Re: meta-specs (was RE: A few things I noticed about w3c's xml-sc hema)

["Thomas B. Passin" <tpassin@home.com>]

[Bullard, Claude L (Len]

> I'm wondering if for some projects, it isn't also
> the best way to start.  In other words, should
> one create a UML-like design if what is being
> designed is NOT an OOP, but simply the data
> exchanged?

You're getting dangerously close to my favorite design approach - which
really starts with requirements elicitation - namely, Ian Graham's SOMA
method(ology).  He advocates considering the system as interacting with
people (or other computer systems) via a series of (abstract) messages.  The
messages convey some data and a request, the return provides data or
confirmation or whatever.  It is the responsibility of various tasks to
accomplish the golas of the messages.

These tasks may - or may not - end up getting implemented by some set of
objects in the O-O sense.

This could tie in to your earlier post in that a person asks the system for
certain data (reports) - that might when generalized become  a requirement.

Cheers,

Tom P