ABOUT THE DATA LOGGING WORKING GROUP
The VoiceXML Tools Committee consists of four working groups: Data Logging WG; Metalangauge WG; Advanded Dialogs WG, and Open Source Grammars WG.

The Data Logging Working Group is chartered to define a methodology for collecting, storing, and retrieving runtime data. Runtime data includes information about the call, the platforms, the service, and human input and is generated by the application server and the VoiceXML browser. This data is used for billing, maintenance, service monitoring, and quality improvements.

Our intent is to define a comprehensive list of data elements to be captured, along with their units and meaning, and to specify a format for representing these parameters. In addition, we will define a style guide for new and/or special elements so that they may be added incrementally and safely without impacting the existing list of elements or the systems that use those elements. We do not specify how the data is analyzed; only that it is unambiguously readable and that it contains the necessary linkage between contained and containing subsystems.

  PUBLICATIONS
The Session Log Annotation Markup Language (SLAML) specification describes a methodology for collecting, storing and retrieving runtime data for speech-based services and will help make data-analysis and service-tuning tools platform-independent. The SLAML specification includes five documents:

• Data Logging Overview
• Session Log Annotation Markup Language Specification, which defines the data logging model
• Application Server Logging Specification (ASLS), which defines a format for logging in server-side applications
• Automatic Speech Recognition Logging Specification, which describes tags for logging run-time data in an automatic speech recognition server
• VoiceXML Browser Data Logging Specification, which describes tags for logging run-time data in VoiceXML browsers

  CALL FOR COMMENTS AND PARTICIPATION
VoiceXML Forum members and the industry at large are encouraged to review the specification documents and provide feedback. Comments may be submitted via email to DL@voicexml.org. The comment period closes on November 9, 2007.

To participate in the Data Logging Working Group, Members may login to the intranet, select "Forums" and check the "subscribe" box next to the Tools Committee. If your company is not a member, you are invited to consider joining the VoiceXML Forum.