[ciq] xAL v.3.0 requirements

[Max Voskob <mvoskob@msi.com.au>]

Dear TC,

 

This mailing list has been quiet except an occasional msg from Ram about "another potential use". Do u mind if I break the silence? ;)

 

I had to revisit xNL and xAL on several occasions and it made me think again how we can do better.

xNL seems to be pretty straight forward, when xAL is ... well, it's too big for an average person to get his head around. I thought how we could make xAL simpler without sacrificing its features.

 

Please, take a look at the attached diagram.

The idea is to reuse the same structures (with minor modifications) and simply reshuffle them.

 

The core is an AddressPoint which is associated with different address representations and the recipient.

Any of the elements can be used on its own and represent an Address Point. E.g. a country or admin area can be an address point.

 

I see different layers of Address point:

1. Absolute geospatial coordinates (GPS for example)

2. Delivery instruction - a description how to get somewhere where there is no traditional address or the address is unknown. It can also include some other delivery specifics.

3. Postal - post specific delivery points such as PO Box, Private Bag, different postal codes and so on.

4. Traditional address - country, area, locality, street, house number, flat, room, etc.

5. Recipient - who the ultimate recipient is

 

We can separate these layers thru different namespaces and use them as needed and only if needed. The schemas will be thinner and easier to implement. It will be easier to connect them to other related schemas or customize for domestic purposes.

 

This is just the first cut of the idea. Please, let me know if I missed out any of the main entities.

 

Dear TC, please, give it a think.

I would like to hear your feedback

 

Cheers,

Max

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

logical model 20030310.GIF