The value of the ODM standard, like any information standard, is enhanced when systems can be developed with the assumption that ODM files have a high level of conformity. A computing system that processes information in ODM format can claim conformance to this standard only if it obeys the following rules.
For systems generating ODM files or messages:
- Generated ODM for exchange as files must satisfy all the correctness rules in this standard, both syntactic and semantic.
- Information included in the generated ODM files must be accurate according to the rules of this standard as defined in this specification.
- Systems generating ODM files or messages must support at least one of the published media types, XML or JSON.
- Systems generating ODM content via an API must return resources that satisfy all the correctness rules for the elements represented in the resource, both syntactic and semantic.
- Systems generating ODM content via an API must document the API endpoints and the resources returned.
- Generated ODM files need not include information that is not normally handled or stored by the generating system.
- All system ODM generation limitations or constraints must be documented.
- If conformity of the generated ODM is dependent on certain system modes or settings, this must also be documented.
Where ODM conformance rules exist for a given use case, the generated ODM documents or messages must satisfy the relevant conformance rules.
For systems receiving ODM files or messages:
- A receiving system must be able to read any ODM file that satisfies all the correctness rules in this standard, both syntactic and semantic.
- A system receiving an ODM file may validate the file against the ODM schema for the ODM version indicated in the ODM root element.
- A receiving system must interpret information read from an ODM file accurately according to the rules of this standard as defined in this specification.
- A receiving system must support at least one of the published media types, XML or JSON.
- Systems receiving ODM content via an API must be able to read any resources that satisfy all the correctness rules for the elements represented in the resource, both syntactic and semantic.
- A receiving system may selectively ignore information read from an ODM file if that information is not normally handled or stored by the receiving system.
- A receiving system may constrain the range of data values, keys, names, and so on, that it is capable of handling or storing.
- Systems that receive ODM clinical data files but do not normally support one or more of the datatypes specified in section 2.14, should accept clinical data of the unsupported types as text.
- All system ODM processing limitations or constraints must be documented.
- Any system settings or modes of operations needed to receive and process ODM must be documented.
- Where ODM conformance rules exist for a given use case, the receiving system should be able to confirm conformance by running those rules against the received file or message.