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Deterministic Output

The DDEX Builder ensures consistent, reproducible XML output through deterministic ordering and canonicalization.

Overview​

Deterministic output means that given the same input data, the builder will always produce identical XML byte-for-byte. This is crucial for:

  • Version control and diffing
  • Digital signatures and checksums
  • Reproducible builds
  • Testing and validation

Key Features​

Stable Element Ordering​

The builder uses IndexMap throughout to maintain consistent ordering:

// Elements are ordered deterministically
let mut releases = IndexMap::new();
releases.insert("release_1", release_data);

Content-Based IDs​

All generated IDs are based on content hashes rather than random values:

import { DDEXBuilder } from 'ddex-builder';

const builder = new DDEXBuilder({
  deterministicIds: true, // Default: true
  idSeed: "stable-seed"   // Optional: for consistent IDs across runs
});

const result = builder.build(data);
// Same input = same output every time

DB-C14N/1.0 Canonicalization​

The builder implements Database Canonical XML 1.0 for standardized output:

  • Consistent attribute ordering
  • Normalized whitespace
  • Standard namespace declarations
  • UTF-8 encoding

Configuration​

from ddex_builder import DDEXBuilder

builder = DDEXBuilder(
    deterministic=True,      # Enable deterministic mode
    canonical=True,          # Use DB-C14N/1.0
    preserve_whitespace=False # Normalize whitespace
)

xml = builder.build(data)

Testing Determinism​

Verify deterministic output in your tests:

const builder = new DDEXBuilder();
const data = { /* your data */ };

const output1 = builder.build(data);
const output2 = builder.build(data);

assert(output1 === output2); // Should always pass

Performance Impact​

Deterministic output has minimal performance overhead:

  • ~2% slower than non-deterministic mode
  • Memory usage remains constant
  • Scales linearly with data size

Best Practices​

  1. Always use deterministic mode in production
  2. Set a stable ID seed for consistent cross-environment builds
  3. Test determinism in your CI/CD pipeline
  4. Version your data schemas to maintain compatibility

Troubleshooting​

Common issues with deterministic output:

Inconsistent Results​

If you're getting different outputs:

  • Check that deterministicIds: true is set
  • Verify input data is identical
  • Ensure no external randomness (timestamps, UUIDs)

Performance Issues​

If deterministic mode is slow:

  • Profile your data transformation
  • Consider batching large datasets
  • Use streaming for very large files