 
how should the MHS level Acknowledgement and the business level receipt 
acknowledgement be returned? Should the MHS level Acknowledgement be returned 
synchronously and the business level receipt acknowledgement be simply 
omitted?

 

Both the DeliveryReceipt element and the Receipt 
Acknowledgement signal message supports non repudiation of receipt. Without the 
clear definition of a Message Service Interface, it is very unclear under what 
circumstances a To Party will make use of the DeliveryReceipt element to signal 
receipt of a message. Why isn't this subsumed by the Receipt Acknowledgement 
signal message?

 

-Arvola

 

Arvola Chan ()
TIBCO Software 
(on loan to RosettaNet)
+1-650-846-5046 
(US-Pacific)