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About PPDM

Home > About PPDM: FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

 
What is the Public Petroleum Data Model Association?

  • The Public Petroleum Data Model Association (PPDM) is a not-for-profit organization based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada which develops and maintains a standard relational data model for the oil and gas industry. With over 100 members comprising petroleum companies, data vendors, software vendors and service companies, the Association provides a round-table process to bring experts together to build a fully implementable and business driven model. For more information please refer to the About PPDM section of our webpage or contact us info@ppdm.org.

 
What is the Public Petroleum Data Model Association address and phone number?

  • For details of the Public Petroleum Data Model Association's (PPDM) address, phone, fax, emails and other contact information.

 
How do I receive a copy of the free public Model?

  • The word Public in the Association's name refers to several key mandates of the Association:
    • that membership be open to any company, association, agency or individual,
    • that the technologies used for model development be open and independent of platform or vendor,
    • that membership direct the Association,
    • that the Model is open and non-proprietary,
    • that members vote to approve the Model ( associate members have no vote),
    • that funding is raised through membership fee or sponsorship by members.
  • The word "public" should not be confused with "free". The Model is available only through membership.

 
What do I receive for my membership in the PPDM Association?

  • There are two categories of membership in the PPDM Association: Voting Members and Associate Members. Associate membership is limited to an entity (corporation, individual, association, or agency) with an annual revenue less than $1 million. Voting Members fees are tied to revenue; larger members pay more. Only Voting Members have the right to cast a ballot in the Model approval process and for other substantial issues around the Association's business. The subtler differences in membership categories are explained in About PPDM.
    All members receive the approved Model and any interim Models which may be distributed in the membership year. The Model distribution package includes DDL statements (SQL92 Entry Level Standard) for Oracle RDBMS, entity relationship diagrams, table and column structures, primary and foreign key constraints. Detailed comments are provided for all database objects. Additionally, entity and attribute definitions are provided.

 
Are the membership fees yearly or one time?

  • Since the membership fees is the primary source of revenue for the Association, the membership is yearly.

 
Is there an initiation fee?

  • No, there is quite simply, the yearly membership.

 
How long has the PPDM Association existed?

  • The PPDM Association has existed since 1989 and was incorporated in 1991.

 
Who are the current members of the Association?

  • Currently, there are over 100 members. It is interesting to notice that the membership has representation from many categories within the petroleum industry including oil & gas companies, service companies, data and software vendors, regulatory agencies and research organizations. The membership is international, with members from all over the globe. Refer to the members page for more information.

 
What areas of the petroleum industry are covered?

  • A variety of subject areas has been covered in the Model. The main subject areas are:
    • Well/Wellbore
    • Production
    • Land
    • Seismic
    • Lithology
    • Reference
  • Of course, to fully describe all of these areas, a number of other subjects must also be covered. These include:
    • AFE's
    • Business Associates
    • Contracts
    • Contractual and Lease related obligations (financial or work related)
    • Division of Interest / Partnerships
    • Facilities
    • Geodetics
    • Meta model of PPDM
    • Mineral Leases
    • Named areas
    • Production reporting
    • Projects
    • Records management and circulation
    • Seismic acquisition, processing and interpretation
    • Source or reference documents / bibliography
    • Stratigraphic definitions
    • Surface access restrictions
    • Units of Measure
    • Well and well bore
    • Well picks

 
How soon do new members receive the model?

  • The Association distributes the Model and all related documentation (pdf format) utilizing a secured download from a ftp site.

 
Do you have an information package available?

  • Yes. However, we encourage you to browse through our webpages in preference to sending paper. That way we can ensure that the information is as current as possible.

 
How many member sites have implemented the Model?

  • Because we do not sell or license the Model, the Association does not have a direct means of counting implementations. However, many members tell us they are using the Model.

 
If I just want to remain informed about the Association without joining today, how do I get on a mailing list?

  • We encourage you to return frequently to our webpages for current information about the Association. We will also be encouraging the use of mailing lists; to be included on our mailing list, please contact info@ppdm.org

 
Is workgroup or committee work mandatory?

  • No. However, we believe that the greater the number or working experts available to be involved in the workgroups, the more business driven the model will be. Being involved in a workgroup is also an important means to assure that your business requirements are met. Remember, that these workgroups bring some of the foremost experts in their subject areas together around one table; that in itself is exciting to be involved in. It's also a great way to build your own network of personal contacts for sharing solutions. For which workgroups are active currently refer to the product development section.

 
If I get involved in a workgroup or committee how much time will it involve?

  • There are no rules around the number of hours required when joining a workgroup. Different roles within each workgroup require different commitment levels. Workgroup members find the process of belonging to a "virtual team" of experts a rewarding experience.

 
What is the difference between a committee and a workgroup?

  • A committee is a group of volunteers who are involved in decisions at the goverance level of the Association. A workgroup is a group of volunteers which are involved in modeling a subject area.

 
Can I initiate a workgroup?

  • Absolutely; in fact, all work groups are started as a result of member interest. Start-up of a work group begins with development of a charter document that describes the intent and scope of the work group project. The entire membership is solicited for participation and sponsorship of the project, the Board of Directors approves the project and work begins. In general, PPDM prefers to see representation from Energy companies, software vendors and data vendors on each work group.

 
Where/how do the workgroups meet?

  • Location and format are decided by the individual workgroups. Each workgroup will have unique characteristics and how and where must meet those characteristics. In the past, meeting locations have varied from city to city as required. Meetings can be held in person, through teleconferencing, or via email.

 
If I'm not on a workgroup, how will I be informed about technical changes?

  • The PPDM Association also holds technical forums in various cities to introduce and discuss the technical changes and directions with the membership.

 
Does the PPDM Association ever have business meetings?

  • The largest meeting is the Fall Conference, held in conjunction with our Annual General Meeting in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. That meeting is typically held in late October or early November of each year. We also have a Spring Conference, held in Houston, Texas, USA. We are open to suggestions for other conferences in other locations; please let us know if you have suggestions.

 
Does the PPDM Association offer consulting services?

  • No. Many of our members are specialists in offering those types of services to the oil & gas industry. We do not recommend or endorse any particular member/firm and advise anyone looking for expertise that they directly contact the individual firms. Refer to the members page for more information.

 
Is there software that is PPDM compliant?

  • Yes and No. The Association does not have a process of endorsement or approval for compliance. The compliance issue is complex and difficult to monitor; by the very nature of a data model, extensions can be added using the architectural principles to meet specific needs. Many of our members use the PPDM Model in their software which may or may not be extended as required. It is simply best to call and ask the vendor of choice whether they use the PPDM Model with or without extensions or other modifications.

 
Does the PPDM Association offer any other products?

  • The Association does not offer products in a commercial sense. To assist our members, we will share any utilities that we have found useful in working with the Model. They may help in migrating between versions of the Model or simply ease routine database maintenance. For more detailed information, contact info@ppdm.org.