Overview
ISO/IEC 19509:2014 - Information technology - Object Management Group XML Metadata Interchange (XMI) defines how metamodel-based metadata (based on the Meta Object Facility - MOF) is encoded, validated and exchanged using XML. Published 2014, this standard supports the MOF Core (ISO/IEC 19508) and describes the XML representation and interchange rules for model elements (a constrained subset of UML), enabling consistent metadata exchange across tools and repositories.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Object representation in XML: rules for mapping model classes, properties and datatypes into XML elements and attributes.
- Linking and object identity: standardized mechanisms to link objects within or across files and to identify objects via IDs and UUIDs.
- Validation with XML Schema: requirements for generating and using XML Schemas to validate XMI documents.
- Schema and document production: EBNF production rules and procedures for producing XMI XML Schemas (XMI Version 2 schemas) and for serializing XMI documents.
- Conformance model: defined compliance categories including XMI Schema Compliance, XMI Document Compliance, and Software Compliance, plus optional compliance points (extensions and differences).
- Advanced topics: handling model fragments and incomplete metadata, tailoring schema production (domain customization), representing differences (deltas), multi-tool exchange workflows, and an XML Schema infoset model for schema-level interchange.
- Standards mapping: the XMI specification corresponds to the OMG MOF 2 XMI Mapping (v2.4.2) and is aligned with MOF and UML standards.
Applications and who uses it
ISO/IEC 19509:2014 is intended for organizations and practitioners who need reliable interchange of modeling metadata:
- Tool vendors (UML and modeling tools) implementing standardized import/export of models.
- Metadata repository and model-management platforms that store, merge or synchronize models.
- Systems integrators and DevOps teams automating model-driven workflows across heterogeneous tools.
- Domain modelers customizing schema production for specific domains (examples in the standard include GIS tailoring).
- Standards implementers and QA teams validating conformance of tools and documents to XMI rules.
Practical benefits include consistent interchange of class/association/datatype structures, robust linking across files, schema-validatable artifacts for automated processing, and standardized handling of model differences and fragments.
Related standards
- ISO/IEC 19508 - Meta Object Facility (MOF) Core (supported foundation)
- ISO/IEC 19505-2:2011 - OMG UML (Superstructure)
- OMG MOF 2 XMI Mapping (version 2.4.2) - underlying specification aligned with ISO/IEC 19509
Keywords: ISO/IEC 19509:2014, XMI, XML Metadata Interchange, MOF, XML Schema, UML, metadata interchange, EBNF, IDs, UUIDs, schema production.