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Subject: Re: [soa-rm] [issue:structure] draft 07, sect 2, line 201, Figure 2-1


Gregory:

I would like to suggest that the arrows be added back in to denote more 
specific associations.

1. Between Service and Service Description - since a service has a 
service description, and the inverse is true, let's leave the arrow 
out.  If we do have an arrow, I would be tempted to use the UML 
dependency convention to show that a service description should not 
exist without a service.  Cardinality is assumed to be exactly one in 
such instances.
2. Between Service Description and Metadata - a service description "is" 
metadata IMO.  Not sure if we have to have a specific component called 
metadata.  A service description is a "specialization" of the 
generalized concept of meta data.  I would be tempted to use the white 
box arrow from UML to denote the specialized-generalized association 
paradigm here.
3. Between metadata and discover ability, presence and availability 
(DPA) - not sure if "enables discover ability is the best way to express 
this since they are not both nouns.  One is a noun, the other is a 
concept.  Accordingly, the use of the word "discovery" in the box 
implies to me that it does enable discovery in some manner.  I am not 
sure what to suggest here.  perhaps just a straight line with no arrows 
or  the arrow pointing back at the meta data.
4. The line between data model and policy and contract - I am not sure 
that it is necessary to even have this line.  Not all contracts may be 
explicit??

Thoughts?

Duane

Rex Brooks wrote:

