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CIECA

EMS Standards

About the EMS

The EMS (Estimate Management System) standard was developed in 1994 as the industry's first effort to create a standard means of exporting data from an estimating system to a shop management system.  The EMS was a groundbreaking solution at the time it was created, but the industry has evolved significantly over time and by today's standards, the EMS is out of date and no longer the best tool for the job.  The EMS is end of life and no longer supported.  There has been no development or enhancements to the EMS since 2006.


That being said, the EMS record is often used as a 'Data Source'.  For more information on working with the EMS data using modern JSON or XML, see the section below "Responsible Use of the EMS."

A Word of Caution

The EMS Standard is end of life and no longer supported; however, we continue to provide information here to support CIECA members that have existing EMS based integrations.


The CIECA Board of Trustees strongly encourages all companies to use either the XML based BMS or the JSON based CAPIS standard for the development any new / replacement integration projects.  If, however, a member determines that the EMS is their only viable option, please review the information below on the 'Responsible Use of the EMS.'

​​Responsible Use of the EMS

Why Do Companies Use the EMS?

For many companies the value of the EMS is the data it contains… not the EMS record as a means of communication.  Because all estimating systems generate an EMS and it is stored in a predictable location, the EMS has evolved to become a data source.

While the CIECA BMS is the industry workhorse for data exchange, the EMS is still used as a data source for a variety of use cases where the data is not otherwise available or accessible.  The problem is that simply exporting the full EMS record has risks that companies should consider before using it as an export method.

Risks of Exporting the complete EMS Record

The EMS was developed at a time before the internet, when the issues of data privacy and data security were not yet evident.  At that time, most business practices were still localized and often still involved paper.  The EMS was never developed to meet the needs of modern internet-based communication.  For this reason, the EMS may contain information that is not needed or appropriate for sharing outside the shop.   Exporting the entire EMS may expose your company to risks you do not want to assume.

Regulatory Risk

When you import a full EMS record, you may be importing a great deal of PII your company doesn’t need or want.  You may be creating a regulatory risk for your company by holding data on your servers that you have no business need for and in the event of a data breach could create a significant exposure.  State and federal governments are adding more and more regulation concerning PII.

Security Risks

The EMS is a data base record and was not intended to be used in a webservice or API.  Adding security and/or encryption to the data export requires additional steps and therefore, it is therefore recommended that you export data using a method that includes security and encryption. 



Risk Mitigation

Before building a data integration that relies on the native EMS record, we strongly recommend you consider an alternative approach that leverages more contemporary methods for data exchange.

EMS to CAPIS Export

CIECA always recommends using the BMS or CAPIS data standards for exchanging data with your business partners.  If, however, you must rely on the EMS as a data source, there is a responsible way to build a modern JSON based CAPIS data export from the EMS that:

  • Leverages the EMS as a data source.
  • Exports just the data you need in a modern JSON message.
  • Minimizes risk for you and your trading partners.
  • Leverages the security and authentication methods built into XML or JSON
  • Enables you to build future CAPIS based integrations without a “rip & rebuild.”

The EMS to CAPIS model allows companies to get the data they need from the EMS Export Folder, but rather than taking the entire EMS, simply select the specific data fields necessary and then transmit them in a secure, encrypted method using the JSON based CAPIS standard.

How it Works

The process is initiated on a shop-side Data Export Engine that extracts the data from the EMS, transforms it into the CAPIS format and loads the data into a CAPIS based message.  The message is then ready to send to the designated recipient.

 

EMS Data Source

  • All three estimating systems produce an EMS file for each estimate written.  The EMS export file functions as the data source for the process.
  • The EMS file is a zipped folder containing 16 EMS sub-files.  It is necessary to programmatically unzip the EMS Zip file to leverage the EMS data.
  • The data is contained in an export folder.  The file is written using the CIECA EMS format.  The EMS specification (data dictionary and code list) is available at: https://www.cieca.com/Messages/standards-release.

 

EMS to CAPIS Export Application

The core of the process is a small software application that resides on the body shop machine and monitors the data export folder of the estimating system.


Extract / Transform / Load

The first step in the process is to create an application that will run on the shop machine to extract the data from the EMS, convert it into the CAPIS format and load the data into a CAPIS formatted message.

 

Extract:  Open the EMS folder, unzip the file and extract the data needed to support your business process.


Transform:  Convert the data from EMS to CAPIS

  • Locate the data you need in the EMS record.  The EMS data dictionary may be useful in identifying the definition of the fields you are looking for.
  • Identify the corresponding data field in the CAPIS data dictionary.
  • Locate the appropriate code lists that are necessary for the data you need.

 

Load: Create a CAPIS based JSON message by using the appropriate schema for the message you wish to send.  If additional fields are required for your business need, you can use the CAPIS data dictionary and code list to add the additional fields.

 

Endpoints, Security & Encryption:  Identify the appropriate endpoints, credentials for authentication and encryption keys necessary to transmit the data to the recipient.

BEST PRACTICES

  • Filter Data to Select Only the Data You Need:  Estimating applications produce an EMS record for every estimate written.  If you are exporting data for a specific workflow, manufacture or process, records should be filtered to ensure you are taking only the appropriate files.
  • Select Only the Data Elements You Need:  The EMS file consists of a significant amount of data that may not be necessary for your workflow or process.  Personally Identifiable Information and other data creates an exposure for your company if there is not a clear business reason for you to have it. 
  • Mitigate Your Risks…. Be Responsible.