iXF: The New Standard Empowering Product Data Exchange

Yaniv Golan has been with SMARTEAM since 1997 as R&D Director. Yaniv spearheaded the development of iXF both for SMARTEAM and for the entire Dassault Systemes group. SmarTimes talked to Yaniv in his office at SMARTEAM Headquarters.

SmarTimes: Yaniv, can you tell us briefly, what exactly is iXF?

Yaniv Golan: iXF is an XML-based format for exchanging a self-describing collection of objects and associated files between two systems. To be more specific, iXF is most suitable for transferring objects and files that comprise Product Data. It stands for interoperability eXchange Format.

ST: Can you tell us more about iXF's relationship to XML?

YG: Sure. XML is great for data representation and manipulation, which is why XML is used in many eBusiness applications. It provides an efficient mechanism for integrating disparate back-end systems, including data from legacy applications. The iXF format takes advantage of XML's flexibility to optimize this sort of integration for the unique and complex requirements of product data.

ST: Was iXF designed exclusively for the SMARTEAM environment?

YG: iXF was initially designed for use by SMARTEAM applications, and the original implementations were performed on SMARTEAM data and metadata. . Having said that, the iXF format is not just based on XML, but is also compatible with various business data exchange conventions, including BizTalk and SOAP. Today, companies across the Dassault Systemes group are using iXF for data exchange, and a number of SMARTEAM Partners have expressed interest as well.

ST: So the benefits of iXF mirror those of XML?

YG: You could say that iXF starts where XML left off, so to speak. By now, everyone agrees that XML is the way to go. Platform and PDM free, meaning regardless of what platforms you are using XML can work for you. There is a need for standardization and interoperability across the enterprise. An organization looking to make a profit and get to market quickly doesn't have time to develop the tools on their own, so they need a way to interoperate with existing or 3rd party tools. iXF technology gives them that common platform in an expedient fashion.

ST: So, XML is very flexible, but if I am a manufacturer what is it about XML and the iXF platform that is good for my company?

YG: Well, there are really two answers for that. First, manufacturing organizations typically deal with large amounts of product related data, and by choosing a language used and accepted by other companies they can integrate quickly with existing applications. iXF provides the flexibility to adapt to a company's own business model and the preferred terminology. The bottom line is that a company can operate in a familiar environment, while increasing the speed and ease with which it shares and receives data from suppliers and subsidiaries.

ST: How does iXF help to resolve the buy versus build dilemma?

YG: A company wants flexibility to build their own data models and at the same time needs the openness to interoperate with everyone else around (subsidiaries, suppliers, customers, etc). This is what causes the basic buy versus build dilemma.

ST: And iXF provides them with both paths?

YG: Yes there are really two ways to look at iXF. First, look at it as a standard that gives tried and true ways of dealing with product data. iXF can provide out of the box functionality like BOM, configuration, and document management features such as version control and file compression. What's more, iXF provides these functionalities in a very efficient manner. The benefit is that someone else has done all the work for you in regards to programming and platform design; therefore, an organization can immediately interoperate with other companies using this same standard.

The second way to look at iXF occurs when you want to use this standard but you also want to interoperate with companies who are not using the standard for processes like order information, issues management, etc. iXF enables you to extend your existing data models or build your own data models to meet your company's specific needs. You can combine standard compliance and proprietary information in one data model, establishing your own standards within the organization. Using iXF to define your own data model makes it immediately transferable to another organization.

ST: There are business benefits to both of these views.

YG: Sure. Development time and mistakes are cut tremendously, by 30 to 50 percent in some cases. Expediting information transfer in a more accurate fashion without having to invent an XML schema saves you time and money. In addition, iXF allows you to combine your proprietary information with this schema for a complete and accessible enterprise solution.

ST: How does iXF stack up to other standards?

YG: Higher and better! Seriously, just understanding and implementing a standard is a huge costly effort. Sadly enough, there are high costs to implementing a standard and high costs for not having a standard. iXF solves this Catch 22 by being both compact and modular. Each piece can be combined to create elaborate, data complex, packages. iXF is easier to adopt than competing standards, simply because you can adopt it in a modular or building block fashion.

ST: Sounds like flexibility is the key to lower cost.

YG: Definitely. Anything that can be represented using objects and classes, even satellite records in the sky, need to be represented in some fashion. Unlike other standards focused solely on product data, which is very limiting

ST: Why?

YG: Oh, if you wish to represent something other than product data you must develop an XML model to accept it. With iXF all this work is already done for you.