> While this is more accurate, it is verging on being too concrete, 
> though I would certainly allow it (Remember my initial position was to 
> start from scenarios and use-cases and abstract upwards rather than 
> model top-down as we are doing).
>
> Ciao,
> Rex
>
> At 9:39 AM +0200 5/20/05, Gregory A. Kohring wrote:
>
>> Duane,
>>
>> I agree that metadata has semantics, but in this case we are
>> interested in the semantics of the service, not the metadata.
>> Any diagram of this type will get too crowed if we have to
>> explicitly depict every possible relationship; therefore, we
>> need to restrict ourselves to the most important relationships.
>>
>> I think we now agree that metadata "documents" or "describes" the
>> semantics; however, a related question is
>> whether or not the documented metadata, as opposed to the semantics,
>> "enables discoverability".  In other words, if semantics is ubiquitous
>> as you say, then semantics cannot by itself enable discoverability
>> (if it could then everything would already be discoverable),
>> rather it is the documentation of the semantics which
>> enables discoverability.
>>
>> Following this line of thought, I would propose the attached diagram.
>>
>> -- Greg
>>
>> Duane Nickull wrote:
>>
>>>  Semantics are ubiquitous.  No matter if they are explicit or implicit,
>>>  they are present.
>>>  Meta data has semantics.
>>>  Metadata is a set of data declaring details pertaining to another 
>>> set of
>>>  data.
>>>  I am not convinced that semantics are realized as metadata.  In 
>>> fact, in
>>>  a reference model, nothing is realized - it is all abstract.
>>>
>>>  Duane
>>>
>>>
>>>  Gregory A. Kohring wrote:
>>>
>>>>  Yes "realized as" is not the right phrase here. Would you
>>>>  support "documented in"?
>>>>
>>>>  -- Greg
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>  Peter F Brown wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>  I like this diagram more. I think it's closer to my understanding at
>>>>>  least
>>>>>  of wherewe want to go.
>>>>>
>>>>>  My only question is: are the semantics *only* realised as metadata?
>>>>>  Or more
>>>>>  precisely: in a Reference Model, are the semantics of the service
>>>>>  realised
>>>>>  at all? Surely the metadata "realisation" is part of a reference
>>>>>  architecture not a reference model?
>>>>>
>>>>>  -Peter
>>>>>
>>>>>  -----Original Message-----
>>>>>  From: Gregory A. Kohring [mailto:kohring@ccrl-nece.de] Sent: 19 May
>>>>>  2005 09:24
>>>>>  To: Francis McCabe
>>>>>  Cc: SOA-RM; dnickull@adobe.com; mattm@adobe.com
>>>>>  Subject: Re: [soa-rm] [issue:structure] draft 07, sect 2, line 201,
>>>>>  Figure
>>>>>  2-1
>>>>>
>>>>>  Frank,
>>>>>
>>>>>  If I understand you correctly, then in your view there is little 
>>>>> to be
>>>>>  gained by distinguishing between syntaxt and semantics at this 
>>>>> level.
>>>>>  Hence, the "Service Description" is purely semantics.
>>>>>
>>>>>  Attached is another diagram which depicts this idea. Is this
>>>>>  consistent with
>>>>>  your ideas?
>>>>>
>>>>>  -- Greg
>>>>>
>>>>>  Francis McCabe wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>  
>>>>>
>>>>>>  While I like the direction in which this is going, I have a 
>>>>>> couple of
>>>>>>  issues:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  1. I do not see semantics as being inside service description.
>>>>>>  Semantics is an abstract concept that may be referred to but is not
>>>>>>  contained in any description.
>>>>>>  2. I am not sure why data model is broken out in the way suggested.
>>>>>>  To me, tehe data model is an asepct of the semantics of the 
>>>>>> service.
>>>>>>  3. I do not see a hard and fast distinction between syntax and
>>>>>>  semantics. Again, any syntactic constraints are simply part of the
>>>>>>  overall semantics.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  The *reason* for this is that while it is tempting to equate
>>>>>>  semantics with application semantics, that is not, in fact, a good
>>>>>>  slope to slip down.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Once you liberate yourself from that misconception, one beings to
>>>>>>  see all kinds of possibilities. For example, for an
>>>>>>  encryption/decryption service, its entire semantic model 
>>>>>> consists of
>>>>>>  messages with  encryption markers etc. etc. Is that syntax? Depends
>>>>>>  on your point of  view; to my mind it is semantics of a simple 
>>>>>> service.
>>>>>
>>  >>>>
>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Frank
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  On May 13, 2005, at 12:01 AM, Gregory A. Kohring wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>   
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>  Yes, this looks much better. Attached is a slight variation which
>>>>>>>  moves the semantics into the description. At one time, "syntax" 
>>>>>>> was
>>>>>>>  also explicitly mentioned as being part of the description. Has
>>>>>>>  that been dropped?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>  -- Greg
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>  Duane Nickull wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>     
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>  Does something like this make more sense than a stack diagram. 
>>>>>>>>  This is
>>>>>>>>  uses a multi-layered approach to group things and reduce the
>>>>>>>>  number of lines.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>  Duane
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>  Duane Nickull wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>       
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>  The issue we had with the concept map is we ended up with a
>>>>>>>>>  proliferation of arrows for items like "semantics" and security
>>>>>>>>>  since
>>>>>>>>>  they are omni-present.   We tried various other depictions and
>>>>>>>>>  finally
>>>>>>>>>  came to the stack.  I agree that the stack alone is not
>>>>>>>>>  sufficient and also lends itself to ambiguity so we agreed to
>>>>>>>>>  place some text by
>>>>>>>>>          
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>  it.
>>>>>
>>>>>  
>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>  There are standard conventions for interpreting stack diagrams.
>>>>>>>>>  For example - layers in the stack are only able to talk to
>>>>>>>>>  adjacent layers.  Layer n can interact with n-1 and n+1, but not
>>>>>>>>>  n+2.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>  The position of the vertical layers indicate they are relevant
>>>>>>>>>  to  each horizontal layer they are adjacent to.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>  In stack diagrams, there is no named associations present so it
>>>>>>>>>  is ambiguous.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>  Accordingly, one can infer the following from the diagram in 2.1
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>  Service descriptions (are associated with) services Policies 
>>>>>>>>> (are
>>>>>>>>>  associated with) service descriptions Contracts (are associated
>>>>>>>>>  with) policies data models (are associated with) contracts
>>>>>>>>>  semantics (are associated with) service descriptions, policies,
>>>>>>>>>  contracts and data models.
>>>>>>>>>  Services, Service descriptions, policies, contracts and data
>>>>>>>>>  models may all be discoverable and their presence and
>>>>>>>>>  availability known.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>  What I do not like is that it also separates the data model from
>>>>>>>>>  the service description and separates the contract from the
>>>>>>>>>  service description.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>  It may be better to go with a layered concept map.
>>>>>>>>>  Duane
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>          
>>>>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> -- 
>> ======================================================================
>> G.A. Kohring
>> C&C Research Laboratories, NEC Europe Ltd.
>> ======================================================================
>>
>> Attachment converted: Macintosh HD:figure1a.png (PNGf/«IC») (0006807C)
>
>
>


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