Data Transport Standard A Work in Progress

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Data Transport StandardA Work in Progress

• 1st Annual Conference on Technology and Standards
• May 5, 2004
• Kim Shiflette USA Funds
• Denise Hill - FSA
• Nathan Chitty Nelnet

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Outline of Presentation

• Data Transport
• Industry issues
• Business workgroup
• Technical workgroup
• FSAs position
• Technical approach overview
• Questions

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Data Transport Standard Business Workgroup

• Kim Shiflette, USA Funds
• DTS Workgroup Chair

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Items to Cover

• Data Transport Issues within the Industry
• Data Transport Business Workgroup
• NCHELPs Electronic Exchange Advisory Team and DTS

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Data Transport - Business Issues

• Current Transport Issues in the higher education
  community
• NCHELP needs real-time transport standard for
  CRC
• FSA will need a real-time standard for CRCOD
• FSA transport process is closed
• FSA looking to standardize transport across all
  business applications as part of their Data
  Strategy Framework

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Business Issues (contd)

• Financial Aid Management Systems vendors have
  expressed an interest in the development of a
  common transport process for both batch and
  real-time requests that could be used for all
  business processes (ex. CRCommonLine, CRCOD,
  Transcripts, etc.)
• PESC finalized the Transcript schema and looking
  for a transport method

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Data Transport Business (DTB) Workgroup Purpose

• Data Transport Business Workgroup
• Composed of representatives from Lenders,
  Schools, FAMS vendors, Guarantor and FSA,
  representing a wide variety of business processes
  within their organizations
• Recommend a business direction for Data
  Transport
• Defined the business requirements that can be
  used across multiple business sectors supported
  by Guarantors, Lenders, Schools, FAMS vendors and
  FSA

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Workgroup Purpose (contd)

• Moving Forward
• Ensure standard is developed jointly
• Ensure Data Transport Standard Protocol is
  reviewed and approved by organizations such as
  PESC
• Educate the industry on the value of a Data
  Transport Standard protocol

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NCHELPs Electronic Exchange Advisory Team DTS

• Electronic Exchange Advisory Team (EEAT) operates
  under NCHELPs Electronic Standards Committee
  (ESC)
• In late 2003, EEAT was asked by the DTB workgroup
  to host the development of the Data Transport
  Standard Protocol
• EEAT primary responsibility is the development
  and maintenance of data exchange standards for CL
  and CAM active and long standing participants
  with a wide range of technical knowledge and
  experience

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NCHELPs Electronic Exchange Advisory Team DTS
(contd)

• DTB encourages participation with EEAT from other
  industry groups FSA, FAMS, etc.
• More information on the DTS process may be found
  at www.datatransportstandard.com

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FSAs Data Transport Position
Denise Hill, Federal Student Aid Chief Enterprise
Architect
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Items to Cover

• FSA Data Strategy Progress
• FSA Target Conceptual Architecture
• FSA External Information Access Vision
• Data Transport Standards (DTS)
• FSA Gaps with DTS

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FSA Data Strategy Progress

• Where We Are in Our Journey to FSAs To-Be Vision
• Gathered Business Objectives for External
  Information Exchange
• Drafted Target State Data Flows
• Created an Enterprise Vision of What it should
  look like

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FSA Data Strategy Progress (contd)

• FSA Business Objectives for External Information
  Exchange
• Standardize external exchange of commonly
  referenced data through a single, virtual, secure
  FSA gateway to simplify communication with FSA
• Enable access to key business services for the
  external community
• Right-time exchange of necessary data with
  trading partners
• Clarify, communicate, and enforce data access
  standards with external trading partners

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FSA Target Conceptual Architecture

• FSA Gateway A single, virtual entry point for
  trading partner interaction and data exchange
  with FSA

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FSA External Information Access Vision

• Target Vision
• Implement the FSA Gateway as an external system
  access point to FSA services
• Provide right-time access to FSA data and
  business functions
• Utilize Web services to provide real-time access
  to data and services
• Support XML-based forms of real-time data
• Support batch methods of data exchange
• Leverage standard data formats in data exchange
• Integrate with existing FSA capabilities and
  other initiatives

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FSA External Information Access Vision (contd)

• Tape/Diskette
• Paper-based Form
• Proprietary Flat File
• FTP
• HTTP(S)
• SAIG
• Some XML

• XML
• Web services (e.g. SOAP, WSDL, etc.)
• XML Core Components
• HTTP(S)
• FSA Gateway (SAIG)
• Other(TBD)

Supporting Technology Examples
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FSA External Information Access Vision (contd)

• Benefits to Trading Partners
• Simplifying trading partner data exchange
• Meeting trading partner desires for right-time
  data exchange
• Reducing the number of different data exchange
  formats
• Reducing effort required for integration within
  FSA

