1 APDL: A reference XML Schema for process- centered definition of RFID solutions Nikos Kefalakis, John Soldatos and Nikolaos Konstantinou Athens Information Technology, 0,8km Markopoulo Ave., P.O. Box 68, GR‐19002 PEANIA, GREECE E‐mail: { nkef@ait.edu.gr, jsol@ait.edu.gr and nkons@ait.edu.gr} Phone: {+302106682755, +302106682759, +302106682763} Fax: {+302106682703} Neeli R. Prasad Center for TeleInFrastruktur (CTIF), Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7, 202 9220 Aalborg East, Denmark E‐mail: {np@es.aau.dk} Phone: {+45 9940 9835} Fax: {+45 9815 1583} Abstract Despite the proliferation of RFID systems and applications, there is still no easy way to develop, integrate and deploy non‐trivial RFID solutions. Indeed, the latter comprise various middleware modules (e.g., data collection and filtering, generation of business events, integration with enterprise applications), which must be deployed and configured independently. In this paper we introduce APDL (AspireRFID Process Description Language), an XML based specification for describing and configuring RFID solutions. Using APDL one can minimize the steps and effort required to integrate and configure an RFID solution, since it unifies all the configuration parameters and steps comprising an RFID deployment. APDL supports several configuration parameters defined in the scope of the EPCglobal architecture and related standards. However, it extends beyond the EPCglobal architecture, to a wider class of RFID solutions. Furthermore, APDL is amendable by visual tools, which obviates the need to carry out low‐level programming tasks in order to deploy an RFID solution. These tools are also presented and evaluated in the paper. Keywords RFID Middleware, RFID Business Processes, RFID Business Events, Master Data, RFID for Logistics, RFID in Supply Chain Management 1. Introduction We are currently witnessing a proliferation of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) applications, in a wide range of fields including logistics, trade and industry. These applications are the first step towards the realization of long awaited visions such as pervasive computing [1], machine‐to‐ machine communications [2], as well as the Internet‐of‐Things (IoT) [3]. While RFID technology is based on simple operational principles, the complete design and implementation of any non‐ trivial RFID solution is still a very arduous and resource consuming task. Indeed, non‐trivial RFID applications comprise typically multiple readers and tags, as well as multiple consuming applications in a highly heterogeneous landscape [4]. In this landscape, different tag information streams have to be routed across different business applications, according to sets of complex business rules. Given this complexity, the development of RFID solutions is nowadays facilitated by middleware infrastructures, which undertake to interface to heterogeneous readers, filter the tag streams, generate application specific events, and eventually route these events to the appropriate business applications. But this complexity, due to the need of specialized in RFID