Re: Object Role Modelling (ORM) or UML or ?? for designing Schemas

[Robin Cover <robin@isogen.com>]

On Mon, 12 Feb 2001, Inga Eckermann wrote:

> I would like to hear, which modelling languages and/or methods you use when 
> developing Schemas. [...]
> 
> I would be glad, to hear from best practices, experiences and maybe other 
> resources about this topic.
>
> Inga Eckermann

A couple weeks ago (see archives for late January) there was an XML-DEV
thread on conceptual modeling and mapping UML <--> XML schemas.
I wrote in that connection,

"...  My guess is that the syntax-centric
stranglehold will not be broken until there's a conscious focus
on conceptual modeling, accompanied by an unspoken agreement
that XML schemas and other markup syntaxes can readily be
generated from conceptual model notations..."

but the comment appeared to have fallen on deaf ears.  Most
people are apparently content to design in an environment that
does not test/enforce constraint-based relational semantics
at the object level; using visual-graphical modeling software
and syntax-centric modeling formalisms is "good enough, even
if not ideal..."

For some possibly useful references, see:

http://xml.coverpages.org/conceptualModeling.html
"Conceptual Modeling and Markup Languages"

Note the excerpt from Borgida's 1985 paper.

- Robin Cover