What are edge applications? Well in Oracle these leverage the AIA framework to construct composite applications, this framework can also be leveraged to RFID enable business processes. What this means is that since RFID transactions can "hop" from one application group to another, for example from the warehouse to the store application, we need a coordinating layer to stitch processes across application groups, this is exactly what edge applications do through the use of the AIA framework.
In order to rfid enable processes, not just the transference of data across applications is required, but to also to trigger events based on business outcomes. This means that the process enabling layer � is workflow and event capable.
Let's take an example: one of the most common of processes - Order To Cash and use a modern fulfillment scenario where the customers purchases an order on the web and picks it up at the store. Am sure quite a few of you have done this.
Now, in order to be able to track the very rich and realtime nature of the RFID data, we assume that it is combined with a technology that envisible tracking at a multi-facility, multi-enterprise level. This means a hybrid solution with WiFi or GPS as described in the convergence article.
While welding together the processes from the manufacturer plant right upto when a customer picks up the item (or order) from the store, we hop, in an applications POV from Manufacturing to Transportation to Flow Assembly to Warehouse Management to Transportation to Retail Inventory systems. The EPC (if that is used) that is associated with either the carton or item also �travels� across these various applications.
However the transference of data is incidental to business processes that are triggered through events in the fulfillment cycle. For example if the carton arrives late at the Retail DC, depending on business policies either a customer service alert event will be triggered to inform the customer of the delay, or a transportation exception event to include the shipment(s) in the next earliest truck outbound for the store. So, the data is not the focus here, but the business outcome and resulting from an RFID Event.
