ARTS MEMBERS UPDATE - February 2003

Exclusive retail standards information for Members Only  

Top Story of the Month

New members are joining ARTS at an unprecedented rate
Since the beginning of this year we have grown by 19 new members. This is a great endorsement of the work of our committee volunteers and a clear indication of the value that companies find in products such as the new Enterprise Data Model version 4.0, POSlog (standard Tlog), the Remote Equipment Monitoring and Control (REMC) Schema, among many other products available from ARTS.

ARTS Standards News:

POSlog Enhancements for Next Release
At the recent IXRetail meeting, hosted by Sun Microsystems at their Menlo Park, CA campus, a list of  enhancements was developed for the new release of POSlog that will change the release date to late May or early June.  The exact list of enhancements can be seen on the members only Webboard, accessible through the ARTS website at nrf-arts.org. Comments are requested - look for the list on the ARTSXML Webboard under POS Transaction.
March Release Scheduled for Stored Value Schema
The review committee meeting, required before any release to public, was held at the same IXRetail meeting and a March release scheduled for the  Stored Value Schema. Full minutes of meeting are available on Webboard on the ARTSXML Webboard under Stored Value. 
Data Model Full Release 4.0 Scheduled for Late March
Final review of full release 4.0 has begun, with publications scheduled for late March. Remember, only ARTS Members in good standing will receive  the latest version of the Data Model. In the meantime, you can review the four most complex enhancements in an interim release of the Data Model in  the members-only section of the website at www.nrf-arts.org. The segments available for view are Enterprise, Store Groups, Items By Type and  Taxation. The full model will include additional Enterprise features such as POS Department, Calendar, Locations and more.

Other ARTS News:
ARTS and NACS to Cooperate on Developing Forecourt Standards The National Association of Convenience Stores' (NACS) device interface committee has invited ARTS to participate in their work to develop standard connections for forecourt devices. The first joint effort will deal with Fueling Pumps, with a meeting scheduled for May 1 and 2 in Dallas, TX. For more information send an email to arts.
 ARTS and Afterbot agree to settle patent and jointly promote digital receipt
 ARTS and AfterBOT Inc., an Atlanta, Georgia-based company, announced a collaborative effort to increase the adoption and use of the Digital Receipt Schema released by the ARTS IXRetail Committee earlier this year. AfterBOT currently has a patent pending for the full functionality of an application that is the enabling technology behind a suite of post-sales  consumer service and marketing initiatives. Both AfterBOT and ARTS are committed to expand the use of digital receipts throughout the retail industry and have agreed that if AfterBOT is granted this patent:
 
AfterBOT will use the ARTS digital receipt schema and acknowledges that all ownership rights to this standard format belong to ARTS.
ARTS and AfterBOT will cooperate in maintaining and promoting theadoption of the ARTS XML Digital Receipt Schema.
 
ARTS and UCC meet and plan cooperation
The first joint effort will be in assisting the UCC in helping retailers maximize the potential of electronic product codes (ePC) as stored within RFID chips and the conversion to Global Trade Identification Numbers  (GTIN). ARTS and NRF have agreed to conduct surveys of the level of understanding of these initiatives on the part of the NRF CIO Council and ARTS Committees, and based on responses to work with UCC to disseminate the appropriate information. The goal is to ensure NRF and ARTS members are properly informed and to enable you to make only necessary preparations and avoid any business interruptions. Read more about this in the ARTS Update in the March issue of STORES Magazine, also available as a pdf on the ARTS website at nrf-arts.org.
ARTS Members to Receive NRF Member Discount for CRMretail, March 19-21, Baltimore, MD
CRMretail, the Customer Relationship Management Conference, will present new survey findings, retailer case studies, and successful strategies and solutions to optimize the long-term value of customers. This is a cross-industry conference, bringing together retail business leaders and the leading technology companies, solutions providers, consultants, and academicians in the field, through educational sessions, exhibit space, and sponsorships. Register on the NRF website.

Upcoming Meetings and Events:
UnifiedPOS will be meeting March 10-14 in San Jose, CA. 

UPOS meets March 11 - 12, 

OPOS on the 10th  

JavaPOS on the 13th and 14th. 

This will be the final meeting before release 1.8, now expected in May or June. A special presentation and discussion of RFID is planned for the meeting.
 
ARTS IXRetail Customer Work Team to meet March 19 in Baltimore MD before opening of CRMretail Conference
 
ARTS to present at CIO Council meeting April 11 - 13 in Sarasota, FL
 
ARTS to present at IBM Store System Users Group meeting on May 18 - 21 in Fontainebleau Hotel Miami FL. See www.ibmstoresystemsug.org for  more information on this great event.
 
Next IXRetail Meeting to be hosted by Radio Shack in Ft. Worth, TX, May 7 - 9. Register now on www.nrf-arts.org.
 
There will be a general ARTS member meeting at Retail Systems June 11th in Chicago, IL. See moonwatchmedia.com for more details.

INTRODUCING ARTS Newest MembeRS
AfterBOT, Inc. United States
Borders Group, Inc. United States
Elcom s.r.o. Slovak Republic
Givex Corporation United States
GSI - Gemmar Systems International Inc. Canada
Hollywood Entertainment Corporation United States
iParty, Corp. United States
MARS INTERACTIVE LLC United States
Micros Systems, Inc. United States
Nordstrom, Inc. United States
SAS Institute United States
Sycron NV Belgium
Wipro Technologies India