Using TM Forum Frameworx: A Developer’s View

Back in China this week, working on my chop stick skills and have now mastered (almost) the art of taking noodles, one of my favorites, out of a big bowl without leaving most of them in the bowl or all over the table! Also, tried some new things– cold goose with fresh chopped garlic and a soup of mushroom and donkey..that’s right donkey.

Speaking of noodles, I often call my brain my noodle or when trying to come up with an answer to a question, I often say “I am noodling it out”. So, here I’ll noodle out a question about how a developer could use the four frameworks that make up TM Forum Frameworx. Yes, I was a developer at one point in my life and I continue to work with them!

The obvious choice to start is the TM Forum Interfaces, which are part of the Integration Framework. A wealth of information can be found on the TM Forum Interface Program web pages. There is everything from ready-made interfaces that meet a variety of requirements to design guidelines in case an interface needs to be developed. Many of the interfaces come with reference implementations and compliance test suites. There is a tool to help with the development of new interfaces and extensions to existing interfaces. And, for those interested in a service oriented approach, The Integration Framework’s suite of guide books (GB942 series) may be of interest.

But there is more. Inquisitive developers often wonder about the source of the requirements that drove the development of the interfaces. Here is where the Business Process Framework eTOM) comes into play. Tasks that are performed by individuals or applications are contained in this framework. The descriptions of the tasks can be seen as a set of draft functional requirements for applications and their associated interfaces. Of course, more detail has to be added.

And, where does the content of the interfaces that are exposed to applications come from? The Information Framework (SID) fills this need for the TM Forum interfaces and can fill this need for interfaces not available from the TM Forum.

Not to forget another important ingredient of an application – the database. The SID can also be used as a starting point for database design for those in the development community that are involved in this type of work.

Lastly, from a Frameworx perspective, what are applications in which the interfaces can be used?  This question is answered by the mappings (in GB942MAP - TM Forum Solution Framework Mappings) between the Application Framework (TAM) and interfaces.  Can any assistance be provided to defining application boundaries? This is where the TAM itself comes into play. The TAM provides a template of applications that possess well defined boundaries.

For more you can visit the TM Forum’s Developer Community at… http://www.tmforum.org/community/groups/forum_developers_group/default.aspx

I’ll be traveling to Delhi, India the week after next, so look for another blog from there…