DEXML: A First Step Toward a UML Based Implementation Framework for PLCS

Data exchange specifications not only must be broad and general to achieve acceptance, but also must be customizable in a controlled and interoperable manner to be useful. The Product Life Cycle Support (PLCS) suite of data exchange specifications (known as DEXs) uses templates to enable controlled customizability without sacrificing breadth or interoperability. DEXs are business context-specific subsets of ISO 10303 Application Protocol (AP) 239, subject to additional constraints imposed by the templates. A PLCS template defines how AP239 entities and their attributes will be instantiated using an externally-defined controlled vocabulary defined in a Reference Data Library. Template instan…