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XML.ORG Registry and Repository
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Abstract
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Applications that support and enable electronic business depend on XML
schemas to define the rules of both the application and the data. The last
year has seen rapid growth in groups developing such schemas--for horizontal
applications, e.g., ebXML core business documents, as well as for vertical
industries, e.g., the Open Travel Alliance, RosettaNet, etc. Simply to develop,
agree upon and make these schemas available to a specific constituency, however,
is not sufficient. It is often equally vital that potential members—those
outside the target group--be able to access schemas. As discussed by Robin
Cover in his white paper, “Managing Names and Ontologies: An XML Registry
and Repository,” (http://www.oasis-open.org/html/registry_and_repository.html),
there are a number of issues that must be addressed to ensure the success
of both the schemas and the applications they support.
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Contents
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How do new users locate schemas? The speed at which schemas evolve and
develop make references to printed materials impractical. Without known and
published repositories, users would instead resort to text searches across
the web and often be forced to sift through a wide range of redundant and
inappropriate results. If users do succeed in finding the schema they seek,
authenticity becomes an issue. Where multiple results of the same resource
are returned, how can the user determine which is the latest and which have
been subject to unauthorized amendment? Access and the reliability and openness
of the source also must be considered. An increasing number of electronic
business applications require the validation of received or generated data.
In these instances, it is inappropriate and inefficient to hold copies of
the schema locally. For the duration of the transaction, the application looks
to call the required schema from an alternate location. When revisions are
implemented to an existing schema that is widely used, it is important that
the owner be able to go to a single source secure in the knowledge that changes
will be rolled out to the entire community automatically.
The clear requirement to establish an open, vendor-neutral site for
XML resources--including schemas--drove a section of the OASIS membership
to form and fund XML.ORG in 1999. Initial work was focused on developing a
portal where users could locate schema resources across the internet. In December
1999, work commenced on implementing specifications developed by the OASIS
Registry and Repository Technical Committee, led by Terry Allen of CommerceOne.
An important aspect of this work was the recognition that the world of electronic
business would not be served by a single registry/repository implementation.
Rather, OASIS foresaw the requirement for standards that would enable multiple
registries and repositories to interact. For example, an organization might
develop a private implementation for the storage and resolution of schemas
used in applications inside the firewall. On occasions where interaction is
required with a trading partner, reference would be made to a schema outside
the firewall, known to both parties, but not publicly available. Applications
demanding a wider audience might locate the resource in an open registry and
repository such as XML.ORG. OASIS also noted the potential requirement for
distributed repositories, with a selection of registry “entry points,”
that would support interaction between various implementations, irrespective
of vendor.
The work to build the XML.ORG Registry and Repository is overseen by
the Advisory Committee on XML.ORG, which is made up of the OASIS member companies
who formed the site. The role of the Advisory Committee is to address technical
issues and ensure that the implementation remains vendor-independent. Documentum,
in partnership with Sun Microsystems, provides resources and skills for the
implementation. Other sponsors of XML.ORG include DataChannel, Commerce One,
GCA, IBM, Mercator Software, SAP and SoftQuad.
OASIS works to ensure the knowledge gained by the XML.ORG Registry and
Repository is distributed to benefit others interested in building interoperable
repositories. The XML.ORG Registry and Repository is being implemented in
coordination with the OASIS Registry and Repository Technical Committee, which
advises and addresses specification issues as they arise. The XML.ORG Advisory
Committee is represented within the UN/CEFACT OASIS ebXML Registry and Repository
Working Group, ensuring lessons learned in the XML.ORG implementation are
fed back into the ebXML work.
The first release of the XML.ORG Registry and Repository is scheduled
for completion in Summer 2000, and the presentation at XML Europe will report
on that work.
The development and implementation of open registry and repository implementations
is critical to ensure the ongoing expansion of electronic business. XML was
a major victory for the user community, as it provides full vendor independence.
Work on XML schema continues that trend along with the work within the large
number of groups developing schemas and vocabularies for their industries.
The drive for openness does not stop there, however, and the work of the OASIS
Registry and Repository Technical Committee and the XML.ORG implementation
team ensures an even higher degree of openness in web-based applications.