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Data Transport Standards (DTS)

• We understand the need for Data Transport
  Standards (DTS)
• We need to analyze the gaps before any standards
  can be officially adopted
• We will work with the community to identify the
  best sequencing approach for implementing a set
  of standards that best meets everyones needs

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Data Transport Standards (DTS) (contd)

• DTS Business Requirements
• Support batch, real-time, and near real-time
  requests  support batch and near real-time
• Single transport method for all business
  application (payload insensitive)
• Process should not require you to open payload to
  determine type and destination
• Can accommodate a variety of technical platforms
  (among schools, servicers, lenders, FAMS,
  guarantors and FSA)

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Data Transport Standards (DTS) (contd)

• DTS Business Requirements (contd)
• Data must arrive in a defined sequence
• Highly secure encryption required. Must adhere
  to privacy acts (cannot pass text in the clear,
  password protected, etc.)
• Cost not a barrier to adoption or use
• No set size limits
• Guaranteed delivery
• No distribution royalties (no cost to the user
  that wants to utilize an implementation of the
  Transport Standard)

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Data Transport Standards (DTS) (contd)

• DTS Business Requirements (contd)
• Support low-tech institutions (can be placed on
  the desktop)
• Easy to use
• Easy for integration
• All institutions must be able to implement the
  technical solution
• Must use open standards

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FSA Gaps with DTS

• Gaps analysis needed between DTS Requirements
  and
• FSAs Current Capabilities
• FSAs To-Be Vision

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FSA Gaps with DTS (contd)

• Addressing Gaps between FSAs Current
  Capabilities and DTS Requirements
• Evaluate DTS Business Requirements
• Review impacts to the Student Aid Internet
  Gateway (SAIG) and other Trading Partner data
  exchanges

SAMPLE
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FSA Gaps with DTS (contd)

• Addressing Gaps between DTS Requirements and
  FSAs To-Be Vision

• FSA is still gathering requirements for its
  target state
• It is a multi-year reengineering process and FSA
  must continue to assess the use of standards
  against its final vision
• FSA will collaborate with standards bodies like
  PESC before making final decisions on investments
  in FSAs Gateway

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FSA Gaps with DTS (contd)

• Addressing Gaps between DTS Requirements and
  FSAs To-Be Vision (contd)

• As the vision becomes a reality, FSA will
  coordinate with the community on standards and
  schedule for implementation

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Business Issues

• The current standards do not support the needs of
  all and require the support of multiple transport
  solutions
• E-mail no longer a practical solution for
  transporting data XML documents can be much
  larger than flat files
• FTP requires technical knowledge and support to
  be adequately implemented and maintained
• Many smaller institutions do not have the ability
  to implement or support FTP transport solution

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Technical Overview

• Nathan Chitty, Nelnet
• NCHELP EEAT Co-Lead

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Items to Cover

• Project goals
• Description
• Technology
• Current Status

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Project Goals

• Create a payload, insensitive transport standard
  using existing widely accepted IT industry
  standards
• Support immediate and deferred processing of
  payload

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Description

• Web Service implementation over HTTP
• All requests get a response, just a matter of
  what kind
• Soap
• Header
• Routing information
• Processing expectation
• Extensible for future needs
• Body
• Standards driven format
• Payload zLib compressed and base64 encoded

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Description (contd)

• LDAP centralized registry allows discovery of URL
  and supported functionality (end-point)
• Building on Meteor Project knowledgebase
• End-Point processing (Method calls) indicates
  type of payload i.e. submitCRC01Request(payload)
• SSL encryption of HTTP Streams
• WS-Security
• X.509, XML-DSIG

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Technology

• Standards being adopted
• HTTP1.1, SSL2.0, SOAP1.1, LDAP, XML, WSDL2.0,
  zLib (RFC 1950), Base64 (RFC 3548), UUID, X.509
• Generally accepted as the base standards for
  building a Web Service solution
• Benefits
• Single methodology for transporting data
• Extensible to other processes and new
  requirements
• Extraordinary possibilities

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Current Status

• Creating simple reference implementations on
  Java and .Net platforms
• Ensure adopted standards and technologies can be
  implemented in both while maintaining
  interoperability
• Perform stress testing with representative
  payloads to ensure viability of solution
• Creating DTS Specification document

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Contact Information

• We appreciate your feedback and comments. We
  can be reached at
• Denise Hill, FSA Nathan Chitty, Nelnet
• 202-377-3030 904-281-7235
• Denise.Hill_at_ed.gov Chitty_at_nelnet.net
• Kim Shiflette, USA Funds
• 317-806-1212
• kshiflet_at_usafunds.org

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Questions