Explainer
S1000D Common Information Repositories (CIR), Explained
The Idea
Write It Once, Reference It Everywhere
A common information repository is a data module whose content is a list: common information objects of one type, with their descriptions. A parts repository lists parts; a warnings repository lists warnings; a tools repository lists tools and support equipment. Procedures and descriptions then reference those entries rather than restating them.
The payoff is the same one S1000D promises everywhere: one authoritative copy. When a warning's approved wording changes, it changes in one place. When a part is superseded, the procedures that call for it can be found and checked. It is the repository equivalent of what managing defined terms does for vocabulary, and it is why warnings and cautions are rarely retyped on a mature program.
The Types
Sixteen Repositories
Each CIR data module contains exactly one repository type. These are the sixteen the Issue 6 and Issue 7 schemas define, in schema order; the last two were added in Issue 6.
- functionalItemRepository
- circuitBreakerRepository
- partRepository
- zoneRepository
- accessPointRepository
- toolRepository
- enterpriseRepository
- supplyRepository
- supplyRqmtRepository
- functionalPhysicalAreaRepository
- controlIndicatorRepository
- applicRepository
- warningRepository
- cautionRepository
- hazardRepository
- terminologyRepository
The Codes
Information Codes for CIRs
CIR data modules carry their own information codes. These are the official names from the Issue 6 default BREX.
- 00E
- Functional item numbers CIR
- 00F
- Circuit breakers CIR
- 00G
- Parts CIR
- 00H
- Zones CIR
- 00J
- Access panels and doors CIR
- 00K
- Organizations CIR
- 00L
- Supplies - List of products CIR
- 00M
- Supplies - List of requirements CIR
- 00N
- Support equipment CIR
- 00X
- Controls and indicators CIR
- 0A1
- Functional and/or physical areas CIR
- 0A2
- Applicability repository
- 0A4
- Warnings - List of warnings in the CIR
- 0A5
- Cautions - List of cautions in the CIR
- 0A6
- Hazards - List of hazard types in the CIR
- 0A7
- Terminology repository
FAQ
Questions We Hear
What is a CIR in S1000D?
A common information repository: a data module that lists common information objects of one type, such as parts, zones, tools, or warnings, with their descriptions. Other data modules reference the entries instead of repeating them, so the information is maintained in one place.
How many types of CIR are there?
The Issue 6 and Issue 7 schemas define sixteen repository types, and each CIR data module contains exactly one of them. Issues 4.1 to 5.0 had fourteen; Issue 6 added hazard and terminology repositories.
When were CIRs introduced?
The common information repository schema appears in Issue 4.1; it is not in the Issue 4.0 schema set. Programs on 4.0 or earlier manage the same kinds of shared information by other means.
Why use a warnings or cautions CIR?
Because the same warning text appears in hundreds of procedures, and every copy is a chance for drift. With a CIR, each warning is written and approved once, and procedures reference it, so a change to the approved wording reaches every procedure that uses it.
Get In Touch
Planning Your CIR Strategy?
Which repositories a program uses, and who maintains them, are business rules decisions worth making before authoring starts. We help programs make them.