RE: Work Plan Change, Agenda for 1/7, and Issues List

["Tim Cochran" <tcochran@disa.org>]

Mike, Mark et al,

Under the better "late than never" and in keeping with the new continued
submissions plan for requirements, I'm submitting this input for the
OpenTravel Alliance organization which is actively working on an XML
architecture and business message specifications for the travel industry.
Scott Hinkleman, with IBM and an active OTA member, was kind enough to draft
this initial stab at issues important to the industry.  It outlines
requirements that are consistent across other industries, including the
Interactive Financial exchange (IFX) and MBA's Mortgage Industry Standards
Maintenance Organization (MISMO) that DISA is also working with.  Thanks for
your consideration.

Tim Cochran
DISA & OTA Executive Director
703-518-4163

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-ebxml-requirements@lists.oasis-open.org
> [mailto:owner-ebxml-requirements@lists.oasis-open.org]On Behalf Of Mark
> CRAWFORD
> Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2000 10:08 PM
> To: ebXML-Requirements@lists.oasis-open.org
> Subject: Re:Work Plan Change, Agenda for 1/7, and Issues List
>
>
> To All,
>
>     As promised in yesterdays message, I have taken the
> consolidated document of
> requirements submissions I sent out yesterday and attempted to
> reorganize within
> the bounds of the outline Mike had previously submitted (although
> there were
> some instances where I have added an element or two to the
> outtline.)  (See XML
> Requirements Version 0_1) .  Per a number of members requests, I
> have included
> both plain text (with line breaks) and Word versions.
>
> Please understand this is a first cut - I am sure there are
> components that I
> have put in the wrong section and ask you to point those out.  I
> have not yet
> attempted to do any editorial changes.  I believe I have captured
> all relevent
> comments, but to ensure that I didn't leave anything meaningful
> out, I am also
> attaching another file that contains all deleted text (by author)
> that is not
> included in the requirements document.
>
>
>
>     Mark
> Mark Crawford
> Research Fellow
> ______
> LMI Logistics Management Institute
> 2000 Corporate Ridge, McLean, VA 22102-7805
> (703) 917-7177   Fax (703) 917-7518
> mcrawfor@lmi.org
> http://www.lmi.org
> "Opportunity is what you make of it"
>
Scott Hinkelman, IBM. OTA member.

The OTA (Open Travel Alliance) is pleased to provide this initial list of Requirements 
and Considerations for ebXML.

This document lists some initial requirements and considerations for the ebXML effort, 
in order for any future potential to be realized of the Travel Industry (meaning OTA) 
endorsing and utilizing the ebXML deliverables. Much of what is outlined is based on 
current experience with work under way to define Travel industry XML standards.

This document is not an endorsement of ebXML from OTA. The OTA does not sanction 
this list as complete or official, but only as an initial snapshot in the 1/2000 timeframe
of considerations for ebXML. OTA may revise this list at anytime.

NonFunctional

- The OTA needs to understand the process model from ebXML concerning fixes, 
updates, turn around time, etc before considering basing the Travel content on any 
ebXML dependency.

- The OTA needs to understand the custodian and maintenance ownership model of the 
ebXML standards before considering basing the Travel content on any ebXML 
dependency.

-The OTA needs to understand the licensing model for ebXML standards before 
considering basing the Travel content on any ebXML dependency.

Functional

- Security: The Travel industry requires a wide range of security service quality and 
function from an underlying message infrastructure. Some messages will contain highly 
sensitive personal information that will require several aspects of security (authentication, 
authorization, etc), while some messages need to flow 'in the clear', with minimal 
infrastructure, such as a 'flight availability' query which does not need encryption,
sender-id, authentication credentials, etc.

- Security: The Travel industry requires both 'Session-based' and 'NonSession-based' 
security models. Session-based generally refers to a model where the Subject 'becomes 
authenticated', and then 'sends authenticated' messages. A Session-based model requires
the Subject (client) to hold some form of time-out token that represents authentication 
credentials. A NonSession-based model generally refers to a model where each message
stands alone, including all information to become authenticated, and the Subject is not 
required to hold any security tokens between messages.

- Transaction Boundary: The Travel could make use of the caller (client) being able to 
own and demarcate traditional transaction boundaries, either across trading partner 
("servers") or across a single trading partner ("server").  However, the Travel industry 
requires a model that facilitates a "verify and <action>" model that does not require the 
client to explicitly own any transaction demarcations. It would seem logical that a 
common infrastructure should supply this form of verb-model for use across many 
industries.

- Grammar: The Travel industry requires consistency in noun<->verb, verb<->noun
utilization across all grammar.

- Grammar: The Travel industry requires avoidance of the use of synonyms
such as "new" and "create" within the grammar.

- Underlying Standards: The Travel industry would recommend avoiding all underlying
XML standards until ratified by appropriate bodies.