RE: [soa-rm] Metadata

["Matthew J. Dovey" <matthew.dovey@oucs.ox.ac.uk>]

Having once written an article attempting to pin down the definition
(read definitions!) of metadata this is subtle.

Metadata is typically machine processable in that there is a machine
processable structure - although the contents within that structure may
not necessarily be machine processable.

i.e. consider the following

<service>
  <name>A Service</name>
  <description>This is a service</description>
  <input>
    <name>foo</name>
    <type>integer</type>
  </input>
  <output>
    <name>bar</name>
    <type>string</name>
  </output>
</service>

The contents of input and output (and subelements) are fully machine
processable (or at least should be). The contents of name and
description are not.

It is, however, very unlikely that you will have metadata which is not
structured at some level (i.e. completely free text) and hence machine
readable to that level - although not impossible.

Matthew Dovey
Oxford University

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Behera, Prasanta [mailto:pbehera@visa.com] 
> Sent: 27 September 2005 17:44
> To: SOA-RM
> Subject: [soa-rm] Metadata
> 
> Is metadata == "machine process-able descriptions"?
> 
> In the 09 draft (section 2.2.3), it seems that we are making 
> that assertion.
> 
> I think "machine process-able description/information" is a 
> component of it.
> 
> 
> Opinion/thought?
> 
> (NOTE: This is not a formal issue against _09 draft).
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> /Prasanta
> 
>