Assuring Semantic Consistency for Data Interchange: How XML Users Can Benefit From Using a Metadata Registry

Published

February 1, 2004

Author(s)

J J. Newton

Abstract

The adoption of XML as the data interchange format for the Web presents a set of challenges and opportunities for data managers. While XML makes it easy to describe the format of information objects and the relationships among them, it does nothing to assure their semantic consistency. Supplementing XML schema descriptions with some mechanism to document the metadata helps determine the meaning of each object in relation to similar objects. One way to associate meaning with XML elements and attributes is through linkage to a metadata registry (MDR). Namespaces are used by XML structures. It is possible to apply principles developed for the establishment of standardized names through naming conventions to namespaces and the objects contained in namespaces. A metadata registry can be used to store names and assist with issues of naming and identification, metadata description and organization for XML artifacts. An MDR can assist XML users to maintain the link between XML components and their sources, and store metadata that would make XML structures unwieldy yet still retain access to the information. Meaning is maintained by using semantic components to form names; by using conventions within namespaces; and by using an MDR as a rich metadata resource to augment the sparse metadata descriptive mechanisms XML provides.

Citation

The Data Administration Newsletter, TDAN.com, 27, First Quarter 2004

Pub Type

Others

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Citation

Newton, J. (2004), Assuring Semantic Consistency for Data Interchange: How XML Users Can Benefit From Using a Metadata Registry, The Data Administration Newsletter, TDAN.com, 27, First Quarter 2004, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=150488 (Accessed July 27, 2024)