scope:

Scope of the integrated model and fundamental principles

Contents of this document

This clause describes the general content and structure of the entire QIF information model. It describes the highest level data structures of QIF, that are expanded in Clauses 6 through 12 using data dictionaries and XML schema files.

This clause also describes practices for forming QIF instance files, called "documents," that support quality workflow scenarios. Its focus is to show how the QIF information model, and data formed into XML instance files, support the entire scope of model based definition manufacturing quality workflow. It describes how the information model is partitioned among the XML schema files and contains all terms used in the subject area clauses.

The purpose of this clause is to orient potential users of QIF to the organization of the information model to make their study of the details more rewarding and efficient. It should also help solution providers and users to evaluate QIF for their uses, without needing to go to the lowest technical details of the XML schemas. The information model narrative focuses on the approach to modeling the core data structures of QIF, which model the content of ASME GD&T and ISO GPS, and the plans and results data elements defined in Dimensional Measuring Interface Standards (DMSI) ISO 22093 and ANSI/DMSC DMIS 5.3. The material on XML practices describes consistent design practices to be used by QIF working groups who will be designing new schemas. It should also help data processing experts to write software that writes and reads manufacturing quality data using the XML schemas.

Scope of the QIF Version 3.0 information model

Figure 1 shows a high level view of the QIF information architecture for version 3.0 standardization. At the core of the QIF architecture is the reusable QIF library which contains definitions and components that are referenced by the application areas, thereby ensuring interoperability and extensibility. Around the QIF library core Figure 1 shows the six QIF application area information models, MBD, Plans, Resources, Rules, Results, and Statistics. The DMIS application, which references the DMSC's Dimensional Measuring Interface Standard (DMIS), is a placeholder for a future QIF execution model that is not a part of QIF. Each QIF application model reuses the QIF Library. QIF data is contained in a QIF Document. The order of generation of QIF data in an enterprise generally proceeds clockwise around the diagram, beginning with QIF MBD and ending with QIF Statistics. Use of the QIF information model does not place any requirements on a user's workflow architecture.

Users of the QIF information model are not required to implement the entire model. Any of the six application models may be used singly for exchange of quality data in its specific application area between a software system that produces QIF data for that area and a software system that consumes QIF data for the area. Further, other data models and exchange formats can coexist in an enterprise with QIF data.

Conformance

Software programs that implement this specification to write QIF XML instance files must:

• follow the rules of XML when writing QIFDocument instance files

• generate instance files that validate against the QIFDocument schema

• generate instance files that validate against the Check.xsl XSLT constraints

• employ semantics of the information written that complies with the referenced standards and with the QIF data dictionaries in this specification.

Software programs that implement this specification to read QIF instance files must:

• be able to read any valid QIF XML instance file and extract all numerical and semantic data correctly.