Conceptual XML for Systems Analysis

Reema Al-KamhaSpring Research Conference

Supported by NSF

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Motivation

Since: XML becoming standard for data representation XML Schema to specify and validate XML documents

Thus,

Systems analysts who store their models using XML need a simple conceptual model that works with XML-based development

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Motivation

XML Schema Low-level implementation details Hierarchical structure Textual implementation

Conceptual models

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Conceptual XML (C-XML)

We have an answer to the new need of XML system analysts!

Conceptual XML (C-XML) is a conceptual model: “Model-equivalent” with XML Schema Represents the model at a high level of abstraction

Example of usefulness: integration of XML repositories

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C-XML

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Transformations between C-XML and XML Schema We need information- and constraint-preserving

transformations in both directions Transformations need not be inverses

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Transformation from C-XML to XML Schema

(Customer,CustomerName,CustomerAddr,Discount, (Order, OrderID, OrderDate, (Item, SalePrice, Qty)* )* )*

(Item, ItemNr, Description,Price, (PreviousItem)*,(Manufacturer,RequestDateTime,Qty)* )*

8: <xs:element name="Item">9: <xs:complexType> ...28: <xs:attribute name="ItemNr" type="xs:positiveInteger" use="required"/>29: <xs:attribute name="Description" type="xs:string" use="required"/>30: <xs:attribute name="Price" type="xs:decimal" use="required"/>31: </xs:complexType>32: </xs:element>

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Transformation from XML Schema to C-XML

56: <xs:group name=“CusomerDetails”>57: <xs:sequence> ...60: <xs:element name="Order" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"> ...77: </xs:seuence>78: </xs:group>

Algorithm overview: Generate object sets for each element, attribute Connected by relationship sets Nested according to XML hierarchy Re-code all constraints in C-XML

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Transformation from XML Schema to C-XML

Artifact of XML Schema

Artifact of XML nesting

n-ary relationshipdecomposition

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Integration

XML Schema1 XML Schema2

C-XML1 instance C-XML2 instance

Transform Transform

Integrated XML Schema

Integrated C-XML model instance

Integrated XML Schema

Tra

ns

form

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Integration

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Integration

Name

Addr

ID

ID-Nr

Month

Day

Year

Order

ConsumerDetails

Consumer

OrderDate

OrderID

Order

CustomerName

CustomerAddr

CustomerDetails

Customer

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Integration

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Contributions

A vision for applying conceptual modeling to support the need of XML systems analysts

A framework to support the vision Information- and constraint-preserving mappings between C-

XML and XML Schema Conceptual-level integration indeed properly provides for

XML schema integration