1. RIM Based Application Architecture
RIMBAA
RIM Based Application Architecture
René Spronk, Ringholm GmbH,

2. The RIM is “abstract”
The same “instance” of information can be shared via different information interoperability paradigms
E.g. lab results can be shared
via (electronic) documents (v3 Clinical Document Architecture)
via V3 lab messages
via Web Services with v3 payloads
..or they can be imported
In a RIM Based Application (RIMBAA)

3. Application Object Layer Interoperability Paradigms
Use of V3 artefacts
RIM
RIM-based
Messages
Documents
Services
Persistence Layer
Application Object Layer
Interoperability Paradigms
User Interfaces
Other
Other
RIM-based
Other
RIMBAA

4. Consistentency of Models
It is beneficial to use one and the same semantic (reference) model for messaging, in-memory application objects as well as at the persistence layer.
This ensures the lowest degree of semantic loss due to mappings between data models.
Mapping of application internal data models to message models is possible if one only has to support a couple of messages

5. Technology Matrix

6. RIMBAA Technology Matrix (1/2)
Persistent
Representation
Object
Representation
Serialized
Representation RP RO RS
(generic)
Model
RIM
Constrained
Information
RIM
Model CP CO CS AP AO AS
Application
specific
Model

7. RIMBAA Technology Matrix (2/2)
(at a 90 ̊ angle to the matrix on the previous slide)
Processing
Logic
Object
Representation
User
Interface PL RO UI CO AO

8. Use-case 1: Approach RP RO
Message
Database CO CS
Serialized messages mapped to in-memory message objects (JAXB, code generation)
Application (business-) objects mapped to relational database (Hibernate ORM)
Custom code: mapping of message objects to application objects

9. Use-case 2: Approach RIM based objects at core of applicationRP RO
Database
Message CS
RIM based objects at core of application
Direct (MIF-based) mapping to/from serialized messages
Direct mapping to relational database
See for source code

10. Use case 3: Approach Use RIM-models everywhere
User Interface RP RO RS
Database
Message CS
Use RIM-models everywhere
..but no R-MIMs
Map serialized RIM-derived object trees (in XML) to HL7 v3 interactions
.. Uses XSLT

11. Current/Future Activities

12. Future Goals/Workitems for RIMBAA WG
Marketing - Public exposure of successes (of v3 implementability and the RIM itself)
Sharing of experiences and solutions
Document/describe (for all possible cell transitions) how those steps could be supported/achieved.
We focus on Patterns for Application Development. Guidance, no normative outcomes.
Reference Implementation (Java SIG materials, extend OHT?)
Education - for newbies to RIMBAA
Standard Improvement
Work with ITS WG on an RS XML ITS and the identification of CS-RS transition issues
Identify issues caused by the ‘interoperability mindset’ of the RIM
V3 constructs: Context Conduction, Update Mode, Object Versioning

13. MIF Based Code Generator
Full (abstract) model specification is stored in a model repository (RoseTree)
Abstract model is expressed as a MIF file – including GELLO/OCL expressions and (DCM derived) Template definitions
Code (class) generation
MIF - the code generator has to be aware of the structure of the MIF
UML (derived from the MIF) - the code generator has to know UML, including a few extensions that are v3 specific

14. RIM Based ITS The RIM serialization has the following properties:
element names identify the RIM back bone associations
The XML element names (related to classNames, not attribute names) only serve to provide a syntax, they carry no semantics, and are not used in determining the semantics of the artefact content.
properties that are defaulted in the general rim are not represented in the instance
Almost all structured attributes (e.g. classCode, moodCode) will be present in all instances
the order of the associations is irrelevant: only their semantics matter
player/scoper etc is explicit in the instance
Issues related to Schema-based Code Generation

15. Additional RIMBAA materials
Known Implementations:
(username = wiki, password = wikiwiki)
Work items:
RIMBAA Link Page
RIMBAA working group
RIMBAA list at