tModel

tModel is a term used in the UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration) registry system, where it stands for technical model. A tModel represents a technical interface, specification, or protocol that one or more web services or business services implement. The concept is intended to enable discovery and interoperability by allowing services to be categorized and discovered according to the technical standards they support, rather than solely by business function.

A tModel entry typically includes a unique tModelKey, a name, and optionally an overview document that describes the technical model in more detail. It may also include classification information in a categoryBag to organize tModels into logical groups. When a business publishes a service, it can associate its service description with one or more binding templates that reference a tModelKey, thereby indicating conformity to that technical model. The binding template may provide instance-specific details (such as endpoint addresses) via tModelInstanceInfo elements to describe how to interact with the service instance in practice.

Use in discovery involves querying the registry for services that implement a given tModel, allowing clients to find offerings that adhere to a particular standard, protocol, or interface. This approach separates business categorization from technical compatibility, aiding interoperability across heterogeneous systems.

Though a foundational feature of early and open UDDI deployments, the practical use of tModels has varied over time. Some modern service registries rely less on tModel-based discovery, favoring alternative description and discovery mechanisms, but tModel remains a defined and historically significant component of UDDI.