ISO 10303-23:2000

Overview - ISO 10303-23:2000 (C++ language binding to SDAI)

ISO 10303-23:2000 is the part of the STEP family that defines the C++ language binding to the Standard Data Access Interface (SDAI, ISO 10303-22). It specifies how the SDAI functional interface is implemented in C++ so applications can access, manipulate and validate product data described with EXPRESS schemas. The standard focuses on language-specific bindings, convenience functions, schema linking (compile-time or run-time), error handling and constraint validation for robust product data exchange.

Key topics and technical requirements

• C++ binding of SDAI operations - mapping SDAI concepts (sessions, repositories, models, schema instances, transactions) to C++ classes and functions.
• Data type mapping - representation of EXPRESS primitive, aggregate, enumeration, select, number and entity types in C++ with iterators and aggregate classes.
• Schema linking - mechanisms for binding functions to EXPRESS operations and attributes with either early (compile-time) or late (run-time) schema linkage.
• Error handling and events - implementation mechanisms for SDAI-specified error events and exception-like handling within the C++ binding.
• Validation of constraints - support for validating EXPRESS where-rules, uniqueness and other constraints per SDAI requirements.
• Convenience and language-specific features - naming, memory management, namespaces, and quality-of-life APIs tailored for C++ developers.
• Conformance levels and header definitions - guidance on conformance features, header files and indexing of aggregates for interoperable implementations.

Practical applications

• Building STEP-compliant C++ libraries for product data exchange and long-term archiving.
• Implementing PLM, CAD, CAM, CAE integrations that require programmatic access to EXPRESS-based product models.
• Creating model repositories, validation tools and converters that operate on SDAI model instances using a standardized C++ API.
• Enabling toolchains to bind application schemas either statically or dynamically, improving interoperability across systems.

Who should use this standard

• Software engineers and architects developing STEP / SDAI implementations in C++.
• Vendors of CAD/PLM/CAE systems implementing data exchange and validation features.
• Integrators and consultants working on interoperability, data migration and digital thread solutions.

Related standards

• ISO 10303-22 - Standard Data Access Interface (SDAI) (normative).
• ISO 10303-11 - EXPRESS language reference (data modeling).
• Other parts of the ISO 10303 (STEP) series covering exchange formats, conformance testing and application protocols.

Keywords: ISO 10303-23, C++ language binding, SDAI, STEP, EXPRESS, product data representation, data exchange, schema binding, PLM integration.