Service Modeling Language

SML submitted to W3C

On March 21, 2007, the W3C acknowledged the submission of SML. The specifications are now also available from the W3C Web site:

• SML 1.0 spec
• SML-IF 1.0 spec

All follow-up work on SML will take place at W3C.

Introduction to Service Modeling Language

The Service Modeling Language (SML) specification is used to model complex IT services and systems, including their structure, constraints, policies, and best practices. SML is based on a profile on XML Schema and Schematron.

SML was created by the SML working group whose members are BEA, BMC, Cisco, Dell, EMC, HP, IBM, Intel, Microsoft and Sun.

SML will allow for the creation of best practices and policies that automate the services' validation, development, operations, updates and end-of-life - the full lifecycle. SML does not prescribe a specific IT model or set of models; instead, it defines the syntax and semantics that all SML models must follow: their base vocabulary, the rules of composition, the grammar and the syntax. SML Specifies:

• Profiles for the use of XML 1.0 Schema and Schematron to define service models
• Extensions to support and constrain inter-document references in those models
• Inter-document uniqueness and key definitions plus the ability to use them across documents
• Rules to capture best practices and policies