# Presentation: 273875

## Department of Homeland Security Metadata Center of Excellence

*The Data Reference Model:**The DRM XML Schema*

- Michael C. Daconta, Metadata Program Manager
- Andy Hoskinson, OMB FEA PMO
- Joseph M. Chiusano, Booz Allen Hamilton
- June 13, 2005

## Agenda

**What is the DRM XML Schema?**
**Purpose of the DRM XML Schema**
**DRM XML Schema Structure **
**DRM XML Instance Examples**
**Schema Design Features, Issues, **
**   ****& Tradeoffs**
**Conclusion**

## What is the DRM XML Schema?

- The DRM XML Schema is a W3C XML Schema that serves as an abstract metamodel for the DRM
- It represents all 3 of the DRM’s major standardization areas (Data Description, Data Sharing, Data Context)
- Federal agencies will create XML instances (documents) based on the DRM XML Schema that contain information for the agency pertaining to the 3 DRM areas
- Development of the DRM XML Schema at an early stage is enabling us to ensure that we are capturing the correct information for the DRM, in the correct format – as soon as possible

## Purpose of the DRM XML Schema

- The DRM XML Schema will:
- Support the DRM’s primary use case of facilitation of interagency information sharing
- Facilitate the inventory, cataloging, and discovery of information holdings as required by law and policy (OMB Circular A-130, Management of Federal Information Resources)
- Support harmonization across the federal government of data artifacts, and establishment of authoritative data sources
- Provide an open and well-documented standard to enable the organization and categorization of government information, in ways that are searchable, and interoperable, across agencies

## DRM Primary Use Case: Interagency Information Sharing

**Description**

**Sharing**

**Context**

## DRM XML Schema Structure

- The DRM XML Schema has 3 major sections:

| Section | Description |
| --- | --- |
| DataDescription | Provides a standard means for agencies to describe their data and data sources clearly, concisely, and unambiguously |
| DataSharing | Provides a standard means for describing interagency data exchanges and data sharing capabilities |
| DataContext | Provides a standard means for representing taxonomies that an agencies use to categorize their data |

## DRM XML Schema Structure

- “DataDescription” section – major subsections:

| Subsection | Description |
| --- | --- |
| StructuredData | Data described via the E-R (Entity-Relationship) or class model |
| UnstructuredData | Data that is not described according to an E-R model, but is rather of a more free-form format, such as multimedia files or unstructured text  |
| SemiStructuredData | Data that has characteristics of both structured and unstructured data |
| DataSources | Databases, systems, applications, or other electronic entities that produce and/or house data |

## DRM XML Schema Structure

- “DataSharing” section – major subsections:

| Subsection | Description |
| --- | --- |
| ExchangePackages | Descriptions of specific information exchanges between organizations |
| DataAccessPoints | Endpoints (network or otherwise) providing an interface for querying data sources  |

## DRM XML Schema Structure

- “DataContext” section – major subsections:
- Schema examples follow

| Subsection | Description |
| --- | --- |
| Taxonomies | Hierarchical information models that define the scope of a knowledge domain |
| FEAMapping | Enables mapping of taxonomy nodes in a DRM instance to FEA reference model categories |
| DataStandards | Open standards that apply to the DRM submission. May also point  to an XSLT stylesheet that transforms a document conforming to the particular standard to DRM XML syntax.  |

## “DataDescription” Section

## “Entity” Section

## “DataSource” Section

## “DataSharing” Section

## “ExchangePackage” Section

## “AccessPoint” Section

## “DataContext” Section

## “Node” Section

## DRM XML Instance Example: Entity

- <drm:Entity rdf:id="BusinessArea" drm:name="FEA BRM Business Area">
-      <drm:ResourceRefs>
-            <drm:ResourceRef drm:type="partOf" rdf:idref="resource04" />
-      </drm:ResourceRefs>
-      <drm:DataSourceRefs>
-             <!-- links this entity to a data source defined in the <drm:DataSources> section -->
-             <drm:DataSourceRef drm:authoritativeSource="false" rdf:idref="data_source01"/>
-      </drm:DataSourceRefs>
-      <drm:Attributes>
-           <drm:Attribute drm:keyType="primary key" drm:name="businessAreaID"    						     drm:datatype="xsd:integer"/>
- 	   <drm:Attribute drm:name="BusinessAreaName" drm:datatype="xsd:string"/>
- 	   <drm:Attribute drm:name="BusinessAreaDefinitionText" drm:datatype="xsd:string"/>
-      </drm:Attributes>
-      <drm:Relationships>
-           <drm:Relationship drm:cardinality="1"  drm:key="businessAreaID"
-                                         drm:name="Business Area to Business Line Association" >
- 	        <drm:RelationshipTarget drm:key="refbusinessAreaID“ drm:cardinality="unbounded“
- 				rdf:idref="BusinessLine“/>
- 	   </drm:Relationship>
-      </drm:Relationships>
-      <drm:NodeRefs>
-            <!-- links this entity to a node defined in the <drm:Taxonomies> section -->
- 	    <drm:NodeRef drm:type="partOf" rdf:idref="node06"/>
-      </drm:NodeRefs>
- </drm:Entity>

