Task Status
This page is part of the ongoing SWIM communities of interest discussions. The content is working material. It should not be treated as final as it is still subject to review, comment and change.
This task will see how the content of a service description relates to the content of a SLA. It will:
- introduce SLAs
- agree terminology
- explain how they relate to the other service artefacts - how can a service description feed a SLA e.g.
- quality of service
- access and use - cost of using the service
- to do this we will look at any minimum (regulated) content. The content of SLAs is highly regulated.
- consider
- if a template is required
- highlight existing templates
Introduction
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Service description | Information needed in order to use, or consider using, a service. |
| Formal arrangement | agreements for the provision of service |
| Service level agreement |
|
Characteristics:
| Term | purpose | produced by | used by | concerns | contains | can be registered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service description | in order to use a service consider using a service | service provider | all service consumer | service instance | service metadata | yes |
| Service level agreement | contract when using a service | service provider-service consumer | specific service consumer (and service provider) | service instance | no |
Purpose and usage
The "formal arrangement" that covers the provision of an information service is specific to the service consumer. The same information service can be offered to different consumers on different conditions.
The formal arrangements can take different forms e.g.
- a detailed, individualised contract
- a service level agreement (SLA)
- a memorandum of cooperation
- an online tick-box agreeing to a set of conditions
The agreement of the formal arrangements can be as simple as checking a box or a complex process involving certification, approval of the use of the service by a strategy board, etc.
The series of regulations to be taken into account differs depending on the type of formal arrangement. As the range of regulations to take into account is large, it is difficult to give generic advice and map the content of a service description to the content of the "formal arrangements".
Correspondence with service description
A service description describes the service instance in a way that can be understood by all potential service consumers. It is not a contract and it can be updated by the provider over time as the service evolves.
However, the service description contains e.g. the minimum offered quality of service. Therefore, the content of a service description can inform the negotiations of the "formal arrangement". Typical content that can be used to inform the negotiations are e.g. quality of service, source of information, and access and use conditions. The agreed statement in the service level agreement may be different from that in the service description.
Example
SWIM-SERV-014 Quality of service concerns the quality of service that is offered.
A service provider may not provide a precise figure for the availability of the service in the service description, stating "best effort" .
It is possible to update the service description within the European SWIM Registry to give a figure at any time. This updated service description becomes available to all potential service consumers.
The "best effort" or precise figure is used to inform negotiations between the service provider and specific service consumers.
to do
Add to the diagram with the service artefacts e.g. definitions, overviews, descriptions.
Regulated content
- An example of the type of regulation to be taken into account: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32017R0373
- https://www.eurocontrol.int/publication/eurocontrol-guidelines-adq-formal-arrangements-fa