  Using recent measurements of the b-quark fragmentation distribution obtained
in $e^+e^- \to b \bar{b}$ events registered at the Z pole, the non-perturbative
QCD component of the distribution has been extracted independently of any
hadronic physics modelling. This distribution depends only on the way the
perturbative QCD component has been defined. When the perturbative QCD
component is taken from a parton shower Monte-Carlo, the non-perturbative QCD
component is rather similar with those obtained from the Lund or Bowler models.
When the perturbative QCD component is the result of an analytic NLL
computation, the non-perturbative QCD component has to be extended in a
non-physical region and thus cannot be described by any hadronic modelling. In
the two examples used to characterize these two situations, which are studied
at present, it happens that the extracted non-perturbative QCD distribution has
the same shape, being simply translated to higher-x values in the second
approach, illustrating the ability of the analytic perturbative QCD approach to
account for softer gluon radiation than with a parton shower generator.
