[XML-DEV Mailing List Archive Home] [By Thread] [By Date] [Recent Entries] [Reply To This Message] Re: XML Vocabularies for Large Systems - 3 Philosophically Dif
Roger, for the purpose of your question, does a schema that holds multiple possible root elements (currency lists, financial data, etc. etc.) count as a "single large vocabulary" or as a "collection of simple vocabularies"? The schema I'm thinking of has multiple possible root elements, but then on the other hand there is element reuse going on... Christian > Hi Folks, > I am interested in hearing about the nature of XML vocabularies that are > being created for large systems. I am particularly interested in hearing > from people who have been successful in using simple XML vocabularies to > implement the complexities of varied data in large systems. > Allow me to explain further... > DEFINITION > XML Vocabulary: an XML vocabulary is the collection of tags that is used to > markup data. For example, this data: > Borders Bookstore, 20 Boylston Avenue, Boston, MA, 01320 > may be marked-up using this XML vocabulary: > <Addressee>, <Street>, <City>, <State>, <Zipcode>. > This later constitutes an XML vocabulary for U.S. Mailing Addresses. > SYSTEMS OF INTEREST > My interest is in large systems, where the variety of data is large, and > in the nature of XML vocabularies for such systems. > ISSUE - NATURE OF XML VOCABULARIES FOR LARGE SYSTEMS > I identify three philosophically different approaches to the creation of > an XML vocabulary for a large system: > a. Create multiple, simple XML vocabularies. > b. Create a single, simple XML vocabulary that is used in multiple ways. > c. Create a single, large, complex XML vocabulary. > Let us examine each of these approaches: > a. Create multiple, simple XML vocabularies > In daily life we encounter many analogues to this approach. For example, > the postal service has its own simple vocabulary - addressee, street, > city, state, and zipcode; a restaurant has its own menu vocabulary - > appetizer, entree, dessert, and side dishes. I am sure that you can > think of many other examples. We live in a world filled with many > simple vocabularies, and (for the most part) we are able to move about > and function adequately with this multiplicity of simple vocabularies. > Likewise, in creating an XML vocabulary for a large system one approach > is to create multiple simple XML vocabularies. > b. Create a single, simple XML vocabulary that is used in multiple ways > Consider the XML vocabulary called RSS. It is a simple XML vocabulary. > Despite its simplicity it is very popular and powerful. Likewise, > Jabber is a very popular and powerful simple XML vocabulary. > A second approach for the large system is to create a simple XML > vocabulary that is used in multiple ways. For example, you may > have an RSS feed that captures one aspect of the large system, > a second RSS feed that captures a second aspect of the large system, > and so forth. The combination of RSS documents is used to > collectively capture all the data complexities in the large system. > c. Create a single, large, complex XML vocabulary > All the complexities of the large system are implemented by creating a > single, large, complex XML vocabulary. > QUESTIONS > Have you implemented a large system? Have you created an XML vocabulary for > a large system? Which of the above three approaches did you take? I am > particularly interested in hearing from people who have used simple XML > vocabularies [approach (a) or (b)] to achieve all the data complexities > in a large system. > /Roger > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > The xml-dev list is sponsored by XML.org <http://www.xml.org>, an > initiative of OASIS <http://www.oasis-open.org> > The list archives are at http://lists.xml.org/archives/xml-dev/ > To subscribe or unsubscribe from this list use the subscription > manager: <http://www.oasis-open.org/mlmanage/index.php>
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