With it, programs that analyze workloads or simulate system scheduling need only be able to parse a single format, and can be applied to multiple workloads.
Lines contain a predefined number of fields, which are mostly integers, separated by whitespace.
Fields that are irrelevant for a specific log or model appear with a value of -1. In particular, files are expected to start with a set of header comments that define the environment or model. The same format is used for models and logs. The format is completely defined, with no scope for user extensability. Thus you are guaranteed to be able to parse any file that adheres to the standard, and multiple competing and incompatible extensions are avoided.