Why is the GS1 Global Registry useful?

Catalogue Item Uniqueness:
The GS1 Global Registry efficiently guarantees the uniqueness of the Catalogue Item (GTIN + GLN + target market) for a particular data source. If this functionality is not available via the GS1 Global Registry service it has the following implications:

• GTIN, GLN, target market uniqueness cannot be guaranteed. 
• to achieve a global uniqueness check, the source data pool would have to check with all the other data pools in the network (assuming that it knows who they are).  This would be inefficient. 

Party Synchronisation Process:
the GS1 Global Registry plays a key role in the synchronisation of Party information in the GDSN. The synchronisation of this Party information is the first requirement in establishing the item synschronisation process. Currently, without the Global Registry’s function, there is no standardised way to exchange this information among the GDSN-certified data pools.  Party Synchronisation is also the first requirement for the use of the Price Synchronisation process as well.

Reference to the Source of the Data:
the GS1 Global Registry service holds the information on the source data pool where the details of the GTIN reside. This data is only held once in the network.
If this functionality is not available via the GS1 Global Registry service it has the following implications:

• each local data pool would need to hold this source reference data for each GTIN, GLN, target market combination, and ensure that the data is kept accurate. This creates added complexity and added cost to all the data pools in the network. This would mean maintaining information on items and parties that are in no way related to any of the data pool’s trading partner community.

Data Quality:
the GS1 Global Registry will only register data from GDSN-certified data pools. This ensures that all the data pools in the network are complying with the standard set of validation rules that support data integrity in the system. The GS1 Global Registry service will be the central distributor of the validation requirements developed within the GS1 Global Standards Management Process (GSMP), thus ensuring that all data pools authorized to participate in the network are in receipt of the same rules.
If this functionality is not available via the GS1 Global Registry it has the following implications:

• each data pool would have to keep a record of GS1 certified data pools and would have to have a mechanism for keeping this data accurate and timely. This would add complexity and cost to both data pools and the certification service.

Subscription Data Router:
the GS1 Global Registry will hold information about who has subscribed to Trade Item or Party data. This data is only held for the purpose of acting as a central repository. Data pools receive subscriptions based on a match of the Trade Item or Party data Registered with the GS1 Global Registry.
If this functionality is not available via the GS1 Global Registry subscription service it has the following implications:

• any time a data pool enters or leaves the network, all subscriptions held locally would have to be re-directed by the local data pool. This would add complexity and cost to all data pools and their users.
• all subscriptions would need to be maintained by all data pools and would have to be functionally resolved locally. This would mean maintaining information on items, parties, and subscriptions that are in no way related to any of the data pool’s trading partner community.