An Implementer's Guide to XML Standards
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This document serves as an implementer's guide to XML standards, discussing the evaluation, implementation, and challenges of various standards through case studies in sectors like legal and energy. It emphasizes the importance of interoperability, risk reduction, and the lifecycle of standards, alongside discussing notable examples such as S1000D and DITA. The guide concludes with best practices for successful standard implementation and the role of standards in fostering innovation and collaboration among enterprises.
An Implementer's Guide to XML Standards
- 1. Joe Gollner Gnostyx Research Inc. jag@gnostyx.com www.gollner.ca @joegollner An Implementer’s Guide to XML Standards
- 2. An Implementer’s Guide to XML Standards • Some Initial Case Studies • Thinking about Standards • Fundamentals • Evaluating Standards • Implementing Standards • Hazards • The XML Firmament • The Expanding Universe • A Tale of Two Standards • S1000D • DITA • FUSION
- 3. Case 1: Faux Standardization • Legal Sector (1999 – 2001) • Requirement: Digital Evidence Interchange amongst courts and case participants • Potential References: LegalXML initiative • Discovery: • Standards barely emergent • Focused on small problems • Untested in implementations • Heavily influenced by a small group of tool vendors
- 4. Case 2: Standardization by Edict • Energy Sector (1993 – 2003) • Requirement: Interchange protocol for proposals, interventions & cases • Regulatory Agencies Developed & mandated an interchange standard together with associated process & applications • Result: Unusable protocol, unintelligible process & unstable applications Complete failure of initiative
- 5. Case 3: Standards in Action: A Success Story Standardization enabling efficient global trade
- 6. Thinking about Standards • The Truth about Standards “The wonderful thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from” Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (Amazing Grace) US Navy • She was one of the first Programmers (Harvard Mark I) • She is credited with writing the first program compiler • She found a moth in a relay in the Mark II calculator and hence passed the term “bug” into computing terminology • Important Point • Grace Hopper was focused on accomplishing things • Standards were something chosen – as a means to an end
- 7. What do we mean by “Standard”? • The word “Standard” • Descends from Middle English for “a flag raised on a pole as a rallying point” • Shortening of “estendart” from Old French for “extend” • Common Uses • an agreed level of quality or attainment • something used as a measure, norm or model in comparative evaluations • principles of conduct informed by notions of honor and decency • accepted as normal or average • not special or exceptional Source: OED
- 8. The Objective of Standards • Interoperability enabling • Opportunity Realization • Risk Minimization • Cost Reduction • Relevant Domains • Information Interchange • Process Coordination • Application Alignment • Standards Lifecycle • Emergence • Maturity • Retirement
- 9. Evaluating Standards • Independence • From parochial interests, proprietary claims, external influences • Formality • Of creation, validation, approval & modification process • Stability • Of standard over time & the backward compatibility of changes • Completeness • Sufficiency for declared scope as well as availability of useful documentation & reference implementations • Adoption • Extent of support amongst tool vendors, authorities & users • Practicality • The extent to which all, or parts, of the standard can be deployed
- 10. Evaluating Standards: Case 1 • Scenario • International standard • Esoteric • Small stakeholder community • Mature • Disuse leading to retirement • Strategy • Harvest knowledge & tools to reuse with newer standards SGML
- 11. Evaluating Standards: Case 2 • Scenario • Web recommendation • Enabling capability • Solid stakeholder community • Emergent • Adoption leading to maturity • Strategy • Participate • Plan for adoption XML
- 12. Evaluating Standards: Case 3 • Scenario • Industry specification • Broad scope • Specialized stakeholder community • Continuously emergent • Strategy • Implement where necessary • Address risk areas S1000D
- 13. Evaluating Standards: Case 4 • Scenario • Cross-industry standard • Addressing widespread issues • Broad stakeholder community • Mature • Further capabilities emerging • Strategy • Plan for adoption • Consider for use in variety of areas DITA
- 14. Selecting Standards • Considerations • Suitability • Feasibility • Criticality • Adaptability • Malleability • Intended Benefits • Knowledge Acquisition • Project Acceleration • Uniqueness Avoidance • Industry Alignment • Stakeholder Diversification
- 15. Implementing Standards • Standards • Incorporated into solutions • Deliberately • Methodically • Included under configuration management • Version changes handled in the same way as product version changes • Evaluation & testing • Dependency monitoring • Assessment of alternatives
- 16. Hazards: The Standards Wars • Standards are like sausages • If you love them, don’t watch them being made… • One reason formality is important • Standardization is a key competitive battleground • Why adoption is important • Broad adoption is a sign • The competition is over • The focus of competitive forces has moved elsewhere
