Open APIs

Hi all, 

I'm relatively new to TMF (very much a beginner) and I have a general question around extending the APIs.

After getting some help from the message boards and going through TMF630 a couple of times, there does not seem to be a limit of how often someone can extend an API. If I have a requirement that cannot be met directly using the existing structures, it seems that I can just add a new attributes to meet the requirement. Provided the API meets the minimum conformance requirements and the attributes that have been added do not invalidate the core characteristics of the API, the API can be signed off as TMF compliant.

Is it correct to say it's completly up to the designer to extend an API as they see fit by adding new attributes in order to fulfil bespoke requirements so long as they do not invalidate the API by doing so?

My concerns related to reusability. If an API is extended with 50 new attributes, it may not be especially usable by consuming systems which goes against the entire purpose of TMF. To be clear, I'm not saying I want or need to alter the documented resources massively - my only reqirement is to return limited additional information in GET requests.

Thank you in advance,

Hi Thomas

It really does depend on what your intentions are in extending the API contract. TMF regards the standard Open API assets as an aid to easier integration in the service provider IT environment. So that all parties agree on what is meant by Customer, Product, etc.

However, the bar for passing the conformance tests and getting certification is, for most APIs, relatively low. Therefore, having a conformant implementation is not necessarily a guarantee for seamless integration.

If there is a clear business need for an extension that can be valuable for the industry, you could consider contributing it back to the Open API project.

Hope it helps

Hi all, 

I'm relatively new to TMF (very much a beginner) and I have a general question around extending the APIs.

After getting some help from the message boards and going through TMF630 a couple of times, there does not seem to be a limit of how often someone can extend an API. If I have a requirement that cannot be met directly using the existing structures, it seems that I can just add a new attributes to meet the requirement. Provided the API meets the minimum conformance requirements and the attributes that have been added do not invalidate the core characteristics of the API, the API can be signed off as TMF compliant.

Is it correct to say it's completly up to the designer to extend an API as they see fit by adding new attributes in order to fulfil bespoke requirements so long as they do not invalidate the API by doing so?

My concerns related to reusability. If an API is extended with 50 new attributes, it may not be especially usable by consuming systems which goes against the entire purpose of TMF. To be clear, I'm not saying I want or need to alter the documented resources massively - my only reqirement is to return limited additional information in GET requests.

Thank you in advance,