NIST releases XML design tool

• By Joab Jackson
• May 23, 2008

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a tool for checking whether your Extensible Markup Language schema meets guidelines for well-formed schemata.

Schema Quality of Design Tool (QOD) can use guidelines set forth by users, or use those already established by other parties, such as those developed by the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of the Navy or the Open Applications Group.

"Consistent design of XML schemas within an organization or single integration project can reduce the number and the severity of interoperability problems," the software's Web site states. "In addition, this consistency makes the XML schema easier to extend, understand, implement, and maintain; and, it paves the way for automated testing and mapping. Applying best practices is one way to achieve this design consistency."

NIST's Manufacturing Systems Integration Division's Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory developed the checker, under its Manufacturing Interoperability Program.

In addition to QOD, the program has developed other free tools for creating and editing XML schemas, such as a content checker, naming assister and schema editor.