Product Roadmap > 2024 and further

This roadmap shows our product development epics and goals for the upcoming period, it can include special projects initiated by customers, the roadmap is not written in stone and will change overtime (agile), like a special project can get more priority and added to the top of the roadmap.

Now: New Product Exchange for Buyers

After the development of the new product exchange for suppliers, we are now working on the new product exchange for buyers. The new project exchange will have better performance, increased scalability and security and gives more flexibility in adding new fields and features.
The new product exchange for buyers product output is finished and we are in the process of migrating the buyers. Currently we are working on the stock output, once that is finished the new product exchange for buyer will be completed.

Next: New Order Exchange with UBL support and real time EDI

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is a proven, standardized format for exchanging business documents, ideal for high-volume transactions. It works in batches, meaning data is sent in groups with store and forward communication, which might not be ideal for real-time data exchanges.
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), on the other hand, are designed for real-time data exchange. They enable instant access to data, making them ideal for applications that require up-to-the-minute information.
APIs are often used in Cloud services and applications and provide easy integrations to other business systems. By merging EDI and APIs together, which is called real-time EDI, it will provide the best of both worlds, offering real-time processing, scalability, and high efficiency.

Real-Time EDI Example

Think of a buyer managing purchase orders. With real-time EDI, the buyer can instantly check items number, stock availability, and more data is checked directly in the supplier’s system.
When he saves the order, it updates both the buyer- and suppliers system directly with the same data. This will save a lot of time and avoid errors for both sides.

UBL support

The Onetrail Trading Partner Network operates on a principle of many-to-one-to-many connections. This means that all incoming messages are translated and converted to a universal standard, and from there, they are converted again for outbound communication.
The primary benefit is that partners need to establish a connection only once to trade with all other connected partners. If any partner changes their communication method or message formats, the change needs to be implemented only once, with no effect on other partners.
We initially used the RosettaNet standard as the central standard and enhanced it with additional elements to support more processes, such as licensing and special bids. RosettaNet was chosen in 2002 because it was the only standard available at the time that was based on XML and catered to the ICT industry.
As Onetrail is currently redeveloping its platform and expanding support beyond the ICT industry, the UBL standard, which is part of Peppol and becoming the de facto standard, has been chosen as the new central standard. UBL's advantages include its wide adoption, the ability to extend it for different industry sectors through profiles, and for various formats.
By adopting the UBL standard it facilitates the expansion of your trading network across various industries via Onetrail, offering broader business opportunities.
We will keep on supporting the current Onetrail standard and we will take care of the upgrade to UBL.

Future: Trading Partner self connect

Connection with trading partners should be as easy as connecting on social media. To share data with a trading partner, just find it in the Trading Partner Network and send a connection request.
Once they accept, you both set up some basic details such as customer- and supplier IDs and communication preferences to start exchanging data.
We’re improving My-Onetrail and the Trading Partner Network to make this process even easier. This approach will enable you and your trading partners to do it yourself quickly without needing extra help.

Future: Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can significantly enhance data exchanges in various ways:

• Speeding up product data mapping: AI can automate the process of product data mapping, which is essential for setting up new suppliers. Not only the field-to-field mappings can be automated, but also the brand- and product group mappings.
• Checking for errors: AI can check EDI documents for mistakes before they are sent, ensuring they are correct.
• Automated data conversion: AI can understand complex EDI data formats and suggest or automate the transformation and mapping processes, learning from past mappings to improve efficiency.

These AI improvements streamline operations and reduce costs. As AI advances, it will continue to enhance efficiency in managing supply chains.

Future: Applications

Not only for security we will be upgrading the applications, also the look and feel needs to be upgraded as well. Next to that, we will together with you, check what's features are important and should be more present, and some other might be implemented differently.