## DRM XML Instance Example: DataSource

- <drm:DataSource rdf:id="data_asset01" drm:href="https://www.feams.gov/"
-                               drm:name="Federal Enterprise Architecture Management System">
-      <drm:OwningAgency>Office of Management and Budget</drm:OwningAgency>
-      <drm:Steward>Federal Enterprise Architecture Program Management Office</drm:Steward>
-      <drm:GeospatialEnabled>false</drm:GeospatialEnabled>
-      <drm:SystemOfRecord>false</drm:SystemOfRecord>
-      <drm:DataSourceType>Web service</drm:DataSourceType>
-      <drm:PointOfContact>support@feapmo.gov</drm:PointOfContact>
-      <drm:FIPS199PotentialImpactLevels>
-           <drm:AvailabilityLevel>moderate</drm:AvailabilityLevel>
-           <drm:IntegrityLevel>moderate</drm:IntegrityLevel>
-           <drm:ConfidentialityLevel>moderate</drm:ConfidentialityLevel>
-      </drm:FIPS199PotentialImpactLevels>
- </drm:DataSource>

## DRM XML Instance Example: Taxonomy

- <drm:Taxonomy rdf:id="federal_irm">
-      <drm:Nodes>
-           <drm:Node rdf:id="node15" drm:nodeType="collection">
-                <drm:NodeName>Strategic Planning</drm:NodeName>
-                <drm:NodeChildren>
-                     <drm:Node rdf:id="node100" drm:nodeType="collection">
- 	       <drm:NodeName>Information Policy</drm:NodeName>
-                           <drm:NodeChildren>
- 	            <drm:Node rdf:id="node101" drm:nodeType="collection">
-                                     <drm:NodeName>Clinger-Cohen Act</drm:NodeName>
- 	            </drm:Node>
- 	            <drm:Node rdf:id="node102" drm:nodeType="collection">
-                                     <drm:NodeName>E-Government Strategy</drm:NodeName>
-            	            </drm:Node>
- 	            <drm:Node rdf:id="node103" drm:nodeType="collection">
-                                     <drm:NodeName>Presidential Initiatives</drm:NodeName>
-  	            </drm:Node>
-  	       </drm:NodeChildren>
- 	  </drm:Node>
**                    **<drm:Node rdf:id="node100" drm:nodeType="collection">
**                          ****. . . . **
**                   **</drm:Node>
**  ****                       ****. . . . **
**              **</drm:NodeChildren>
-          </drm:Node>
**     **</drm:Nodes>
- </drm:Taxonomy>

## Schema Design Features, Issues, & Tradeoffs

- Several features have been included in the DRM XML Schema with efficiency and effectiveness in mind:
**Leveraging of existing vocabularies: **Use of Dublin Core metadata for resources, RDF identifiers** **
**External references: **Enable agencies to reference existing data artifacts that comply with one of a pre-specified set of open standards, in lieu of providing detailed information about those data artifacts in the DRM format
**Document interlinking: **For cases in which associations are made between DRM components, enables agencies to refer to information in existing (i.e. previously submitted) external DRM instances in a DRM XML document, rather than re-specifying the same information

## Design Feature: Existing Vocabularies

- Dublin Core Version 1.1 is used to describe unstructured data (resources), as well as for submission metadata
- rdf:id is used for providing unique identifiers for components within a DRM XML instance, as well as for references to other components (inline or inter-document)

