I propose a change to the way things
are discussed on the call. To prevent build-up of actions, the first thing
discussed on the call are the current set of actions, followed by other
agenda items. The mailed agenda will contain the current actions in pdf
form.
Agenda:
1. Go through actions - see pdf
2. OGF 26 in Chapel Hill, NC
3. OMG
non-XML/XML Information Transformation Standardization (RFI) - see below.
4. Short
and long form properties require all dfdl properties to be defined at least
twice in the schema for DFDL
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OMG non-XML/XML Information Transformation
Standardization (RFI)
The Object Management Group (OMG)[1]
is pursuing the standardization of non-XML/XML information transformation.
The Middleware and Related Services (MARS) Platform Task Force (PTF)[2]
Information Exchange Framework (IEF) Working Group[3]
has released an Information Transformation Request for Information (RFI)[4]
to collect concepts, participation and scope for creating and publishing
the respective Request for Proposal (RFP).
Responses to the RFI should consist of one
electronic copy in machine-readable format (typically ASCII, MS Word, or
WordPerfect format) sent to omg-documents@omg.org,
and one paper copy sent to the OMG postal address below:
Object Management Group, Inc.
140 Kendrick Street
Building A Suite 300
Needham, MA 02494
USA
Attn: Information Transformation Services
RFI
At the last meeting the RFI was extended
to May 25th 2009, 4 weeks before the San Jose, Costa Rica meeting.
However companies can request an extension to provide time to response.
Progress of responses can be found at http://www.omg.org/techprocess/meetings/schedule/Information_Transformation_RFI.html.
The benefits in responding to this RFI include improving the systems-of-systems
integration community life-cycle-costs and provide an opportunity
to scope the standardization process around your specific solution such
as the WebSphere ESB Mediation and Transformation Technologies.
The Information Transformation RFI is
attached with a summary below. Your input and participation is greatly
appreciated to establish a standard in the long needed non-XML/XML information
transformation methodology. There are many existing implementations
within the industry that provide great potential to be standardized in
whole or by parts.
In today’s world, many information transformation
solutions exist. Within the XML information technology domain, solutions
have been standardized by the W3C and other standards bodies such as Organization
for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS). Even though
XML is only ten years old, there has been much success in developing and
standardizing XML information transformation technologies, but on the other
hand, non-XML transformation methodologies for the most part have been
ignored. This may be a side effect of an assumption that all information
exchange instances across all vertical markets can use XML. Though this
has proven to be wrong, application server, ESB and database providers
have recognized the need to ease non-XML information transformation development
by providing GUI and declarative methods. The problem is that these methods
are proprietary, and often use closed architecture techniques. This presents
a risk of vendor lock-in, which application developers and system integrators
seek to avoid. This risk is even greater within standardized frameworks
such as ESB. While ESB relevant wire, definition, and protocol standards
include J2CA, JMS, SOAP, HTTP, WSDL, JDBC, XML1XSD, XSLT, XPATH, and several
WS-* protocols, including WS-Addressing, WS-Security and WS-Reliable Messaging,
vendors are including proprietary, non-standard extensions to handle required
functions that are not standardized, like non-XML transformation. The elevated
risk is the consequence of ESB developers unknowingly using everything
within the ESB product assuming everything is standards and open architecture
based. It is well known that ESB's can no longer exclusively focus on Web
Services or message driven (JMS) use cases. They must also provide the
ability to "service enable" non-XML based endpoints such as mainframes,
flat files, Extract Transform Load (ETL) procedures and enterprise applications.
To this end, the IEF WG is pursuing a non-XML transformation standardization
effort that will give these middleware vendors an option to implement hence
avoiding vendor lock-in. Even better, perhaps the same technology can be
used across middleware capabilities such as application servers, ESB and
databases.
The goal is also to establish a standard
approach for resolving semantics across interfaces. While much work has
been accomplished using ontologies and the semantic Web with respect to
information discovery, how these technologies can be used to automate system
interoperability is a new field. Today, it is very typical to expend a
knowledge engineering effort to resolve mappings between two interfaces.
Once resolved, an XSLT is generated and the knowledge that provided basis
for the rule is lost. The question is what can be done to retain this knowledge
so it can be applied to future integration efforts
.
The intent of this RFI is to gather information
about non-XML information transformation methodologies and standards; how
they can coexist with XML standards, application server, ESB and database
products; and how should the knowledge that defined the transformations
be modeled. It is expected to get responses from middleware vendors providing
their candidate solutions, as well as application developers and integrators
providing their insight to the problems with regard to what issues need
to be addressed.
The information sought by this RFI will
be used to move towards the goal of interoperable non-XML and XML that
uses a standard data model format and standard service interfaces within
an Information Exchange Framework. The approach is completely open in that
the standards may simply point to an existing standard, or aggregation
of standards; use standards by reference; or reuse standards, or any combination
of these approaches.
Very respectfully,
Gary Sikora
Progeny Systems Corporation
gsikora@progeny.net
703-795-4684
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regards
Steve Hanson
Programming Model Architect
WebSphere Message Brokers
Hursley, UK
Internet: smh@uk.ibm.com
Phone (+44)/(0) 1962-815848