1. XML Done Well - The eXtensibility Manifesto A Blueprint for XML Implementation © 2005-2006 aXtive Minds & Allette Systems XML

2. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 2 Problems with XML Development  Cost overruns / failed implementations  Complexity is too expensive  Lack of formal methodologies  Lack of best practices to learn from  Reinventing implementation strategies

3. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 3 Problem 1 – Too Many Rules  Excessively constrained structures enforced at the expense of usability increase development and maintenance, and therefore risk, especially for new implementations.  New implementer of XML identifies and enforces excessive structural constraints  Hopes to achieve highly structured and regular data  Produces a untenable and user-hostile data model  Extended production schedules with no added value

4. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 4 Problem 2 – Paved Cow Path  Data model designed to closely to the needs of a single intended use limits repurposing for other uses.  Data model enforces rules specific to printed manuals in a way that makes it difficult for databases,  Web or other uses not well supported  Increased development and data transformation costs and schedules  Missed business opportunities

5. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 5 Problem 3 – Clever Trevor  Excessive use of Schema modularity makes data model opaque, where a simpler structure would be more transparent, easier to maintain, and require less time to develop  Clever schema designer uses parameter entities or schema modules in a manner that shows off their ability instead of improving leveragability of the data model,  The data module produced is excessively opaque, difficult to work with, and expensive and risky to implement

6. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 6 Problem 4 – Potato vs. Patahto  Inconsistent naming conventions used throughout data model and programming development increases development time and risk and reduces ability to leverage reusable components.  Sloppy naming and module design reduce reusability of schema components and processing applications  Reduced ease of use by other developers or users  Increased implementation investment, schedules and risk  Potential confusion for users and developers

7. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 7 Problem 5 – Maybe Someday…  Proactive development for all potential contingencies regardless of their likelihood increases risk and development  Schema design team creates elements that have low value or low probability of ever being encountered  A misguided attempt to be thorough, increasing development  Confusion to users having to select from list of ambiguous elements  Effective data sampling and prioritized requirements can focus development investment on requirements needed upfront  Many specific elements could be more easily managed as a single class of element

8. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 8 Problem 6 – Hammer & Bolt  Misapplication of tools to tasks or structures for which they were not designed  E.g., Developer who writes their own XML parsing function in a common scripting language might be better off getting training and using XSLT, XQuery or some other tool with XML capabilities built in  Increases development and risk, whereas effective use of most appropriate tools and standards for their intended use improve success and schedule of projects

9. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 9 Learning from Other Development Areas  Why doesn't XML have the same support and maturity models as other types of development  Relational DBMS  OO Development  UML  J2EE

10. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 10 Different Roles / Different Needs  How do different types of people learn how to do their role in XML development?  System Analyst  Data Modelers  Project Managers  Managers  Programmers looking for best practices

11. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 11 Objectives  To create guidelines and a methodology to:  Improve predictability and success rates of XML implementations  Improve quality of data models, tools, etc.  Stream line development and production timelines  Accelerate maturation of developer, manager, and user skills  Create a "checklist" for Efficient XML development  Make XML simpler to do

12. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 12 The eXtensibility Manifesto  Several experienced XML developers and project leaders seek to design a methodology for XML development  Focuses on delivering XML in the simplest form which meets targeted business requirements  Aims to reduce risk and complexity of XML applications  The product of this loose consortium is the eXtensibility Manifesto  10 Guiding Principles for Effective XML Development  Follow on activity

13. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 13 Philosophy "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler!" -- Albert Einstein Investment increases with complexity, but benefits may not! Each XPath node in a data model costs something to implement and should only be included if warranted by the potential benefit it provides. If it's not Efficient XML, it's Deficient XML!

14. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 14 Guiding Principles 1.Schemas and data have a mutual obligation to the simplest structure possible, achievable by continual reassessment of the two by their creators and rigorous justification for every modification. 2.Efficient XML development produces the necessary functionality and benefits with the minimum investment. 3.Design of a data model focuses on all stakeholders' requirements for the data. 4.Requirements are prioritized to guide design and development and address known issues and requirements, not hypothetical possibilities. 5.Effective sampling and analysis upfront reduces risk and improves implementation schedules.

15. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 15 Guiding Principles 6.Designs or components are not reinvented, but rather are leveraged where possible. 7.Consistency and clarity of practices remove ambiguity and enable designs, applications, and data to be leveraged to reduce investment. 8.Manageable iterative releases done over time focus on most important benefits first. 9.Documentation of design and components is always done but must be simple yet efficient and feasible to produce and maintain. 10.A clearly articulated methodology improves developers understanding and participation, accelerates development and reduces risk.

16. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 16 Organizers  Nick Carr, Allette Systems  Marcus Carr, Allette Systems  Rick Jelliffe, Topologi  Dale Waldt, aXtive Minds  Priscilla Walmsley, Datypic  Devan Shepherd, XMaLpha Technologies  Marion Elledge, IDEAlliance

17. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 17 Next Steps  Publish eXtensibility Manifesto & Guiding Principles  Organize to continue this work  Refine Guiding Principles  Develop Efficient XML Methodology  Provide Web site & community tools  Develop papers & articles  Organize training

18. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 18 For More Information…  Web Site http://extensibilitymanifesto.org  Contacts: Dale Waldt dale@aXtiveminds.comdale@aXtiveminds.com Nick Carr ncarr@allette.com.auncarr@allette.com.au

19. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 19 XML Done Well, © 2006 aXtive Minds  XML Best Practices book written by leading XML developers  Scheduled to be Published September 2006 and available at Open Publish 2006  Features:  The Extensibility Manifesto  XML Governance / Development Methodology  Effective Schema & DTD Design  Effective XSLT & Application Design  Quantifying XML Effectiveness  Degrees of Validation  Implementation Case Studies  Etc.

20. The eXtensible Manifesto – Philly XML User Group - June 2006 © aXtive Minds and Allette Systems Page 20 Open Publish 2006  Conference on Open Standards & Technology in Publishing  September 27 – 29, Baltimore  Form more info & Call for Papers:  http://open-conferences.com/baltimore