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by Joy Blake
The need for a central repository to register Document Type Definitions (DTDs) and schemas has increased as more and more companies begin to use XML as an integral part of their companies’ e-business solutions. Access to such a repository will drive the rapid adoption of XML by providing common schemas and tools that can be used to build applications.
It is important to make a distinction early in this report between a DTD and a schema. They have the same purpose, to provide instructions that define the structure and relationships that are found in a document or data. The major difference is that DTDs do not allow for data-interchange. Unfortunately, this is one of the biggest advantages of using XML in commerce applications. XML schemas address this problem, bridging existing applications with new Internet enabled information systems. Schemas also support Data-typing, Namespaces and certain parts of the XML Syntax that DTDs do not. Data-typing is an important enhancement as it enables traditional database schemas to be more fully represented in XML.
Companies require a standard framework to exchange information with customers and other partners. For example, it is essential that a purchase order issued by one company be correctly interpreted by the company to which it is sent. Schema registries address this need for a standard framework. Registries make XML schemas and DTDs available so that companies can use and/or reuse them for their own applications, rather than starting from scratch every time. Registering a schema also allows a company to publish the "information interface" for business interactions. This higher degree of interoperability creates dramatic growth in new forms of e-commerce, allowing companies to integrate supply chains, engage in cooperative product design and development, and create new levels of integration between business partners.
But creating a fully functional schema registry site is not easy or cheap. It requires savvy leadership, significant funding, dedicated resources, support from the sponsoring organization(s), and a strong marketing effort.
There were a number of early initiatives for DTD and schema registry. In May 1998, NIST (the National Institute of Science and Technology) started the NIST Identifier Collaboration Service (NICS) project, funded through the Advanced Technology Program. In July a group called Schema.net appeared announcing that it would be the premiere site for XML DTDs and other schemas. Extensibility, the company that develops the XML Authority product for creating and editing schemas, is still a sponsor of this site. In August 1998, the XML/EDI, the largest grass roots organization devoted to the application of XML and business data exchange, announced that it was building a repository for business transactions based on XML.
One of the most interesting announcements of a schema registry came from Jeffrey Ricker, co-founder of XMLSolutions, in May 1998. The site was called XML Exchange and received a lot of attention in its early stages. Unlike most of the above-mentioned initiatives, Ricker’s site had an infrastructure in place and a mechanism to register schemas. Microsoft was one of the first companies to register a schema on the site. In July 1998, CommerceNet acquired Ricker’s site. The commerce consortium had also announced in May that it was going to provide a registry service. The Ricker site gave them an opportunity to expand on his infrastructure and advance it to a new level. The CommerceNet acquisition was of additional interest because of its non-profit status: it could provide an impartial host for companies to submit their DTDs or schemas. It appears as of October 1999 that parts of this registry are back in the hands of XML Solutions as part of their library.
Through spring 1999, not much happened in terms of advancement of these registries. No clear leader emerged. The Schema.net site seemed to have developed beyond just an initiative, but was not widely recognized as the place to go. At this point, seeing the need for such a registry to advance adoption of XML and its XML-enabled strategies and products, Microsoft began to make plans of its own. But, just prior to their announcement, another organization emerged with an announcement of intent.
In March 1999, OASIS (the Open Association of Standards and Information Services that bills itself as the world's leading independent organization for the standardization of XML applications in electronic commerce) announced that it was forming a committee to investigate the technology needed to register XML DTDs and make them available to developers and users. Terry Allen of CommerceOne chaired this effort. Conventional wisdom was that OASIS should have taken the role as registrar from the beginning. As the industry consortium focused on the development and advancement of open standards, it appeared that it could best represent the views of a wide number of vendors and users. The reason behind this exploratory committee was that by March of 1999, almost one year after the other initiatives were announced, there was nothing in place that effectively served as a repository.
In May 1999, OASIS announced the formation of XML.org, claiming that it would be the first global XML industry portal to be operated by a non-profit corporation. The major purpose of XML.org was to be an open industry XML registry and repository offering automated public access to XML schemas. The registry/repository would be an enabling force in the use of industry-defined XML applications for electronic commerce, business-to-business transactions, and tools and application interoperability. Sun, IBM, Oracle, SAP and other large corporations supported this effort through significant investment of $100,000 each to sponsor XML.org. However, with one full time and one part time staff person, neither of whom were technical, there was still a question as to whether OASIS had the infrastructure or bandwidth to create a fully functional registry site
Microsoft was not convinced. In July 1999, the company announced Biztalk.org. Microsoft’s primary goal was to make it easy for companies and individuals to use XML in their applications and advance the rapid adoption of XML thus growing the market. It appeared that Microsoft had all of the key components of funding, support, leadership, and infrastructure to make Biztalk.org a success.
As XML.org and Biztalk.org continue to make progress, it is clear that today the two sites have very different functions. XML.org is about information. Biztalk.org is about schema registry and the tools available to create and manage schema development.
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