ST: What makes iXF so easy to use?

YG: iXF makes it unnecessary to learn the complicated details of XML formulas. Instead iXF lets you focus on the classes and objects that are related directly to your own business needs.

ST: Can you give us an example?

YG: An example of iXF in action would be in handling the Bill of Materials. Being able to zip up the BOM and send it to another recipient regardless of their PDM system and their platform. iXF can even be used to design applications for mobile devices. So, with BOM they can think in Parts, Documents and Items, and not only in terms of XML.

ST: These are called nomad applications?

YG: Yes. iXF is designed to build nomad applications disconnected from any server, such as mobile applications. An iXF mobile application supports synchronization back to the original data repository when it is connected back to the network.

ST: Is it difficult to implement iXF across a development team?

YG: Implementation is quick and very inexpensive. The iXF platform does not require any infrastructure changes and allows a team to begin using it immediately. Fast implementation and flexible interoperability are main components of the iXF advantage.

ST: Interoperability? What is the interoperability advantage?

YG: Interoperating with other applications, vendors and partners is key to the quickness with which a system is implemented. First we need to determine what we mean when we say interoperability.

ST: So, what do you mean?

YG: Well, when we look at interoperability we must classify two types. First there is Long Term interoperability. You know, other standards on the market only support long-term interoperability. The company and its partners must agree on a single standard, and invest considerable time and resources implementing it. If the standard does not fully fulfill the trading partner's requirements and they would like to extend or modify it, then they will usually need to approach the appropriate standards body and enter a long and costly process of publishing a new version of the standard.

ST: So what's the solution to the "Long Term" dilemma?

YG: That's our second focus and where iXF has a distinct competitive advantage. iXF allows you to achieve interoperability in an ad hoc fashion. Ad hoc meaning that two parties can establish interoperability immediately and in response to a specific need. They can establish a common data schema and related processes, i.e. what we do with the input from this particular data schema. An organization doesn't have to wait for the community to define long-term processes; they can develop their own processes and data schema but stay with the iXF framework to allow for maximized interoperability.

ST: OK, and the bottom line question: Where is the ROI?

YG: The ROI comes first from taking advantage of the standard definitions provided by iXF, such as the standard BOM Schema. Organizations can immediately take advantage of these standard definitions to exchange data with their trading partners, or internally when integrating systems and applications. Second, if you need to extend IXF to cover your own specific business needs, iXF provides tremendous savings with regards to design and development time of new XML based formats (XML Schemas), while providing a higher quality and more interoperable result. Calculate the cost of a developer per hour and the hours required in developing a platform, then cut that time down to one tenth of the time. In addition, the specialized knowledge of XML and the outside consultants who would need to be brought in could cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. This cost is cut dramatically by using the iXF platform, for all the reasons we have discussed.

ST: And lastly, what do you see as the future for the iXF platform?

YG: The future of iXF, would first be to add additional models to handle all aspects of the business process within the product development industry. Processes such as work flow, CAD related processes, electrical data, process management, supply chain issues, etc.. Then, I'd have to say we will expand our definitions of interoperability with other standards on the market today, giving us even greater depth and functionality than we already possess.

ST: Any last thoughts.

YG: Yes, everyone is welcome to review a reference implementation, that is FREE for evaluation on our Web site, http://www.ixfstd.org.

ST: Thanks for your time, Yaniv.

YG: My pleasure. People should feel free to email me if they have any questions at yanivg@SMARTEAM.com.

Gateways Connect Database Islands

At many companies today, even large corporations with massive sums invested in enterprise-wide information technology systems, database 'islands' exist which operate in isolation from one another. Product Data Management (PDM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, for example, are typically run independently with little linkage between the two, even though valuable information could be exchanged between them to generate business process data such as the Bill-Of-Materials (BOM).

The lack of data integration means information is often transcribed in a manual process that is tedious, time-consuming, and error-prone. At one SMARTEAM customer, parts information was sent from engineering to manufacturing in a manual process in which essentially the same BOM data was manually entered on five separate forms, lists, spreadsheets, drawings, and reports. The company's engineering manager described the procedure as frustrating and out of control, wasting days and risking incorrect or out-dated information being entered.

At another company, we saw an engineer comparing BOM listings from different computer systems by going line by line with a ruler down two spreadsheets on his desk to see if the databases were in synch with the one displayed on his screen. In this hours-long, nerve-wracking process, any slip or momentary distraction could result in a serious mistake or having to restart the work. This was one of the weakest links in that company's product development process and resulted in delayed time to market.

