[DFDL-WG] Minutes for OGF DFDL Working Group Call, Sept-16-2009

Alan Powell alan_powell at uk.ibm.com
Thu Sep 17 05:46:32 CDT 2009


Open Grid Forum: Data Format Description Language Working Group

OGF DFDL Working Group Call, Sept-16-2009

Attendees
Mike Beckerle (Oco)
Steve Hanson (IBM)
Alan Powell (IBM)
Suman Kalia (IBM)
Steve Marting (Progeny)


Apologies
Peter Lambros (IBM)

1 Go through actions - 


042 - Variables. 
PL had distributed an updated proposal answering comments from last week. 
Although nobody had reviewed it thoroughly it appeared to be satisfactory 
so was approved. - Closed

044 - bidi (update emailed yesterday, please review) 
AP had distributed an updated proposal which was approved. Closed.
Will be incorporated into normal property section rather than an appendix

055 - Document which properties can take an expression 
Proposed list approved
dfdl:byteOrder 
dfdl:encoding

dfdl:length

dfdl:initiator
dfdl:terminator
dfdl:separator
 
dfdl:occursStopValue 
dfdl:nilValue
dfdl:textBooleanTrue
dfdl:textBooleanFalse

dfdl:inputValueCalc
dfdl:outputValueCalc

dfdl:niIndicatorPath  (path)

Subsequently added 

dfdl:binaryFloatRepresentation (can be specified externally in IBM 
products)
dfdl:occursCount (see action 57 below)


057 - semantics for occursCountKind ='parsed'   

Became a general discussions about arrays and optional elements.

dfdl:occursCountxxx  properties should apply to both arrays and optional 
elements so can be used to control the existence on optional elements.

dfdl:occursStopValue is always a logical value and applies to simple 
elements only. Literal values are specified as a terminator of the array. 
Spec needs updating

Enumerations for dfdl:occursCountKind should be:

'fixed'  - use xs:maxOccurs which must equal xs:minOccurs
'expression' - use dfdl:occursCount which must be an expression
'stopValue' - logical value to mark end of array
'parse' - use normal speculative parsing rules
'useAvailableSpace' - size deliniated by parent.

The semantics of dfdl:occursCountKind='parsed' are 
'parse as many as possible then validate against min/maxOccurs is 
validation is on. This is consistent with XML UPA checks as any other 
semantic would cause UPA failures.

To be approved on next call

051 - scoping rules  (email from AP)
Not discussed but AP agreed to redo SKK element reference samples with new 
rules

2.  OGF meeting in Banff
Too late for Banff meeting but should aim to present completed spec in 
Munich 03/10. MB suggested that we host a webinar in 01/10 to publicise 
the spec. 
 

3   Suman  has requested a change in the WG call time to either 13:00 UK 
(8:00 US ET ). I would also like to reccommend extending the call to 2 
hours as we are not getting though the work items. 

