Re: traceability of transactions

[Terry Allen <tallen@sonic.net>]

Lisa wrote:
| Issue from the Information Model:
| 
| Currently the information model supports traceability of
| transactions. That is, the information model requires log-type attributes
| that would allow one to construct the history of the registered item's
| metadata, based on the requests for creations, modifications and
| deletions. We all recognize that each registry should keep track of this
| information.  Should this functionality be standardized?

This is a generic issue (cf. WEBDAV) that can apply to any
set of information.  So I say, no, not by this OASIS TC.

regards, Terry

| Lisa,
| 
| Len Gallagher's initial response...(with his permission)
| 
| Boy -- this is a really tricky question - subject to various
| interpretations, but maybe a good one to get discussion going. The words
| "standardized functionality" is what leads to various interpretations of
| what should be standardized.
| My own response would be -- it is not necessary to standardize the exact
| entities used to model the "traceability of transactions", but it is
| appropriate to standardize an interface to the Information Model, e.g. to
| standardize a Query that asks "What is the log of modifications to a given
| registered item?" and to standardize the response as an XML document. In
| my mind, an appropriate response would be an XML document that represents a
| JOIN of the entities, SUBMISSION, CONTACT, REQUEST, and IMPACT, producing
| output with XML Elements something like:
| Date ImpactCode ContactName ContactOrg ContactEmail
| RequestXML
| The Information Model would not have to be implemented directly; instead,
| it would just be used to "define" what the output of the standardized Query
| looks like. However, the Information Model would have to be standardized
| as a definition in order to make this work.
| Does that make sense?
| Or to state it more generally: It is desirable to standardize both an
| Information Model and an API to that model. The Information Model need not
| be implemented as specified; instead, the API must be implemented.
| Conformance would be determined with respect to the API only, not to any
| implementation of the Information Model.
| -- Len
| 
| 
|