Packaging Domains for XML-MIF Publishing

Introduction

Preliminary mappings convince us that there is plenty of "power" in MIF2 to represent a domain, but it remains for us to select the optimum packaging strategy to support both development, publication and implementation.

Background

Current Domain Structures:

• A domain contains: Preface, Introduction and Scope, one or more DMIMs, zero or more StoryBoards; one or more topics, 0..* Annex (where we have put Implementation Guides.
• A topic contains: Introduction and Scope, 0..* Story Board, 0..* App Roles, 0..* TEs; 1..* RMIMs, HMDs, and MTs; 0..* Interactiuons, 0..* Annex (where we have put Implementation Guides.
• Ballot status and Normative Status and Release packaging occurs either at the level of whole domain, or at the level of Topic, but each artifact also carries its own status.
• Release number and artifact version number are only related by happenstance.

MIF Structures:

• publication - provides the surrounding content for the formal artifact definitions; it provides for a single instance of approvalInfo (Ballot status, etc) that applies to the whole of the publication; it holds 1..* groups and items, and a group may also hold 1..* groups and items. Items reference content through the compound id embodied in packageLocation
• package - packages anything - individual artifacts (trigger, static model, etc.) other packages, publications - each package can hold its own approvalInfo, and some the package contents can carry their own approvalInfo, others cannot. Specifically:
  • Package content with own approvalInfo: freehandDocument; datatypeModelLibrary; staticModelInterfacePackage; vocabularyModel; staticModel; serializedStaticModel; derivedStaticModel; interactionProfile; conformanceProfile; publication; package
  • Package content without approvalInfo: domainAnalysisModel; structuredDocument; domainInstanceExample; storyboard; triggerEvent; interaction; applicationRole; testScenario
    MIF NOTE: the first two of these - domainAnalysisModel and structuredDocument surprise me since they are currently being balloted and approved within HL7 as stand-alone specifications.