Press Release

OASIS Invites Submissions for XSLT/XPath Conformance Test Suite

Boston, MA, USA; 7 January 2002 — OASIS, the XML interoperability consortium, issued an open invitation for public input on the creation of its XSLT/XPath Conformance Test Suite. XSLT and XPath are W3C Recommendations that provide the ability to define a set of rules to transform XML data into a variety of presentation styles, such as human readable reports (HTML) or other XML vocabularies. Organizations and individuals that have created test files for XSLT processors are encouraged to submit their work to the OASIS XSLT/XPath Conformance Technical Committee, which plans to corroborate submissions and publish an amalgam test suite for public use. Formal submissions from both IBM/Lotus and Microsoft have already been received by the OASIS XSLT Technical Committee. “As the number of XSLT processors continues to increase, the need for interoperability and conformance becomes absolutely critical,” observed G. Ken Holman of Crane Softwrights Ltd., chair of the OASIS XSLT/XPath Conformance Technical Committee. “We’re opening our conformance work to the entire industry, so we can be sure our test suite incorporates all the valid work that’s being done in this area. Our goal is to integrate disparate test-set contributions from companies and individuals around the world into a comprehensive XSLT/XPath Conformance Test Suite.” “By increasing the probability of successful interoperability, conformance tests provide developers and users with higher levels of confidence in product quality. Although conformance tests are not a guarantee for interoperability, they are an essential step towards achieving the goal,” said Karl Best, director of technical operations for OASIS. “The work of the OASIS XSLT/XPath Conformance Technical Committee brings the industry together through an open process in an effort to produce one global test suite for the community at-large.” Benefits of the OASIS XSLT/XPath Conformance work extend beyond XSLT and XPath. Holman explained, “Throughout the development of our catalogue, submission and validation process, the OASIS XSLT/XPath Conformance Technical Committee worked to abstract aspects of XSLT and XPath away from the base modules. This resulted in the creation of a generic framework for accepting and validating submissions and building collections of test files. We anticipate our work being of use to developers of other conformance tests –both inside and outside OASIS.” To conform to the OASIS framework, submitters must catalogue their test file collections according to OASIS published document models, and they must employ available validation processes that utilize XSLT and XPath. Complete submission guidelines are posted on http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/xslt/. The OASIS XSLT/XPath Technical Committee adheres to the W3C interpretation of ambiguous or unclear areas of the specifications and does not compete with the W3C in any way on matters pertaining to interpretation of the specifications. About OASIS OASIS (www.oasis-open.org), a not-for-profit, global consortium, drives the development, convergence, and adoption of e-business standards. Members themselves set the OASIS technical agenda, using a lightweight, open process expressly designed to promote industry consensus and unite disparate efforts. OASIS is the home for XML conformance, Web services, security, business transactions, electronic publishing, topic maps and other interoperability specifications development. OASIS has more than 400 corporate and individual members in 100 countries around the world. OASIS and the United Nations jointly sponsor ebXML, a global framework for e-business data exchange. OASIS operates XML.org, a community clearinghouse for XML application schemas, vocabularies and related documents. OASIS hosts The XML Cover Pages, an online reference collection for interoperable markup language standards. For more information: Carol Geyer Director of Communications OASIS carol.geyer@oasis-open.org +1.978.667.5115 x209