Overview
BIG (BIRD Implementation Generator) Studios are software applications that enable users to run a guided set of steps to generate technical implementations of BIRD from the published BIRD artefacts.
The technical implementations are usually configurations of existing stable mature technologies that have many developers and developer resources available.
All BIG Studios are based on concepts and components described in the BIG Core.
These parts of the BIG Core are
RegDNA ,
BIRDseed,
BIG Pot,.
RegDNA
- RegDNA is a simple language which allows organisations or collaborations (like BIRD) to write the data model and logic for a regulation once, without knowing the eventual platform that will run it. This is comparable to writing a web page once in the html standard instead of writing it individually for each web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Windows Explorer
- BIG Studios include text editors for RegDNA to allow colour-coding , autocomplete, navigations, and real-time validation.
- RegDNA adds to a simplified version of the existing Ecore standard and its Xcore text representation. We dont re-invent the wheel where we dont need to!
- Ecore is a mature standard which acts as the reference implementation of EMOF, which is the model driven engineering standard published by the Object Management Group standards body (which also publish the UML an BPMN standards).
- RegDNA is text based and human readable, so offers excellent change management and version control.
- RegDNA is software-freindly, it is designed to be easy to convert to modern existing mature technologies (e.g. Python DJango, Java Spring, Microsoft .NET, Xcore)
- The detailed specification of RegDNA is available here .
- Underlying the Language is a technical model that helps technical people write easy to use tools for the Studios .
BIRDSeed
- BIRDSeed is the definition of BIRD described in RegDNA
- Tools are provided in the Core to convert from the Published BIRD artefcts into RegDNA
BIG Pot
- Autogeneration of software artefacts from core definitions is the predominant mode of software engineering today. Gone are the days when database structures, user interface and data base communication, and data-aware forms need to be handcrafted individually for each domain concept such as a 'loan'
- BIG Pots brings these same autogeneration ideas to regulatory artefacts.
- Pair the BIRDseed with a BIG Pot and voilà! You get a fully functional configuration of a mature technical platform grounded in proven technologies, supported by a vast resource network – from skilled personnel to comprehensive libraries.
- The Eclipse Free BIRD Tools project offers one free BIG Pot. This BIG Pot can auto-generate desktop applications (via mature Eclipse Technologies ) alternatives that could be produced are web-based applications (using the mature Python Django framework , Java Spring or Microsoft's code-first framework) . This empowers users to interact seamlessly with the data model and logic in a BIRDSeed and, by extension, with BIRD.
- For example data storage is done using the mature Eclipse Ecore serialisation in the desktop application, with another BIG Pot such as one based on Python DJango it might be done with database Object Relational Mapping in a web application. These are frameworks that have been tested extensively through thorough use in many apps over many years, and have stable tools, and a large developer community.
- You can see data storage and the other 6 services that are required for all regulatory applications in the image above.
- Software vendors can craft their own BIG Pots, using free BIG Pots as a template to create configurations of their own existing tools matching the data model and logic describe in the BIRDSeed.