WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation (NRF) is partnering with the Object Management Group (OMG) to set standards for technology in retail and to track industry data.
Per the agreement, OMG will manage a portion of the functions previously performed by NRF’s Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS) division, which is best known for making technology less expensive for retailers.
Under the partnership, OMG will also assume responsibility for the following standards:
- Retail Data Model, including an operational data model and a data warehouse model. ARTS’ operational data model offers a transaction-oriented view of retail enterprise data supporting the day-to-day management of a retail enterprise, while the data warehouse model supports business reporting and analysis.
- Unified POS standards for communication between retail point-of-sale equipment such as cash registers, card readers, barcode scanners and receipt printers whether physically attached or web-based.
- A2A (Application-to-Application) Messaging, or schemas that allow software applications to communicate and share data.
- Retail BPM (Business Process Models) that map how retailers manage their businesses.
NRF will continue to handle standard request-for-proposal templates that help retailers research and evaluate technology and software they seek to purchase, and publication of white papers on technology issues ranging from cloud computing to cybersecurity. Members of various ARTS committees will be invited to participate in comparable leadership positions at OMG. The community will continue to meet, network and exchange best practices as part of NRF’s technology leadership councils.
ARTS was founded more than 20 years ago, and its standards offer reference designs to help retailers build or acquire integrated business applications, and help developers and analysts understand basic retail business principles. It offers a suite of data-management tools to allow different data formats to communicate.
“NRF and OMG share a passion for delivering real value to our communities, and look forward to a continued partnership to guarantee portability and interoperability in the retail space,” said Richard Soley, OMG's chairman and CEO. “The ARTS standards are and will continue to be the key to increasing quality, decreasing cost and increasing choice in retail systems as they continue under the auspices of OMG.”
Washington, D.C.-based NRF is a retail trade association representing a wide variety of retailers, from c-stores to internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Needham, Mass.-based OMG is an international, open membership, not-for-profit technology standards consortium with representation from government, industry and academia. OMG task forces develop enterprise integration standards for a wide range of technologies and industries.
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