RMIM Designer Documentation (Vocabulary MIF)

Introduction

Release 4.4.0 of the HL7 RMIM Designer (in Visio) was the first release to use a vocabulary "core MIF" file as its source for Vocabulary content. The "core MIF" files (with names like DEFN=UV=VO=822-20090227.coremif) have been released along with the Design Repository in every design repository release since September 2008.

Note: It is recommended that this tool only be used on machines with at least 1 GB of memory, because the in-memory vocabulary content is large.

In the past, you the designer presented a "drop-down" that displayed a tree view of vocabulary content that was actually in mixed-mode - it combined concept domains, value sets and code systems into a single hierarchical display. This comkbined display was replaced because it was introducing confusion (and errors) and because it was constraining the ability to create a "clean", correct vocabulary model.

The new release opens a new "modal" window pane that displays vocabulary content as three independent tree views - one each for concept domains, code systems and value sets.

Features of the selection pane are:

Independent tree views for the three types of vocabulary content;
Tree views may be tiled side-by-side (default) or displayed singly on a "Tab" control;
When opened, tree views are constrained to the relevant sub-set of content (such as ActClass when selecting a class code for an Act clone);
When opened, the "selected" constraint in the pane is set to the previous constraint from the source model;
Search capability to find content in the vocabulary (uses a case-insensitive search on descriptive text, names and identifiers of vocabulary content);
Text descriptions for an element selected in a tree view may be called up for display;
"Current" selection box shows what is the current (most-recent) selection;
"Help" display summarizes the function of each button on the pane;
In addition to mouse control, "Enter" key and "Esc" key will close the pane and either return a constraint (or nothing for "Esc")

These features and their use are discussed in the following sections.

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Loading RIM and Vocabulary Content

Model Selection Window

The Model Selection window was modified to allow selection of both a Design Repository file ("mdb" file) and a Vocabulary MIF file (either "coremif" or "mif" file extension.) Since September of 2008, all RIM Repository distribution have included a vocabulary "core"mif file (with names like DEFN=UV=VO=822-20090227.coremif) as part of the distribution. In both RoseTree and the new RMIM Designer releases, the associated vocabulary "coremif" file will be loaded unless the user over-rides that selection.

The simplest way to use the latest RMIM Designers is to place a copy of the design repository from the Design Repository Project on Gforge along with its associated vocabulary file in some convenient directory, perhaps the Visio solutions HL7 directory, and then start the RMIM Designer in the usual fashion.

The first pane to appear will be the Model Selection pane (right-above). This pane now includes tweo selectioln boxes. One for the Repository file and the other for the "Vocab MIF" file. You do not need to select the latter file. If it has not been selected, the RMIM Designer will look for the correct file to associate with the repository and will use that, if one is found. If it cannot find a file, ti will prompt you to select one. It is not possible to run the RMIM Designer without a vocabulary mif file available.

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Selecting Vocabulary Constraints

Clone Editor - Properties Pane

Vocabulary constraints for RIM attributes are established in one of two ways in the RMIM designer. Both methods are done within the HL7 Class Refinement Editor as seen at right and below. This editor has two panels selected by a tab control

The Properties tab is where the typeCode, classCode, moodCode, etc. are selected. The vocabulary constraints for doing this are circled in the first of the three panes at the right. The process of constraining these properties is initiated by either clicking on the associated "Browse" button, or by double-clicking on the text box that displays the constraint.

The remaining vocabulary constraints are established in the Attributes tab, as seen in the second of the panes to the right. For each coded attribute, there are three "controls" a selection box for the kind of constraint, the text field that displays the constraint, and a "Browse" button. The vocabulary selector/browser can be started by either clicking the associated "Browse" button, or by double-clicking the text field.

NOTE: Although the constraint type box may be changed by clicking on it, its value will always be correctly set by choosing a constraint in the browser, and thus this control is best treated as a display-only control.

Finally, in selected cases it may be reasonable to set a "fixed" or "default" value constraint on an attribute. (This can only be done with attributes whose data type is CS in the RIM, or has been constrained to CV in the static model design. When such constraints are established, a second row of vocabulary constraints that includes a code value and a code browser button are added to the Attributes tab display, as in the third pane at right.

Clone Editor - Arttributes Pane

Clone Editor - Attributes Pane for Fixed/Default

Proper Constraints by Attribute Kind

The HL7 methodology specifies varying constraint expressions for the different kinds of attributes found in the HL7 Reference Information Model (RIM) and in static models derived from the RIM. Moreover, the appropriate form of constraint is different for a "universal" (UV) design or constraint than it would be for an implementation-level constraint. Simply stated, at the "UV" level constraints (wiuth the exception of structural attributes) should be abstractions or generalizations that permit realms, projects and implementers to refine these further in order to meet the requirements of their particular design.

The following sub-sections provide an informative overview of these principles to help guide model designers. The formal "rules" are embedded in other documents.