**dc:Title**
**dc:Identifier**
**dc:Date**
**dc:Creator**
**dc:Format**
**dc:Description**
**dc:Source**
**dc:Subject**

**dc:Type**
**dc:Publisher**
**dc:Contributor**
**dc:Language**
**dc:Relation**
**dc:Coverage**
**dc:Rights**

## Design Feature: External References

| Section | External Reference Element | Potential Standard(s) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| DataDescription | ExternalEntitiesRefs |  OMG XML Metadata Interchange    
   (XMI)
 W3C XML Schema  |
|  | ExternalResourcesRefs |  W3C Resource Description 
   Framework (RDF)
 RSS |
| DataSharing | ExternalExchange- PackageRef |  W3C Web Services     
   Description Language (WSDL) |
| DataContext | ExternalTaxonomyRefs |  W3C Web Ontology Language  
   (OWL) 
 W3C Simple Knowledge  
   Organization System (SKOS) |

- Current external references:

## Design Feature: Document Interlinking

| From |  To* | What Association Represents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Entity | Resource | A resource (e.g. spreadsheet, document) that contains one or more instances of an entity |
| Entity
 | DataSource | A data source that contains one or more instances of an entity, and which may be an authoritative data source for that entity |
| Entity
 | Node | A taxonomy node with which instances of an entity are associated (i.e. by which it is categorized) |
| ExchangePackage | Entity | An entity that is represented in an information exchange |
| Node | Node | A node that is a parent or child of another node in a taxonomy |

- Examples of associations to which document interlinking can apply:
- *“To” values are externally defined
- *“To” values are externally defined** **

## Design Feature: Document Interlinking

**<drm:Entity rdf:id=“work-address“ drm:name="WorkAddress">**
**    ****<drm:ResourceRefs>**
**        ****<drm:ResourceRef drm:type=“partOf" **
**             ****rdf:idref="www.someagency.gov/DRM/DRM01012005.xml#ER115/>**
**    ****</drm:ResourceRefs>**
**    ****<drm:DataSourceRefs>**
**       ****<drm:DataSourceRef  **
**             ****rdf:idref=“www.someagency.gov/DRM/DRM01012005.xml#DS002/> **
**             ****drm:authoritativeSource=“true”**
**    ****</drm:DataSourceRefs>**
**    .........****..**
**</drm:Entity>**

**Master Employee Data**

- Example: Associating an entity with an
-      externally defined resource and data source

**DRM XML Instance**

## Design Issues & Tradeoffs

- A “Red Team” recently convened to discuss design issues and tradeoffs
- Comprised of a subset of the DRM Working Group
- The Red Team worked through a series of design issues
- More are pending

## Design Issues & Tradeoffs

- The following is a sample of issues and resolutions from the Red Team

| Issue | Resolution |
| --- | --- |
| Need federated registries to which DRM XML instances are registered | Address in DRM Data Management Strategy. |
| Entities vs. attributes – can an attribute have attributes? | No. If something has attributes, it cannot be an attribute. However, there may be cases in which one agency may represent a concept as an entity while another may represent it as an attribute, per their business case. If the 2 agencies participate in a Common Operating Picture, the entity and attribute representations must be harmonized. |
| Need “submission metadata” in the DRM XML Schema. | Added submission metadata – e.g. submission date, submission time, submitting agency, etc. |

## Design Issues & Tradeoffs

| Issue | Resolution |
| --- | --- |
| How can globally unique identifiers for components within DRM XML instances be ensured? | It will be the responsibility of agencies to ensure that their identifiers are globally unique for their agency. Government-wide global uniqueness is a related issue that needs to be addressed. |
| Need a <Definition> element for both entities and attributes, in addition to taxonomy nodes. | Added <Definition> element for entities and attributes. This element is optional for both entities and attributes, unless it is known that the entity and/or attribute will be harmonized within a Community of Interest (COI) at a later time – in which case it is mandatory. Submitters also have the option of referring to an inline or external taxonomy node containing a term rather than providing a definition directly with an entity or attribute. |

- Issues and resolutions (cont’d):

## Conclusion

- The DRM XML Schema is a metamodel that enables consistent description of structure, exchange, access and categorization
- This draft release of the XML Schema implements best practices in modeling, linking and modularity
- Agencies will populate the schema differently to support different use cases
- The Red Team is working through design issues and will post resolutions to the public wiki

## Conclusion

- We need your support!
- Please have your technical staff review the DRM XML Schema and provide comments!
- Vendors, work with us to support it in your products!
- Together ... we can achieve significant gains in data description, sharing and discovery!
- All are invited to provide comments on this XML schema at:
**	**_**[http://colab.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?DataReferenceModel](http://colab.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?DataReferenceModel)**_

## Questions?