2. SPEEDING UP THE STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Standards Coordination Conference
Don Deutsch, Vice President
Standards Strategy & Architecture
Oracle Corporation
10 July 2002

3. SETTING THE STAGE QUESTION CONTEXT PERSPECTIVE
How is the IT standards community dealing with the need for speed in standards development?
CONTEXT
De Jure (formal) standards process
Domestic US: ANSI/INCITS
International: ISO/IEC JTC 1
SQL database language
PERSPECTIVE
Not a Standards Development Organization (SDO)
Process participant/Technical committee chair

4. USING A DE JURE FORUM PROS CONS Open/Level playing field
Low cost of entry
Due process
Recognized results
ANSI/INCITS
ISO/IEC JTC 1
Life-cycle process
Maintenance
Interpretations
Record of Success (e.g. SQL)
CONS
Too open
Money is no problem
Too bureaucratic
Slow
Want to retain control
De jure brand not necessary
Want “standard” ASAP and will “turn over” to formal body when done
Major failures (e.g., OSI)

5. INCITS: ANSI ACCREDITED SDO
Three Paths to IT Standards
1. Technical Committee Development Technical experts collaborate within groups dedicated to one or more projects to develop an American National Standard.
2. Entry into the International Standards Arena INCITS experts form U.S. delegations to the international committees developing IT standards
3. "Fast Track" Externally Developed Standards INCITS accepts candidate standards that were developed by external bodies for adoption as American National Standards.
Mix and Match Depending on Situation/Needs

6. INCITS TECHNICAL COMMITTEE PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS
Eliminated or reduced times for
Ballots
Internal process reviews
Parallel Processing
TC Officer Empowerment
TC can establish new project
TC Chair can create sub-group
TC Chair can appoint sub-group chair
Reduced Number of Steps from 19 to 8
Best Case to ANS: Reduced from 22 to 9 Months

7. INCITS: TECHNICAL COMMITTEE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Traditional Multi-step Process
1: Project Proposal Approval
2: Public Notification
3: Technical Development
4: Public Review(s)
5: Management Review
6: INCITS Approval
7: ANSI Approval
8: Publication

8. INCITS FAST TRACK PROCESS
1: Fast Track Submission
Proposal
Memorandum of Understanding
INCITS vote to accept
2: Public Review of Specification
3: INCITS Approval Ballot
4: ANSI Approval
5: Publication

9. INCITS/H2 Database Committee
SQL is the Lingua Franca for Database Access
SQL Database Language Standards
1986
1989
1992
Various Addenda + New Parts
SQL 1999
Working toward SQL 2003
Parallel (and different) Multi-step Processes Used Within ANSI/INCITS & ISO/IEC JTC 1

10. SQLJ: Using Java™ & SQL Together
SQLJ-Part 0: Embedding SQL Statements in Java™
Just one more language binding (e.g., Fortran, C)
Multi-step development process
Approved as Part 10 of SQL standard in 1998
Vendor Consensus Re: Need for New Capabilities
SQLJ-Part 1: SQL Routines Using Java™
SQLJ-Part 2: SQL Types Defined Using Java™
Decision to Progress via INCITS Fast Track
All vendors were/would be implementing SOON
Single specifications preferred to vendor specific interfaces

11. Timeline for SQLJ-Part 1: SQL Routines using the Java™ Programming Language
September 25, Submission to INCITS of Proposal for both Parts 1 & 2
April SQLJ-Part 1specification submitted (7 months late)
April 2, INCITS meeting vote to accept for processing
April 23 - June 7, day Public Review (1 comment received and responded to by SQLJ)
July 7, INCITS Management Review and document preparation for final publication
August 11 - September 10, INCITS 30-Day Ballot
September Approval and Publication as an American National Standard

12. SQLJ-Part 1: Retrospective Evaluation Good/Bad/Ugly
Industry consensus
INCITS H2 willing to accept maintenance
Bad
Process had to wait (7 Months) for specification developers
Ugly
Comment came from specification developer
Approved/Published ANSI Standard - 12 Months from initiation, 5 months from specification submission

13. Timeline for SQLJ-Part 2: SQL Types Defined Using the Java™ Programming Language
September 25, Submission to INCITS of Proposal for both Parts 1 & 2
April SQLJ-Part 1specification submitted (7 months late)
July 9, SQLJ Part 2 specification submitted
August 11- September 25, day Public Review
September 27 - October 27, INCITS 30-Day Ballot
November 1 - Approval as an American National Standard
November 22 – Available for Sale (Published)

14. SQLJ-Part 2: Retrospective Evaluation Fast Track is Better the Second Time Around
Continued the Good
Industry Consensus
H2 in loop and willing to maintain
Eliminated Ugly
No comments from specification developers
Better Understanding of Process by
Specification developers
Technical committee (H2)
5 Months from specification submission to Approved/Published ANSI Standard

15. INCITS FAST TRACK FOR SQLJ: SUMMARY
Fast Track Works:
Industry Consensus
Complete Specification
TC Willing to Maintain
Demand/Marketplace Pull
ANSI/INCITS Standard BEFORE Submit to ISO/IEC
Loose Coupling with TC:
Facilitates concentrated work by small group
Opens process to those with focused interest
Model for Future Focused Efforts

16. MY UNSOLICITED RESPONSES TO SYMPOSIUM QUESTIONS
Does the IT industry face special challenges that impair its ability to compete domestically or internationally?
Short product cycles
Need to maintain world-wide industry leadership
Should the IT industry shift more towards using consortia-developed standard?
It’s NOT a question of should; the industry IS using a spectrum of standards development mechanisms increasingly including consortia, joint-development agreements, etc. as well as formal SDOs

17. MY UNSOLICITED RESPONSES TO SYMPOSIUM QUESTIONS (Continued)
Does the recognition of consortia-developed standards present difficulties for businesses outside IT-related fields?
Possibly, YES. Consortia may NOT include ALL interested parties from both within and outside IT.
How is the IT standards community dealing with the need for speed in standards development?
See my presentation & those from other accredited SDOs
How are Federal agencies using IT standards?
They MAY be using but they are LESS active/visible in consortia and standards development forums

18. MY UNSOLICITED RESPONSES TO SYMPOSIUM QUESTIONS (Continued)
What will it take to get the Standards
Developer Organizations and consortia to work
together?
Demand pull – from technology users and providers
“We have met the enemy
and he is us!”
Walt Kelly, Comic Strip POGO