DECOR publication format
Contents
DECOR Introduction
DECOR (Data Elements, Codes, OIDs and Rules) is a methodology to capture the data needs of caregivers in terms of datasets and scenarios and use it to generate various artefacts: documentation, value sets, XML instance validation, generation and processing support, and test tools etc.
DECOR allows to iteratively improve recorded data definitions and link together input from various experts with different background knowledge: caregivers, terminologist, modellers, analysts and interface/communication specialists.
  Caregivers
For caregivers, the tools mainly registers data elements and their collections as data sets with concepts, data types, allowable value ranges, identifications, codes, examples and business rules etc. In addition, use case specific Scenario's can be documented. |
  Terminologist
From the base requirements, the caregivers documented, terminologist can add the appropriate codes, associate caregiver concepts with coded concepts and create and maintain the value sets to be used. Typically also namespaces, identifiers, URIs and OIDs are assigned. |
 Informaticians
Modelers, analysts and interface / communication specialists add the technical representations as e.g. HL7 CDA templates, HL7 FHIR or IHE profiles. During that design phase and also in the following implementation and production phases the tool allows comprehensive validation and testing. |
 Project leads
During development and production phases stakeholders and team members of the governance group are supported by an artefact-aware issue and reporting management that enables effective change management of the artefacts. |
The underlying DECOR data format is XML. The generation of HTML-, PDF- and Wiki-based documentation and XML-materials like validation and test environments is possible through a release and archive management function and transformations with stylesheets. The technical artefacts like templates and value sets can be used as input for test suites like IHE Gazelle ObjetcsChecker. Easy consistency checks across all artefacts can be achieved, CDA-based template definition can be verified to be standard conformant with the underlying CDA standard.
DECOR (Data Elements, Codes, OIDs and Rules) is a methodology and persistence layer for capturing the data requirements of healthcare professionals in data sets and scenarios, and uses that information as a source for documentation and all necessary technical artifacts.
DECOR answers questions like:
- What type of information is recorded by the parties involved?
- Where does their contribution end?
- Where are other parties involved and what is their involvement?
- How to maintain a consistent and meaningful representation of this information?
- How to record constraints on generic models?
- What type of support is needed by vendors to construct interfaces?
- How to generate documentation and supporting documents?
- How are constraints tested?
The experience that stems from DECOR is used as feedback on existing standards (that form the basis for DECOR) and as input for future international standardization initiatives (HL7, IHE).
DECOR HTML-representation and interactive representation
The information collection that is documented in DECOR can be accessed in two ways:
- as a HTML-representation. This is a static representation of the DECOR collection at a specific time and serves as a DECOR-publication. The HTML-representation is not interactive, this means that no changes can be made to this publication. It is however possible to access the DECOR-publication through multiple views.
- as an interactive representation. ART-DECOR:
ART (Advanced Requirement Tooling) is the DECOR user interface to create and adapt DECOR files, and to generate artefacts from DECOR files.
| ART is the backend, based on the eXist-db XML database. | ART is also the frontend, until ART-DECOR 2.x, XQuery and Orbeon XForms is used. | ART-DECOR 3.0 is completely replacing the former UI platform and uses Vue and Vuetify. |
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DECOR standard properties
Dataset artefacts, value sets, scenarios and templates that are defined in DECOR support a fixed set of properties like: name, required identifier, version information per artefact and status information that defines whether an artefact is still under development, ready for use or deprecated, etc. Based on these properties is it possible to cross-reference between artefacts, for instance that a concept is in use in a message in a certain structure or that a template supports the communication of the information that is defined in a data set concept. DECOR also contains all value sets that supply the necessary codes and code systems. DECOR supports the recording of issues: the documentation of change requests or issues with DECOR artefacts.
DECOR publication tabs
DECOR has a fixed structure. The following tabs exist in a DECOR-publication:
- Front Page
- Project Information: information about the project
- Data Set: one or more data sets, that contain (groups of) concepts
- Scenarios: a representation of the processes and relevant concepts
- Identifiers: the identifiers used in this project
- Terminology: terminology specifications (value sets and terminology associations)
- Templates: for the creation and validation of XML-based messages or documents
- Compile Time: information about the compilation process
- Legal
