Dictionary support

[John McClure <hypergrove@olympus.net>]

Since the DCN does have a dictionary of its own, containing terms important
to its membership, then how the ebXML handles dictionaries matters alot to
us. In the DCN, dictionary entries are used to resolve 'name' attribute
values, found on the element-types used to represent resources:

<Property xsi:type='Debt' name='Mortgage'>

Because the 'name' attribute is a qualified-name, then a default
dictionary-namespace is needed to resolve that name. Thus, the DCN needed
to define a Dictionary element. For identifying the default dictionary to
use for unqualified names, the DCN uses the 'xmlns' attribute, and for
qualified names mentioned in a DCN data-stream, the qualified 'xmlns'
attribute is used on a <Dictionary> element:

<Dictionary xmlns='http://www.dataconsortium.org/DCD100.XML'
		xmlns:my='http://www.dot.com/myRDFSDictionary.xml'/>

By organizational fiat, the dictionary must be an RDF Schema data-stream.
Now, if a company wants to define its own mortgage instrument, then it can
by inserting the proper statements into their 'myRDFSDictionary.xml' file
(ones hopefully indicating that their mortgage istrument is a subclass of
the 'standard' mortgage instrument defined in the DCD100.XML file) Given
the definition, the company may now use it in their instance data-streams:

<Property xsi:type='Debt' name='my:MortgageInstrument'>

In short, I haven't seen much information in the TA doc, at least, about
how ebXML is going to identify the dictionary(s) used in a data-stream,
what format they are to be in, etc. Maybe I am looking at the wrong
document, if so, please direct me!

Incidentally, the DC Dictionary is free, most particularly to DC members.
It is still in draft, and over this year it is to become stable.

|-----Original Message-----
|From: William J. Kammerer [mailto:wkammerer@foresightcorp.com]
|Sent: Friday, February 02, 2001 11:07 AM
|To: ebXML Core
|Subject: Re: Tag Languages, UID's etc. - My experiment with the Beacon
|BDR
|
|
|Martin Bryan assured us to "[have no] fear, BSR is the basis [of the
|core component analysis work] , but BSR cannot be used as is because it
|is too inflexible. BDR on the other hand is just too damn expensive to
|be of use to SMEs."
|
|So BSR is the basis.  Thanks for the confirmation, Martin.  Is the only
|problem with the Beacon BDR that it "is just too damn expensive," or are
|there technical weaknesses that make it unsuitable?
|
|But now David RR Webber says "we can load an ebXML registry with
|whatever dictionary a particular industry fancies, and then use the UID
|mechanism to build associations to ensure interoperability." Okay,
|that's kind of what I was asking: couldn't some XML artifact
|("imaginary" namespaces???) be used to say a particular name is defined
|by the BSR, or alternatively, the BDR, the HIPAA DED or the RosettaNet
|Business Dictionary?
|
|Martin says the BSR will be used [to some extent], and David RR says we
|will use "whatever dictionary a particular industry fancies."  There's a
|conflict here, but I have no problem either proposal.  It's just that
|you both say it so authoritatively that it sounds like somewhere along
|the line such a decision has already been made.
|
|David RR reminds me "that there are about 230 million Americans, of whom
|only about 60+% actually claim American as their first language - and
|that real English speakers worldwide far outnumber you!"  He forgets
|that as a vibrant young society, we're fairly fecund - our population
|now well exceeds 280 million, making us the third most populous country
|in the world.   Even if not spoken at home, English is spoken and
|understood well by over 95% of the population (of those expected to
|speak at all).  Probably over 200 million Americans speak it as their
|mother tongue with no real competency in another language! That far
|exceeds the combined populations of the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and
|Canada.  So there, David RR!!!
|
|William J. Kammerer
|FORESIGHT Corp.
|4950 Blazer Memorial Pkwy.
|Dublin, OH USA 43017-3305
|+1 614 791-1600
|
|Visit FORESIGHT Corp. at http://www.foresightcorp.com/
|"Commerce for a New World"
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