Designing Model Exchange Processes with CIM and ´RMA Sets´

Suppose that neighboring parties in an interconnect are exchanging models with the notion that each party is the "modeling authority" only for its own territory and each party will use other parties\´ internal models to create their external model. To accomplish this: 1) each party exports its internal model to its neighbors, and 2) each party imports each neighbor\´s model and uses it to develop its external model. The above idea is not particularly controversial, but it has not generally been applied rigorously in practice. Practitioners report that the process remains difficult, even when they are using the current CIM model exchange specifications. This paper discusses the problem and suggests additions to the CIM standards that can improve the process