Workshop on Quality Assurance at
W3C
3-4 April 2001, Washington D.C. Area,
USA
Chris Kirk
Virtual Summit Inc.
400 N. Allen Drive
Suite 301
Allen, TX 75013
Tel: 972-727-6419
Abstract:
Virtual Summit produces a testing and diagnostic tool for XML. Initially we have been focused on providing support for the Internet Protocol Detail Record (www.ipdr.org) initiative. During our work, we have identified what we believe to be a parallel set of needs forming for the testing and verification of XML-based interfaces such as: IP usage-based billing and mediation, enterprise information portals, enterprise access portals, e-commerce and others. We feel the solution to this set of needs is a common XML Test Framework, which can encompass not only XML parsing and format but also be capable of handling all XML-based interface requirements from transport (http, SOAP, etc.) through verification of an Application State Space. Virtual Summit has a number of suggestions on how this XML Test Framework might be structured.
Experience:
Virtual Summit produces a testing and diagnostic tool for XML. Initially we have been focused on providing support for the Internet Protocol Detail Record (www.ipdr.org) initiative. The IPDR interface is best characterized as a heavy stream of information flowing between what is called a mediation element (producer) and a business support system (consumer). This data stream has been defined using XML. During production of our tool we have identified and created solutions for many of the issues concerning conformance and verification of interfaces defined in XML.
Needs:
In the field of Web/W3C QA, Virtual Summit feels it imperative that a standardized testing structure be developed to allow quality assurance efforts of the various applications of XML and other W3C technologies to be standardized. This standardization allows tools vendors to offer solutions to a broad enough target audience for economic viability.
General Expectations:
General expectations on the output of the workshop are to identify and make contact with others interested in XML conformance testing. The benefit of this contact is the validation of needs we see in XML conformance testing today as well as to identify future trends. The end game being a testing structure for W3C technologies that tools vendors, such as Virtual Summit, can offer.
Potential Contributions:
Virtual Summit feels it can make a contribution to the discussion of Quality Assurance within the W3C, most notably in the field of XML conformance testing. We have significant corporate experience in the field of protocol quality assurance as well as the perspective of having fielded an actual XML-based protocol tester/analyzer.