RE: ebXML Representtion of Metadata

[David RR Webber <Gnosis_@compuserve.com>]

Message text written by "Miller, Robert (GXS)"
>To support this recommendation, I propose the following condition be
satisfied for any document which claims ebXML compliance:

                                Compliance to ebXML specifications requires
that each XML element that appears in an XML document asserting ebXML
compliance shall: 
*       provide a pointer, either as an explicit attribute definition in
the
XML element usage instance or by prior reference to a default attribute
definition for the XML element to an RDF/XML representation of metadata
associated with the XML element
*       define in each referenced RDF at least such minimal properties as
may be specified as required for compliance by the ebXML specifications.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Bob,

I suggest you go and take an entry from either X12 or EDIFACT codes and
elements and attempt to generate the RDF for it.

If you get any meaningful results you can share them with us.  I believe
you
will rapidly find that RDF is a solution looking for a problem and is not
generally applicable to what you perceive as the actual problem you are 
hoping to solve here.

Sorry to be down on this Bob - but just throwing out a red-flag.  You've 
read the sales-pitch and the glossies - but until you actually try writing
this stuff - I think you will find it is wildly different from what your
perception
of it is.    (Remember this has to real simple to do - no PhD's needed!)

On a positive note - I'm currently working on XML schema representations
and plain old XML to achieve what I see as the business need here.
I hope to have something to share in a couple of weeks on all this.

My intent here is to provide something to further understanding of 
viable solutions - so that we can have solid examples to work from,
refine and ultimately come up with some definitive choices to pick
from.  

Thanks, DW.