RE: [xml-dev] Identifying the subcommunity which generated an instance d

["Michael Kay" <mike@saxonica.com>]

I don't look at it from this perspective.

Instead, think of messages. XML documents are messages, they have a sender
and a set of intended recipients. There is a purpose in sending the message.
The purpose of the message (what does the sender want the recipient to do
with it) can either be an explicit part of the message, or it can be
implicit from the context (the channel on which the message is sent). The
question of who sent it is one part of that context, but only a part.

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Costello, Roger L. [mailto:costello@mitre.org] 
> Sent: 25 July 2008 16:37
> To: xml-dev@lists.xml.org
> Subject: [xml-dev] Identifying the subcommunity which 
> generated an instance document?
> 
> 
> Hi Folks,
> 
> Last week we discussed approaches to creating a single XML 
> vocabulary that is used by diverse subcommunities[1].
> 
> The example we considered was a book community that is 
> comprised of three subcommunities:
> 
> - book sellers
> - book distributors
> - book printers
> 
> 
> Consider this XML instance document:
> 
> <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
> <Book xmlns="http://www.books.org";>
>     <Title>The Wisdom of Crowds</Title>
>     <Author>James Surowiecki</Author>
>     <Date>2005</Date>
>     <ISBN>0-385-72170-6</ISBN>
>     <Publisher>Anchor Books</Publisher>
> </Book>
> 
> It is generated from someone in the book seller subcommunity.
> 
> 
> Now consider this XML instance document:
> 
> <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
> <Book xmlns="http://www.books.org";>
>     <Title>The Wisdom of Crowds</Title>
>     <Author>James Surowiecki</Author>
>     <Size>5" x 8"</Size>
>     <Weight>15oz</Weight>
>     <MailingCost>$3.90</MailingCost>
> </Book>
> 
> It is generated from someone in the book distributor subcommunity.
> 
> 
> Notice that there is no indication within the instance 
> documents of the subcommunity which generated it.
> 
> 
> ASSERTION
> 
> Knowing which subcommunity generated an instance document is 
> important for knowing how to process the instance document.
> 
> 
> APPROACHES FOR IDENTIFYING WHICH SUBCOMMUNITY GENERATED AN 
> INSTANCE DOCUMENT
> 
> 1. Out-of-band: Provide the data about which subcommunity 
> generated the instance document out-of-band.
> 
> 2. Embedded data: Provide the data about which subcommunity 
> generated the instance document within the instance document. 
>  For example, here I added a "role" attribute to provide the data:
> 
> <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
> <Book xmlns="http://www.books.org";
>       role="book seller">
>     <Title>The Wisdom of Crowds</Title>
>     <Author>James Surowiecki</Author>
>     <Date>2005</Date>
>     <ISBN>0-385-72170-6</ISBN>
>     <Publisher>Anchor Books</Publisher>
> </Book>
> 
> 3. Processing Instruction: Provide the data about which 
> subcommunity generated the instance document using a 
> processing instruction.  For example, here I added a 
> "subcommunity processing instruction" to provide the data:
> 
> <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
> <?subcommunity role="book seller"?>
> <Book xmlns="http://www.books.org";>
>     <Title>The Wisdom of Crowds</Title>
>     <Author>James Surowiecki</Author>
>     <Date>2005</Date>
>     <ISBN>0-385-72170-6</ISBN>
>     <Publisher>Anchor Books</Publisher>
> </Book>
> 
> 
> QUESTIONS
> 
> Are there other approaches than the three listed above?
> 
> Which approach do you recommend?
> 
> /Roger
> 
> [1]
> http://www.xfront.com/single-xml-vocabulary-customized-for-sub
> -communit
> ies/
> 
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