A Development Process for Content Standards

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A Development Process for Content Standards

• KC Morris, Boonserm (Serm) Kulvatunyou, Josh
  Lubell, and Puja Goyal
• US/DoC/NIST/MEL/MSID

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Outline of the Talk

• Who we are
• Process for developing content standards the
  Model Development Life Cycle (MDLC)
• Overview of our XML-related tools
• Examples of tools for XML Schema validation

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Who We AreUS/DoC/NIST/MEL/MSID

• United States Government
• Department of Commerce
• National Institute of Standards and Technology
• Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory
• Manufacturing Systems Integration Division (MSID)
• A government resource that provides technical
  solutions to advance system integration
  capabilities.

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Background

• NIST B2B Interoperability Testbed
• XML-based interoperability project with the
  automotive and aerospace industries
• NIST AEX Testbed
• XML-based interoperability project with the
  building construction industry
• Product Data Exchange and Validation Testing
  activities
• Data exchange-based integration project, not
  XML-based
• Common characteristics
• Specifications are segmented
• Data exchange specifications evolve as
  integration projects proceed
• Also true for standards development efforts

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Content Standards are Bridges
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Bridge Building Process

• Design the bridge
• Test the design
• Build a frame
• Pour the concrete
• Paint the roads

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We Need a Process for Building Interoperability
Bridges
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Model Development Life Cycle

• A guideline for building industrial strength data
  exchange bridges, that provides
• Detailed analysis of the development process for
  content standards
• Architecture for implementing that process
• Outline of requirements for tools
• Roadmap to the standards landscape

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Some Specific Problems in Model Development

• Unbounded specification growth
• Semantically duplicate terms, components, and
  documents are created
• Poor documentation reduces reuse
• Classic interoperability problems are revisited
• Large-scale harmonization (using a
  common/canonical model) is hard to achieve

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Model Development Life Cycle
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Decomposition of the Model Development Life Cycle
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Model Discovery
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Model Validation
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Model Piloting
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Model Registration
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Model Integration
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Overview of NIST Prototype Tools
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XML Schema Validation Tool

• Objective Ensure that schemas are compatible
  with a selected set of parsers
• Core Functionality Validate one or more schemas
  or schema extensions with multiple selected
  parsers and schema files stored in a repository
• Status Prototype

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Quality of Design Tool

• Objective Ensure that XML schemas conform to a
  selected set of design practices, e.g., use of
  common and valid terms, NDR conformance, use of
  the XML Schema structures that enhance
  reusability, maintainability, clarity, and
  interoperability
• Core Functionality A flexible environment for
  specifying and executing best practice rules
  against the schemas
• Status Beta Available upon request. Contact
  Serm, serm_at_nist.gov

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XML Schema Naming Assister

• Objective Ensure that type, element, and
  attribute names used in schemas are consistent
  within the schema and conform to ISO 11179 Naming
  Convention
• Core Functionality Decompose names into Object
  Class, Property, and Representation Term tokens,
  validate them using a table of terms, and suggest
  alternate names
• Status Prototype. Available at
  http//www.nist.gov/msid/Naming_Assister.html

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XML Instance Validation Tool

• Objective Ensure that schemas are compatible
  with a selected set of parsers, a set of sample
  data, a previous set of sample data (when the
  schemas have gone through changes)
• Core Functionality Automatically validate one or
  more instance files against associated schemas
  with multiple selected parsers (in batch mode)
• Status Prototype is available at
  http//www.nist.gov/msid/b2btestbed/semantic_check
  ing.html

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Schematron Editor Tool

• Objective Assist a user in creating Schematron
  Rules
• Core Functionality Create Schematron with little
  or no knowledge of XPATH/XSLT syntax through
  expression wizards that allow drag-n-drop
  elements from an imported XML schema business
  document
• Status Prototype available on Sourceforge site
  http//www.sf.net/projects/cs-wizard

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Semantic Aware Lookup Assistant

• Objective Assist the user when searching for a
  reusable business document or components that
  support data exchange requirements
• Core Functionality Match data exchange
  requirements from the user with existing schemas
  and provide quantitatively measured results
• Status Research has started

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Classification Assistant

• Objective Provide a quantitative measure
  suggesting a suitable classification to register
  a component within a classification scheme
• Core Functionality Given a data exchange
  specification (and documentation), proposed a
  ranked set of appropriate classification nodes
• Status Research has not started

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Semantic Alignment Tool

• Objective Provide quantitative analysis and
  suggestions for model harmonization
• Core Functionality Analyze a newly registered
  data exchange specification against existing ones
  for semantically duplicative and overlapping
  structures and suggest alternatives
• Status Research has not started

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Examples

• Support model validation
• XML Schema Validation tool
• Schema Quality of Design tool

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Model Validation
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What is Schema Qualification?

• Tests that a schema
• Works with relevant tools
• Consistently represents similar concepts
• Uses constructs that enhance reusability,
  maintainability, clarity, and interoperability
• Uses preexisting schemas correctly
• Use terms/names correctly and consistently

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Prototype Validation Service
Example 1

• Uploads an XML schema to test against the W3C
  standard for XML Schemas
• Validates using multiple XML tools
• Provides access to a repository of schemas which
  may be extended (e.g., Universal Business
  Language schemas)

DEMO
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Schema Quality of Design Testing Tool

• Example 2

• Contains computer interpretable rules based on
  naming and design guidelines from a number of
  sources
• Upload rules written in Schematron and JESS into
  rule-base
• Execute rules against schema and report results

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Application to Developing XML Schemas

• QOD applied to grants.gov schemas resulted in
  several warnings including
• Gobal elements declared in non-desirable places
• Anonymous/local types defined in non-desirable
  places
• The Global schema doesnt declare a default
  namespace
• Document/Transaction level schemas define
  multiple global elements
• Non-determinism found
• Redeclaration of elements and types (e.g.
  programType) in different namespaces

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Benefits of MDLC

• Reduces labor involved in schema development
• Reduces deployment time and hesitation
• Supports reuse of schemas
• Identifies tools to help in the process

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Summary

• MDLC is a recipe for building robust data
  exchange specifications
• It drives development of tools and capabilities
• Examples include Validation Service and Quality
  of Design tools
• Maximizes reuse of tools to serve a diverse
  collection of customers

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Contacts

• KC Morris kcm_at_nist.gov
• Serm Kulvatunyou serm_at_nist.gov
• Josh Lubell lubell_at_nist.gov
• Puja Goyal pgoyal_at_cme.nist.gov
• References
• Morris, KC , Kulvatunyou, Boonserm, Frechette,
  Simon , Lubell, Joshua , Goyal, P. , XML Schema
  Validation Process for CORE.GOV, NISTIR 7187,
  (2004)

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Summary of NIST Toolset
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Schema Quality of Design Testing Tool
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