Extend N-DEx to meet state and regional data sharing requirements

N-DEx and the National Information Exchange Model (NEIM) standard have been established as the foundation for all criminal justice data sharing programs.

The Data Exchange (DEx) Toolkit drives participation in state and regional programs by providing an N-DEx data foundation to local agencies with the option to leverage the same framework to support state and regional objectives.

Built as an extension of Sypherlink’s N-DEx Appliance, the DEx Toolkit is a set of tools that simplifies the integration process and reduces custom coding through the use of automated data assessment and mapping tools. The Toolkit gives users the ability to configure and customize N-DEx Appliance components, including the RMS interface, the N-DEx data model and the N-DEx adapter and adapt them to meet the needs of other data sharing initiatives.

Tools and Methodology

Supported by the DEx Toolkit, Sypherlink has developed an implementation methodology based on almost ten years of experience working on data sharing projects at federal, state and agency levels. This proven process focuses on leveraging automation and reusing previous work as much as possible to enable agencies to submit properly formatted data to various exchanges.

As agencies participate in various data sharing programs, the DEx Toolkit is used to determine differences between N-DEx and new program requirements and then simplifies the execution of the appropriate adjustments by performing the steps of the following process.

Perform Gap Analysis

A study should be done to understand the data requirements of the state/regional program. Then a gap analysis is needed to identify differences between what the existing structure provides and the program requirements. To assist in this effort, the DEx Toolkit offers an automated data assessment tool that:

• Gathers statistical information about back-end data
• Compares RMS data to the target data structure and identifies new mappings and/or changes to existing mappings created to support N-DEx
• Exposes data quality issues

Extend N-DEx Data Model

Using the provided N-DEx data model as the foundation, a new data model can be generated based on the state or regional program requirements.

Map Additional Data Elements

With the new data model in place, new data elements must be mapped. The DEx Toolkit automates much of the mapping effort through its patented heuristic matching technology. It further simplifies the process by providing a powerful alternative to Excel Spreadsheets to review, approve, and manage existing mappings and exceptions. It also offers an intuitive point-and-click interface allowing users to view direct and indirect relationships and the underlying source data. At the heart of Sypherlink’s DEx Toolkit, these mapping tools dramatically shorten the mapping process accelerating the overall implementation.

Build Target Adapter

Finally, the underlying Java code of Sypherlink’s existing XML adapter to N-DEx is provided to facilitate the generation of a new XML interface specific to the target program’s submission requirements.