As ridiculous and outdated as these scenarios sound, they are repeated every day at many different types of companies that manually transfer data between separate computer systems. Often, companies will even have several PDM systems that are supposed to facilitate data management but which fail to effectively communicate with one another.

SMARTEAM addresses this information-flow bottleneck by enabling open two-way communication between heterogeneous computer systems in a number of ways. Firstly, SMARTEAM has made this possible by embedding many of its products with the Interoperable Exchange Format (iXF) standard for sharing information between iXF-enabled systems, essentially creating a common language for interaction between the two. In most cases, this information is in the form of assembly component data (drawings, CAD models, and design files) and content (meta data that describes the design such as revision level, file number, or part name) transferred as a self-describing collection of objects and associated files between two systems.

Compatible with a variety of business data exchange protocols, including Microsoft's BizTalk and SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), the XML-based iXF format enables the integration of product data stored in a SMARTEAM database with existing legacy systems. In addition, it facilitates the exchange of information between an organization's departments, throughout the extended enterprise and across the supply chain.

Another methodology deployed by SMARTEAM to foster Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), is through a clever product called SmartGateway. This application manages the flow of information between SMARTEAM and all enterprise applications, including resource planning (ERP), customer relationship Management (CRM), PDM systems and other legacy systems to ensure current product information across all corporate departments, including procurement, sales, customer service. Other technologies used by SMARTEAM to facilitate interoperability include extremely flexible integration tools and a variety of import and export utilities.

In terms of information management systems, it's a heterogeneous world out there, within companies and throughout the virtual enterprise. Many types of data management, ERP, Bill of Materials systems are in use, both within companies, and certainly in their supply chains. The iXF-enabled gateway approach allows organizations, especially small and mid-size companies, to affordably capture this information and transfer it electronically between groups and among their suppliers and customers. With this technology, they can get their enterprise under digital control, which is an absolute imperative today as business practices become ever more sophisticated and complex. For companies that choose to remain digitally isolated, however, there's a clear danger since they face the possibility of being forced out of business within several years as they are overtaken by more astute competitors.

Paslin Uses DELMIA Simulation Software to Improve its Clients' Productivity

In its quest to provide its clients with the best processing, design and computer simulation, the Paslin Company announced that it will use DELMIA's digital manufacturing software exclusively.

"We are really excited to have formed a business relationship with DELMIA," said Kerry Hammer, Paslin director of engineering. "DELMIA provides a complete suite of digital manufacturing solutions, which means we can provide our clients - OEMs, Tier I and Tier II suppliers - with best-in-class simulation services, and thereby greater accuracy."

According to Hammer, Paslin will be using DELMIA simulation software to design production elements and to validate the manufacturing process.

"Paslin is one of the premier frame manufacturers in the world," said Peter Schmitt, Vice President, World-wide Marketing and Business Development, DELMIA Corporation, a Dassault Systemes company. "We're pleased that the company has chosen DELMIA to assist them as they simulate manufacturing solutions to increase their clients' productivity."

The increased productivity is evident in DELMIA's UltraSpot, one of the first DELMIA simulation solutions employed by Paslin. UltraSpot's comprehensive built-in robot libraries, automatic collision-detection functionality and superior device-building capabilities deliver unprecedented reductions in man-hours and process engineering lead time, while greatly improving program accuracy.

"UltraSpot enables us to design tooling into the manufacturing process, rather than designing the process around the tooling. Its extensive robot library ensures correct weld gun for the specific task at hand and its simulation function can verify the capabilities of a fully 'dressed' robot, including all associated wiring and cables," Hammer said.

"With UltraSpot's built-in tools, we can automatically place robots in optimum locations to minimize cycle time, further aiding our clients' productivity," Hammer added.

In addition to praising the product, Hammer was also pleased with the level of support provided by DELMIA's Support Group.

"Any time you switch software, you have to expect a learning curve. Thanks to DELMIA's Support Group, the learning curve was brief and our productivity was back up to speed within six months. More importantly, our customers are pleased with the results," said Hammer.

DELMIA's Support Group provided on-site training at a time and pace that was convenient to Paslin. This resulted in increased productivity and reduced downtime. Also available to Paslin personnel is DELMIA's interactive support Web site. It is operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Paslin personnel who require additional product assistance may contact DELMIA's Product Support, which is staffed by software engineers with manufacturing background. At their disposal is an electronic knowledge base developed from frequently asked questions.