Re: [xml-dev] Additional semantics

[Stephen D Green <stephengreenubl@gmail.com>]

Hi Tim

 

Yes it looks initially like the UBL schema pulls in the semantic definition

but actually I think it fair to say that this was a secondary intention: The

primary intention being to allow a lookup in an external dictionary of

semantic definitions standardized outside of UBL by the UN/CEFACT

Core Components Library. When UBL was started, this library barely

existed (if at all) but was expected to be created over time. Hence the

implementation of ISO 11179 / ISO 15000-5. Effectively the DEN

(Dictionary Entry Name) should uniquely identify and entry in the

external data dictionary. UN/CEFACT was (and is) producing a

library called the core component library (CCL) and part of the idea

was, I think, that if you implemented ISO15000-5 and submitted your

standard's components (and entities) to UN/CEFACT you would

eventually have the library include any it didn't already have and then

you could use your DENs as lookups to that library. Perhaps this has

been superceded or perhaps will be superceded by something along

the semantic web lines of RDF. I guess it will then be up to someone

to extend or adapt the ISO 15000-5 standard to work with RDF - nice

idea - perhaps along the lines of the methods you are describing.

ISO 15000-5 doesn't specify the representation mechanism so I reckon,

at least in theory, it should be possible to implement it using RDF in

some way.

----

Stephen D Green

On 8 March 2013 15:57, Timothy W. Cook <timothywayne.cook@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Stephen,
Thanks for the example.  It is a similar concept.  However, it seems
that they pull the definition into the schema.  I don't think we want
that approach.  Mainly because linking to a node in a vocabulary like
SNOMED-CT means that you get a richer context than if you just pull in
one definition.

I am not sure I see where xs:appinfo is a security risk. AFAIK, the
element itself cannot activate any processing. It only enables the
application to understand the contents.  I originally did use
xs:documentation prior to thinking about adding these links.  It seems
to be more of which is appropriate.  In your example xs:documentation
is more appropriate, I think.

Certainly some things to think about.

--Tim

On Fri, Mar 8, 2013 at 12:47 PM, Stephen D Green
<stephengreenubl@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Tim
>
> In the Universal Business Language there is a similar use of xsd:annotation
> to store semantic metadata but here, rather than RDF, an ISO standard
> for data dictionary naming is used (ISO 11179 implemented via ISO 15000-5).
>
> Here it is what OASIS UBL (and ISO 15000-5) terms "DictionaryEntryName"
> that carries the semantic metadata reference
>
> e.g.
> <xsd:complexType name="BillOfLadingType">
>       <xsd:annotation>
>          <xsd:documentation>
>             <ccts:Component>
>                <ccts:ComponentType>ABIE</ccts:ComponentType>
>                <ccts:DictionaryEntryName>Bill Of Lading.
> Details</ccts:DictionaryEntryName>
>                <ccts:Definition>A document issued by the party who acts as
> an ....</ccts:Definition>
>                <ccts:ObjectClass>Bill Of Lading</ccts:ObjectClass>
>                <ccts:AlternativeBusinessTerms>House Bill of Landing, Master
> Bill, Bill</ccts:AlternativeBusinessTerms>
>             </ccts:Component>
>          </xsd:documentation>
>       </xsd:annotation>
>       <xsd:sequence>
>
> Note that the UBL method differs from yours in that it doesn't use appinfo.
> Instead it uses xsd:documentation.
>
> This was a deliberate design choice as defined in the UBL Naming and
> Design Rules:
>
> http://docs.oasis-open.org/ubl/cs01-UBL-2.0-NDR/cs01-UBL-2.0-NDR.pdf
>
> <quote>
>
> 7.10. xsd:appinfo
>
> The xsd:appinfo feature is used by schemas to convey processing instructions
> to a
>
> processing application, stylesheet, or other tool. Some users of UBL believe
> that this
>
> technique poses a security risk and have employed techniques for stripping
> xsd:appinfo
>
> from schemas. As UBL is committed to ensuring the widest possible target
> audience for its
>
> XML library, this feature is used only to convey information.
>
> [GXS12] UBL schemas SHOULD NOT use xsd:appinfo. If used, xsd:appinfo
>
> MUST be used only to convey non-normative information.
>
>
>
> </quote>
>
>
>
> Best regards
>
>
> ----
> Stephen D Green
>
>
> On 8 March 2013 14:28, Timothy W. Cook <timothywayne.cook@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I'd like opinions on this approach.
>> The goal is to be able to add semantics to complexType definitions via
>> links to controlled vocabularies or even Wikpedia, wherever ...
>>
>> I prefer to keep all of the information in one appinfo section of the
>> schema.  The applications will then know how to extract all of the
>> metadata including references to external source used in defining the
>> concept in each complexType.
>>
>> Does this approach (below) make sense? It seems to me an application
>> can use XQuery/XPath to examine and provide links to external sources.
>>  IS there a better, more standard approach to this?  I want to markup
>> added to the schemas not to the instance data as some people might
>> normally think of doing.
>>
>> Basically the rdf:about refers to the complexType in the same schema.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Tim
>>
>> <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
>> <xs:schema xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
>>   xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
>>   xmlns:rdfs="http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#"
>>   xmlns:mlhim2="http://www.mlhim.org/xmlns/mlhim2/2_4_1"
>>   targetNamespace="http://www.mlhim.org/xmlns/mlhim2/2_4_1"
>>   elementFormDefault="qualified">
>>
>>   <!-- Metadata section -->
>>   <xs:annotation>
>>   <xs:appinfo>
>>   <rdf:RDF>
>>     <!-- Lots of standard Dublin core metadata here -->
>>     <rdf:Description rdf:about="mlhim2:ct-a">
>>       <rdfs:isDefinedBy
>> rdf:resource="http://some_controlled_vocabulary.org/code_name1" />
>>       <!-- possible multiple entries -->
>>     </rdf:Description>
>>
>>     <rdf:Description rdf:about="mlhim2:ct-b">
>>       <rdfs:isDefinedBy
>> rdf:resource="http://some_controlled_vocabulary.org/code_name2"/>
>>     </rdf:Description>
>>
>>   </rdf:RDF>
>>   </xs:appinfo>
>>   </xs:annotation>
>>
>>
>>   <!-- Type definitions -->
>>
>>   <xs:complexType name="ct-a">
>>     <!-- assume some restriction definition here -->
>>   </xs:complexType>
>>
>>   <xs:complexType name="ct-b">
>>     <!-- assume some restriction definition here -->
>>   </xs:complexType>
>> </xs:schema>
>>
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