Introduction

Capital Facilities Industry XML (cfiXML) is an open, XML-based data exchange standard developed to enable interoperable information exchange across the capital facilities industry. The standard was created by the Fiatech Automating Equipment Information Exchange (AEX) Project to support consistent and automated transfer of engineering data between software systems used throughout the lifecycle of industrial facilities.

The primary goal of cfiXML is to provide a vendor-neutral format for representing equipment and engineering information, enabling data to move seamlessly between engineering tools, procurement systems, enterprise systems, and asset management platforms. By standardizing how equipment data is structured and exchanged, cfiXML helps organizations reduce manual data entry, prevent data loss, and improve efficiency across complex engineering workflows.

Background and Motivation

Capital facility projects—such as refineries, chemical plants, power plants, and large manufacturing installations—require extensive coordination between many stakeholders, including:

• Owners and operators
• Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firms
• Equipment manufacturers
• Software vendors
• Maintenance and asset management teams

Traditionally, engineering data exchange between these parties relied on spreadsheets, proprietary file formats, or manual re-entry of data into different software systems. These approaches often resulted in:

• Data inconsistencies
• Loss of engineering detail
• Duplicate work
• High integration costs between applications

To address these challenges, the AEX initiative developed cfiXML as a common data language that allows diverse software systems to communicate using a standardized structure.

Core Concept

At its core, cfiXML provides:

• XML schemas (XSD files) defining structured engineering data
• Standardized objects and data types representing equipment and engineering concepts
• Reusable components enabling consistent modeling across different equipment types
• Extensible architecture allowing organizations to add custom data without breaking compatibility

Because it is built on XML, cfiXML is platform-independent and readable by a wide range of software tools and programming environments.

Scope of the Standard

cfiXML is designed to support information exchange for equipment and engineering data throughout the facility lifecycle, including:

• Conceptual design
• Detailed engineering
• Procurement and vendor data exchange
• Installation and commissioning
• Operations and maintenance

The schemas can represent a wide range of engineering objects, including:

Equipment

Examples include:

• Centrifugal pumps
• Fans and compressors
• Heat exchangers
• Electric motors
• Valves and piping components
• HVAC equipment

Engineering Documents

cfiXML can represent structured data from engineering documents such as:

• Equipment datasheets
• Specifications
• Performance curves
• Procurement information

Materials and Properties

The standard also supports:

• Construction materials
• Physical and thermodynamic properties
• Material specifications

Process Streams

cfiXML includes structures to represent process stream data such as:

• Flow rate
• Pressure
• Temperature
• Composition

These capabilities enable complete modeling of equipment design and operating conditions.

Architecture of cfiXML

The cfiXML schema architecture is layered and modular, allowing reuse of common components across many engineering applications.

The primary layers include:

1. Core Data Types

Basic data types extend standard XML data types and add engineering features such as:

• revision tracking
• metadata
• list or vector data structures

2. Physical Quantities

Specialized types represent engineering quantities with associated units, such as:

• pressure
• temperature
• flow rate
• power

3. Core Objects

Reusable engineering objects represent common entities such as:

• documents
• projects
• organizations
• equipment items
• materials

4. Subject Schemas

Subject schemas describe specific equipment categories, such as pumps or heat exchangers.

5. Collection Documents

Finally, container schemas assemble objects into complete engineering documents such as equipment datasheets.

This layered approach ensures that new equipment models can reuse existing structures while maintaining consistency across the standard.

Object-Oriented Data Model

cfiXML uses an object-based approach to represent engineering information. In this model, an object acts as a structured container that groups related data together.

Examples of objects include:

• equipmentItem
• dataSheet
• project
• material

Each object may include:

• attributes describing the object
• relationships to other objects
• unique identifiers for referencing data

Objects can reference other objects within the same XML file or across different documents, allowing complex engineering data relationships to be represented efficiently.

Units and Engineering Quantities

Engineering data often involves physical quantities expressed in different unit systems. cfiXML addresses this through standardized physical quantity types, which define:

• the numeric value
• the unit of measurement
• allowable unit systems

The full cfiXML schema supports multiple unit systems, including:

• SI
• metric
• US engineering units

This ensures consistent interpretation of engineering data across different systems and geographic regions.

Full cfiXML vs. cfiXML LT

Two main schema variants are available:

cfiXML (i.e. Full cfiXML)

The full schema includes advanced features such as:

• object referencing
• revision and change tracking
• flexible unit handling
• complex data relationships

It is suitable for systems that use cfiXML as a long-term engineering data model or repository.

cfiXML LT (i.e cfiXML Light)

The LT version simplifies implementation for software developers by removing some advanced features. It focuses on point-in-time data exchange and typically uses SI units only.

This version is intended for applications that only need to exchange equipment data snapshots, such as procurement workflows.

Key Benefits

Adopting cfiXML provides several benefits for organizations in the capital facilities industry:

Interoperability

Different software applications can exchange engineering data without custom integrations.

Reduced Data Re-Entry

Engineering data can move automatically between systems, reducing manual work and errors.

Lifecycle Data Continuity

Data created during design can remain usable through procurement, construction, and operations.

Vendor Neutrality

Because cfiXML is an open standard, it is not tied to any specific software vendor.

Extensibility

Organizations can extend schemas to support additional equipment types or custom data fields.

Typical Use Cases

Common applications of cfiXML include:

• Equipment datasheet exchange between EPC firms and equipment suppliers
• Vendor data submission during procurement workflows
• Integration between engineering tools and enterprise systems
• Digital handover of engineering data to operations and maintenance systems
• Standardized equipment data archives

A frequently cited demonstration scenario involves the exchange of centrifugal pump procurement data between purchaser and supplier systems.

Industry Adoption

cfiXML has been developed collaboratively by organizations involved in engineering standards and software development, including:

• Fiatech
• National Institute of Standards and Technology
• Hydraulic Institute
• Electric Power Research Institute

These collaborations have focused on creating standardized equipment data dictionaries and validating the schemas through real-world engineering workflows.

Conclusion

cfiXML represents a significant step toward digital interoperability in the capital facilities industry. By providing a standardized, extensible XML schema for engineering data, it enables organizations to exchange complex equipment information reliably across software platforms and project phases.

As digital engineering, digital twins, and lifecycle asset management continue to evolve, standards such as cfiXML play an important role in ensuring that engineering data remains consistent, portable, and usable across decades of facility operation.