Why convert IEPD to XSD?
An IEPD is built around its schemas, and developers usually want the .xsd files - the main exchange schema, the NIEM subset, and any extension schemas - for validation or code generation. Since the IEPD is a ZIP wrapper around those XSD files and documentation, unpacking it gives you the schemas directly.
How to convert IEPD to XSD
7-Zip FREE
Right-click the .iepd and pick 7-Zip > Extract Here, then collect the .xsd files from the schema folders (often under a base-xsd or extension directory).
unzip (command line) FREE
Run unzip file.iepd -d iepd_out and look for .xsd files inside the extracted subset and extension schema folders.
p7zip OPEN-SOURCE
Use 7z x file.iepd to unpack the archive on macOS or Linux, then gather the XSD schema files from the extracted tree.
About these formats
An .iepd file is an Information Exchange Package Documentation package, a ZIP archive that bundles the XML schemas, sample messages, catalog and documentation defining a NIEM or NATO…
Open .IEPD details →
.XSD
XML Schema Definition
An XSD file is an XML Schema Definition - a text file that sets the rules for what a particular XML document may contain. Open it in any text editor or, for syntax highlighting and…
Open .XSD details →Quality & what to watch
- The XSDs are extracted as-is; nothing is transformed, so schema imports and includes still point at their original relative paths.
- Schemas may reference each other with
import/include, so keep the extracted folder structure intact for them to resolve. - An IEPD can contain dozens of XSDs (the full NIEM subset plus extensions), not a single schema file.
Frequently asked questions
Where are the XSD files inside an IEPD?
Can I validate XML with the extracted XSD?
import/include references still resolve.