- 17. Hazards: Mistakes & Warning Signs • Common Mistake: Confusing Standards for Solutions • Believing standards alone will solve problems • Stretching standards to address all solution requirements • Fixating on the reference implementations • Focusing more on standards than on actual solutions • Hoping that standardization will eliminate change • Hoping standards will erase responsibility • Warning Signs: Excessive complexity & change • Sprawling scope covering several domains • Continual emergence of changes especially • Non-backwards compatible changes • Changes driven by narrow application demands • Appearance of hyper-specialized products
- 18. The Amazing & Expanding XML Universe Still an area of activity although commercial focus has moved on
- 19. A Tale of Two Standards • Projects will often implement an array of standards • Different technology venues • Different functional requirements • Different stakeholder communities • Sometimes standards supplement each other • S1000D • DITA • Others… A Tale of Two Cities as illustrated by Ralph Bruce
- 20. S1000D – Modernizing Equipment Information • Purpose • S1000D is an international specification for the procurement and production of technical publications • Key Goals • Cost saving on information generation • Avoidance of duplications • Cheaper deliverable publications • Standard format for data exchange to exploit future developments • Enhanced inter-operability 2.3 1.7 3.0 1.8 2.12.0 1.9 2.2 …4.0
- 21. The Context of S1000D • Technical Scope • Provide a global standard for the encoding, storage, exchange and delivery of the technical information required to produce, operate and support complex equipment systems • Business Scope • Facilitate the effective digitization and streamlining of the information supply chains associated with equipment systems that are being increasingly developed through multi-lateral efforts • Both the benefits and the challenges are great • The breadth of scope alone poses the substantial challenge of incorporating an almost infinite array of specialized demands
- 22. Implementation Challenges with S1000D • Challenges include • Tailoring specification to reflect project requirements • Establishing & maintaining the required application suite • Managing the impact on people & processes • Adapting to change • Reflecting project requirements • Reflecting the evolution of the standard • The question is whether there are techniques that can be leveraged to address these challenges? • More specifically, is there a standard that has made addressing these challenges its overriding purpose? • The answer to both these questions is “Yes”
- 23. The Tao of DITA: Specialization Topic Task ReferenceConcept Specialization Base Elements highlight programming software UI new semantics specialization DomainsApplications Type Hierarchy Default Behaviour Core Behaviour Specializations Specific Overrides Maps Emerged within IBM as a means to manage application costs in the face of continually evolving requirements. Experiences in other industries corroborated the value of specialization as an essential response to these pressures. Darwin Information Typing Architecture
- 24. Using DITA to Implement S1000D? • DITA can be leveraged as a tool • To define and tailor precisely specialized information types that help authors produce the required content • Adaptations can be made to handle unique equipment requirements • Adaptations can be made to handle legacy or parallel requirements that are not addressed in S1000D (nor should be) • Application architecture can be streamlined while also improving the precision & value of the content
- 25. The Solution Takes Precedence • One suggestion has been to integrate S1000D and DITA One standard to rule them all • This would be a dubious undertaking • The two standards embody two different, but complementary, bodies of knowledge • In any one solution, many standards will play a role: • S1000D, DITA, ATA, XML, XSLT, XSL FO, WSDL,…
- 26. Top Ten Secrets for Implementation Success • Don’t underestimate your content or your business • Don’t underestimate the power of good automation • Chose an appropriate tool set and validate your choices • Don’t invest in expensive technology too early • Carefully plan and execute migration activities • Take a “customer service” focus in delivering tangible benefits (new products / services) from your investments • Be demanding of your suppliers (expect quality) • Engage your stakeholders and “take control” of the solution • Leverage standards, don’t be enslaved by them • Be an active part of the community as a way to learn and as a way to share what you have learned
- 27. Conclusions about Standards • What do we take away from all this? • Standards • are agreements formed by communities • are intended to facilitate interoperability • can be applied to information, technology and practices • should result in improved quality and cost-effectiveness • What does this really mean? • standards are primarily important to collaborating enterprises • standards help avoid unnecessary effort and expense • standards enable constructive competition • standards must enable & not obstruct improvement & innovation
- 28. An Implementer’s Guide to XML Standards • FUSION (1993) • Focused • Use of • Standards for • Integrating • Organizations and • Networks • A sensible posture • Places the Solution on top • Deploys standards • To achieve solution goals • To realize the intrinsic potential manifest in good standards