In order to facilitate true interoperability, IMS GLC is designating a specific approach to developing profiles that will ensure the highest degree of usability across communities. Profiles developed using this approach will be designated as "IMS GLC Validated". IMS GLC Validated signifies that this profile has followed the process designated by IMS GLC, has been validated by IMS GLC as a valid profile, and therefore should be readily usable by other IMS community members. For profiles submitted by IMS GLC Members, there will be a set of review steps, approved by the IMS GLC Technical Advisory Board, that if achieved will earn the designation of "IMS GLC Accredited". IMS GLC Accredited designates that adherence to this profile should enable successful interoperability within a designated community.
It is important to note that the IMS GLC Accredited designation does not address certification of conformance. Development of conformance programs is costly and generally reserved for IMS GLC profiles that will serve the needs across communities, such as the profiles that make up the IMS GLC Common Cartridge standard. Certification of conformance by IMS GLC is reserved for these, high volume, cross-community standards. IMS GLC Accredited is the next best designation, and, if an IMS GLC Accredited profile becomes very successful and widely used it may become a candidate for development of a conformance certification.
Steps in Creating the Profile
IMS GLC has published its Application Profiling Guidelines [APG, 05a], [APG, 05b] and these are available at: http://www.imsglobal.org/ap/index.html (an overview of these documents is given in Appendix A). All authors of a Profile should read these documents. The steps in creating a Profile are (these are shown schematically in Figure 2.2):
- Identify the base XML Schema Definition (XSD);
- Download the IMS Approved versions of the SchemaProf Tool , SchemaProf manual and Tutorial.; (update Jan 2010)
- Read the IMS GLC Specification Adoption Note about Profiles;
- Use the SchemaProf tool to create the Application Profile (this is an zip file), and;
- This Application Profile zip file should now submitted to IMS GLC via the IMS Profile Registry web-site.
- The Application Profile XML file (in Figure 2.2 this is the file APP_Profile.xml)
- The Profiled XSD (in Figure 2.2 this is the file Profile.xsd)
- The Profile Meta-data instance file (in Figure 2.2 this is the file ProfileMetadata.xml).
- * IMS GLC Contributing Members may submit a zip file.