It's worth being there!
The Tractus-X Community Days take place every 6 months. Your goal is to support the developer community of the Catena-X project together, to exchange knowledge, learn new things and strengthen the community spirit. You can find out how such an event works, who takes part and what exactly Tractus-X is in this Blog post.
"The Tractus-X Community Days are the right place to start with Catena-X. They gave me the information I needed to continue with the Catena-X integration."
Nikolay Peshev, Senior Technical Consultant
What is Tractus-X anyway?
Tractus-X is the official open source project around the topic Catena-X under the umbrella of the Eclipse Foundation. The Eclipse Foundation is a non-profit organization supported by over 320 members and is the world’s largest sponsored collection of open source projects and developers. Catena-X is an initiative in the automotive industry and is developing a technical solution for a radically simplified way of exchanging datathat meets the current regulations and requirements of the industry. If you would like to find out more about Catena-X, take a look at our Whitepaper.
This technical solution, which is available as Free Open Source Software (FOSS), is being developed jointly with the help of companies and individuals who are involved in Catena-X for various reasons. Catena-X started in 2021. A lot has happened since then. The requirements were defined, prioritized and passed on to the Tractus-X community for implementation. The first major go-live took place in October 2023. Since this go-live, the most important functions of the technical solution have been available and companies can exchange data securely and in a targeted manner. Since the go-live, there have of course been additional requirements (improvements in terms of efficiency or security, new features, etc.) for the solution, which are gradually being implemented.
What are the Community Days?
Many of the people, who contribute to the project, come from different companies and regions around the world. It is therefore difficult to with others from the community in person exchange. In addition, many of those involved do not work full-time on the project. The Community Days were created to overcome these challenges and bring the community closer together. The first took place in Stuttgart in December 2023. Due to the positive response, there was a sequel in May.
Because we at Polygran also wanted to get to know the community better, Nikolay Peshev and Tatjana Wiest (who shares her experiences with you here) were there live.
How are the Tractus-X Community Days organized?
The Community Days agenda was developed by the Catena-X Association the Eclipse Foundation and the organizer ARENA2036, who provided the location.
The program was divided into two days. Day one focused on exciting presentations and panel discussions by participants and contributors from the community. Day two then called for our active participation. A major part of the Community Days focused on the technical solution of Catena-X and how it can be introduced to the participants of the community or new participants. For this reason, 4 working topics were offered, in which the professionals guided the participants to get to know different perspectives of the Catena-X solutions and to work on them in a playful way using prepared examples.
All the input and workshops made us hungry and thirsty, so we were provided with delicious snacks, dishes and drinks throughout the event. As the event is free of charge, I don’t take this for granted and was very pleased with the sumptuous catering.
Who are the Community Days suitable for?
The Community Days focus on developers who
- Are new to Catena-X and need help in certain areas
- Already working on Catena-X and want to get to know new areas or have questions
- Are curious and want to help build something big.
As I am not a developer myself, I can say that the two days were also absolutely valuable for me as a project manager. The topic of Catena-X is so comprehensive that you learn something new with every conversation. And the best conversations are known to take place spontaneously and on the spot. At the Community-X Days, I was able to hold many discussions with partners and managers in the Catena-X environment. It’s really worth being there!
Our very personal summary
We were able to experience this incredible spirit with Catena-X after the Hannover Messe. Everyone sees the great potential behind Catena-X and the radically simple idea of the EDC (Eclipse Data Space Connectors) stuck. We were all the more curious to meet the community behind the implementation of the connector. We were not disappointed. The developers and creative minds behind the solutions at Catena-X are particularly enthusiastic. This was particularly evident in the work topics. These were so lovingly and elaborately prepared that everyone who was interested could take part and learn.
"They were very nice and cooperative people. I am glad to have been part of the Community Days and can't wait to attend the next event."
Tatjana Wiest, IT Project Manager
Would you like to join Catena-X?
Polygran is a consulting company qualified by Catena-X to support companies participating in Catena-X. We are happy to provide advice and assistance with all questions and requirements.
If you are also interested in participating in Catena-X, we look forward to hearing from you.
Tatjana Wiest, our IT Project Manager, who set up the Catena-X division at Polygran, would be delighted to talk to you without obligation. Book a free appointment with her today.
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