Definition
A Registry is a managed collection of identifiable Objects organized according to defined governance rules. A Registry provides controlled access to Objects while preserving identity, traceability, and operational consistency.
Purpose
This document defines Registry within the OCOM Specification.
A Registry provides a governed collection of Objects that enables consistent identification, discovery, management, and governance across the OCOM ecosystem.
Registries establish authoritative sources for managed Objects.
Business meaning
Registries enable organizations to maintain authoritative records of operational Objects.
They improve consistency, interoperability, governance, and organizational visibility by ensuring that managed Objects are discoverable and governed throughout their lifecycle.
Design principles
A Registry shall:
- contain identifiable Objects
- preserve Object Identity
- support governance
- support discoverability
- support traceability
- remain technology independent
Core characteristics
Every Registry shall define:
- Identifier
- Name
- Purpose
- Registry Scope
- Registered Object Types
- Ownership
A Registry may additionally define:
- Classification
- Access Policy
- Registration Rules
- Retention Policy
- Versioning Policy
Relationship to other specifications
Registry interacts with:
ocom:Objectocom:Identityocom:Metadataocom:Relationshipocom:Referenceocom:Ownershipocom:Classificationocom:Policy
Registries organize managed Objects but do not alter Object semantics.
Compared with
Read as: OCOM term, the nearest concept in the other model, and how close they are. Similar means the two carry the same intent; Partial means they overlap but differ in scope or obligation; None means the other model has no counterpart. The verdicts are site-published editorial judgments, not normative.
- OCOM vs MDM: Partial (System of Record)
Independence
The Registry specification does not prescribe:
- database technologies
- directory services
- catalog platforms
- implementation architectures
Organizations remain free to implement Registries using any compatible technology.
Registry Scope
Registry scope may include:
- Organization
- Business Domain
- Functional Area
- External Ecosystem
Organizations shall define the appropriate scope for each Registry.
Registration
Objects shall be registered according to organizational policies.
Registration typically includes:
- identity verification
- metadata assignment
- ownership assignment
- classification
- governance validation
Organizations may define additional registration procedures.
Registration Lifecycle
Objects may enter or leave a Registry throughout their lifecycle.
Typical lifecycle activities include:
- Registration
- Update
- Suspension
- Deregistration
- Archival
Registry lifecycle shall preserve historical traceability.
Registry Integrity
A Registry shall maintain:
- unique Object registration
- identity consistency
- metadata consistency
- governance compliance
- audit history
Organizations should periodically validate Registry integrity.
Discovery
Registries should support discovery using:
- Identity
- Name
- Classification
- Metadata
- Relationships
- Organizational attributes
Discovery mechanisms are implementation-specific.
Governance
Organizations shall define governance for:
- registration
- modification
- removal
- ownership
- access control
- audit
Governance policies shall remain traceable.
Auditability
Organizations shall preserve:
- registration history
- ownership history
- lifecycle history
- governance decisions
- audit records
Audit records shall remain immutable.
Conformance
A compliant implementation shall:
- manage identifiable Objects
- preserve Object Identity
- support governed registration
- maintain traceability
- preserve auditability
- remain technology independent
Provenance
Governance records: —
| Version | Date | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | 20 July 2026 | Initial draft |