🏗️Part III: Schema Design and Development
Practical schema development using Excel-first approach and Guardian's schema management features
Part III transforms your methodology analysis from Part II into working Guardian schemas through hands-on, step-by-step implementation. Using VM0033 as a concrete example, this section teaches practical schema development from architectural foundations through testing and validation.
The five chapters follow a logical progression: Guardian schema basics → PDD schema development → monitoring schema development → advanced schema management techniques → practical testing checklist.
Schema Development Approach
Part III focuses on practical schema development using proven patterns from VM0033 implementation. Rather than theoretical concepts, each chapter provides step-by-step instructions for creating working schemas that capture methodology requirements accurately.
Development Sequence:
Schema Architecture Foundations (Chapter 8): Guardian schema system basics and field mapping principles
PDD Schema Development (Chapter 9): Approach to building comprehensive PDD schemas step-by-step
Monitoring Schema Development (Chapter 10): Time-series monitoring schemas with temporal data management
Advanced Schema Techniques (Chapter 11): API schema management, field properties, Required types, and UUIDs
Schema Testing Checklist (Chapter 12): Practical validation steps using Guardian's testing features
This hands-on approach ensures you can build production-ready schemas while understanding Guardian's schema management capabilities.
Chapter Progression and Learning Objectives
Focus: Guardian schema system fundamentals and the two-part architecture pattern used in VM0033.
What You'll Learn: Guardian's JSON Schema integration, Verifiable Credentials structure, and the proven two-part architecture (Project Description + Calculations) that handles methodology complexity. You'll understand how to map methodology parameters to Guardian field types.
Practical Skills: Field type selection, parameter mapping, and architectural patterns that simplify complex methodologies into manageable schema structures.
Focus: Step-by-step Excel-first approach to building comprehensive PDD schemas.
What You'll Learn: Complete PDD schema development process from Excel template through Guardian import. Includes conditional logic implementation, sub-schema creation, and essential field key management for calculation code readability.
Practical Skills: Excel schema template usage, Guardian field configuration, conditional visibility logic, and proper field key naming for maintainable calculation code.
Focus: Time-series monitoring schemas that handle annual data collection and calculation updates.
What You'll Learn: Monitoring schema development with temporal data structures, quality control fields, and evidence documentation. Covers field key management specific to time-series calculations and VVB verification workflows.
Practical Skills: Annual parameter tracking, temporal data organization, monitoring-specific field key naming, and verification support structures.
Focus: API schema management, standardized properties, Required field types, and UUID management.
What You'll Learn: Schema management with API operations, the four Required field types (None/Hidden/Required/Auto Calculate), standardized property definitions from GBBC specifications, and UUID management for efficient development.
Practical Skills: API schema updates, Auto Calculate field implementation, standardized property usage, and UUID-based schema version management.
Focus: Practical validation steps using Guardian's testing features before schema deployment.
What You'll Learn: Systematic testing approach using Default Values, Suggested Values, and Test Values. Covers schema preview testing, UUID integration into policy workflows, and user experience validation.
Practical Skills: Guardian schema testing tools usage, validation rule configuration, logical field organization, and pre-deployment checklist completion.
Building on Part II Foundation
Part III directly implements the analysis work from Part II. Your methodology decomposition, parameter identification, and test artifacts become the inputs for schema development.
Implementation Translation: The parameter lists, dependency trees, and calculation frameworks from Part II translate directly into Guardian schema configurations through the techniques taught in Part III.
Test Integration: Test artifacts from Chapter 7 integrate with schema testing in Chapter 12, ensuring implementations maintain accuracy while providing good user experience.
Part III Completion
Completing Part III provides you with:
Production-ready PDD and monitoring schemas for your methodology
Guardian schema development skills transferable to other methodologies
Understanding of schema testing and validation best practices
Schema management techniques for efficient development and maintenance
Preparation for Part IV: The schemas created in Part III integrate directly with Guardian policy workflow blocks. Your data structures and validation rules become the foundation for complete methodology automation.
Time Investment
Each chapter requires approximately 15-25 minutes reading plus 30-60 minutes hands-on practice:
Chapter 8: 20 min reading + 30 min practice (architectural understanding)
Chapter 9: 25 min reading + 60 min practice (comprehensive PDD schema development)
Chapter 10: 20 min reading + 45 min practice (monitoring schema development)
Chapter 11: 25 min reading + 45 min practice (advanced techniques)
Chapter 12: 15 min reading + 30 min practice (testing checklist)
Total Investment: ~3-4 hours for complete schema development capabilities
Chapter Navigation
Ready to Begin: With Part II analysis complete, you're prepared for hands-on schema development. Start with Chapter 8 for Guardian schema system foundations.
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