RE: [ubl-ndrsc] Business Rules

["Burcham, Bill" <Bill_Burcham@stercomm.com>]

Folks have talked about specifying these extra-schema constraints in XSLT or Schematron.  To my mind, a central promise of the core components movement (if there is such a thing) and context-driven assembly is that implementation guidelines -- those sometimes-human-readable amalgams of ambiguity -- should be avoided in favor of decideable (formal) specifications.  Schematron adjuncts would take us a long way toward such a capability. 

Has LCSC identified any "business rules" that can't be expressed in XML Schema?  If so, perhaps we need to spin up a quickie effort to figure out what to capture in the spreadsheet and how we want to express the extra constraints.  When I think about that, I'm immediately struck by the extent to which this exercise will force us off the "abstract" versus "syntax bound" fence, to wit: we'll either have to use an existing language (e.g. Schematron) to express the extra constraints, in The Spreadsheet -- in which case we're gonna mix syntax-specific constraints with our somewhat-more-abstract model.  One way to avoid that is to use or invent some other (arbitrary) language that doesn't talk about XML thingies -- but only our made-up abstract meta-model -- and that'll slow us down (put us in reverse).

Perhaps our charter can save us here.  Items 1, 6:

To avert a crisis in electronic business caused by competing XML business-to-business document standards by choosing as a starting point an existing XML business document library as the basis for creating a new "Universal Business Language" that will be a synthesis of existing XML business document libraries.

Ultimately, to promote UBL to the status of an international standard for the conduct of XML-based electronic business.

Now granted, there's still our commitment  "To harmonize UBL as far as practical with the ebXML specifications..." but we should be OK there since I don't see a standard for these "business rules" in Core Components yet... do you?

 

-Bill

-----Original Message-----
From: Lisa Seaburg [mailto:xmlgeek@gmi.net]
Sent: Thursday, August 01, 2002 1:34 PM
To: UBL Rules
Subject: [ubl-ndrsc] Business Rules


 I found the following text as part of a XML guideline I was on the team to
develop.  I know we have skimmed over business rules as of yet, so I thought
it might help us get started on the idea of business rules and where they
belong:

XML Schemas support strong datatyping through the use of primitive and
derived datatypes.  Where possible XML data types are used to define data
elements and define business rules which are likely to apply to all
implementations.

XML Schema does not provide a mechanism to adequately define complex
(especially conditional) business rules.  In general, complex business rules
are not implemented by the XML Schema.  The enforcement of business rules
should be implemented by mechanisms outside of the XML Schema such as
·         an XSL stylesheet,
·         an Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) product
·         a custom program written by the trading partners

The Implementation Guideline document defines each transaction  and
associated general business rules and constraints.  Trading partners can use
the Implementation Guideline to define specific business rules for their
particular transactions and as a basis for partner-specific rules.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lisa Seaburg
AEON Consulting
Website: http://shell.gmi.net/~xmlgeek/
Email:  xmlgeek@gmi.net
Phone: 662-562-7676
Cellphone: 662-501-7676

"Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


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