Agreed calls will be from 13:00 UK  (8:00 ET) for 2 hours

Next call 23 September 13:00 UK

Meeting closed, 15:20

Actions raised at this meeting

No
Action 




Current Actions:
No
Action 
012
AP/SH: Update decimalCalendarScheme
10/9: Not allocated yet
17/9: No update
24/9: Add calendar binary formats to actions
22/10: No progress
16/1: proposal distributed and discussed. Will be redistributed
21/1: add locale, 
04/02: changed from locale to specific properties
18/2: Need more investigation of ICU strict/lax behaviour.
08/04: Not discussed
22/04: AP to complete asap once the ICU strict/lax behaviour is 
understood. 
29/04: No progress
06/05: No progress
13/05: Calendar has been added to latest spec version v034 but still a few 
details to clarify.
20/05: No Progress
27/05: No Progress
03/06: No Progress (low priority)
09/06: No Progress (low priority)
17/06: SH to check ICU code for lax calendar behaviour
24/06: no progress
01/07: no progress
15/07: no progress
29/07: no progress
05/08: no progress
12/08: no progress
19/08: Inconsistencies are being found in ICU behaviour so Calendars need 
reviewing again.
26/08: Specific three character short time zones may not be  maintained 
during round tripping when there is more than one short form for a time 
zone offset. Because dates and datetimes in the infoset only maintain a 
time zone offset so on unparsing it isn't possible to say which short form 
will be selected for a particular offset when there is more than one 
possible. Need to document.
09/09: no progress
16/09: no progress
033
AP/TK: Assert/Discriminator semantics. AP to document. TK to check uses of 
discriminator besides choice.
08/04: In progress within IBM
22/04: Waiting for TK to return from leave to complete. 
29/04: TK has sent examples shown need for discriminators beyond choice. 
Agreed. MB to respond to TK 
06/05: Discussed suggestion of adding type indicator to discriminator. MB 
to provide examples.
15/03: Semantic documented in v034. MB to provide examples of need for 
scope indicator on discriminator
20/05: MB to provide examples of need for scope indicator on discriminator 
(but lower priority than action 029)
27/05: No Progress (lower priority)
....
19/08: No Progress (lower priority)
26/08: No Progress (lower priority)
09/09: no progress
16/09: no progress
037
All: Approach for XML Schema 1.0 UPA checks.
22/04: Several non-XML models, when expressed in their most obvious DFDL 
Schema form, would fail XML Schema 1.0 Unique Particle Attribution checks 
that police model ambiguity.  And even re-jigging the model sometimes 
fails to fix this. Note this is equally applicable to XMl Schema 1.1 and 
1.0. While the DFDL parser/unparser can happily resolve the ambiguities, 
the issue is one of definition. If an XSD editor that implements UPA 
checks is used to create DFDL Schema, then errors will be flagged. DFDL 
may have to adopt the position that: 
a)DFDL parser/unparser will not implement some/all UPA checks (exact 
checks tbd)
b) XML Schema editors that implement UPA checks will not be suitable for 
all DFDL models
c) If DFDL annotations are removed, the resulting pure XSD will not always 
be valid (ie, the equivalent XML is ambiguous and can't be modelled by XML 
Schema 1.0)
Ongoing in case another solution can be found.
29/04: Will ask DG and S Gao for opinion before closing
06/05: Discussed S Gao email and suggestions. Decided need to review all 
XML UPA rules and decide which apply to dfdl.
20/05: SH or SKK to investigate
27/05: No Progress
03/06: The concern is that some dfdl schemas will fail UPA check when 
validation is turned on or when editted using tooling that enforces UPA 
checks. Renaming fields will resolve some/most issues. Need documentation 
that  describes issue and best practice.
17/06: no change
24/06: no change
01/07: no prgress
15/07: No Progress (lower priority)
29/07: No Progress (lower priority)
05/08: No Progress (lower priority)
12/08: No Progress (lower priority)
19/08: Clarify that this action is to go through the XML UPA checks to 
assess impact on dfdl schemas and advice best practice. Name clashes is 
just one example. SH or SKK
26/08: No Progress (lower priority)
09/09: no progress
16/09: no progress
045
20/05 AP: Speculative Parsing
27/05: Psuedo code has been circulated. Review for next call
03/06: Comments received and will be incorporated
09/06: Progress but not discussed
17/06: Discussed briefly
24/06: No Progress
01/07: No Progress
15/07: No progress. MB not happy with the way the algorithm is documented, 
need to find a better way.
29/07: No Progress 
05/08: No Progress. Will document behaviour as a set of rules.
12/08: No Progress 
19/08: No Progress 
26/08: No Progress 
09/09: no progress
16/09: no progress
049
20/05 AP Built-in specification description and schemas
03/06: not discussed
24/06: No Progress
24/06: No Progress (hope to get these from test cases)
15/07: No progress. Once available, the examples in the spec should use 
the dfdl:defineFormat annotations they provide.
.....
19/08: No Progress (lower priority)
26/08: No Progress (lower priority)
09/09: no progress
051
Scoping rules.
MB: to document change to scoping rules to satisfy implementation concerns
17/06: MB and SH proposals discussed. Needs further discussion
24/06: AP to update presentation with latest proosal
24/06: AP had updated presentation. MB to review
08/07: Discussed at length. Simple types will now take annotations. 
Variables will be used for parameters.
15/07: No further progress. Needs final write up.
29/07: No Progress
05/08: No Progress 
12/08: No Progress 
19/08: AP will document new syntax rules.
26/08: No Progress 
09/09: AP has documented new scoping rules. Not discussed
16/09: Not disussed. AP to update element reference examples
054
ICU DecimalNumber/ Calendar behaviour
15/07: No progress
29/07: No Progress.
05/08: No Progress. This action is to discover and document ICU behaviour. 
DFDL will do whatever ICU does.
12/08: No Progress 
19/09: More examples of inconsistent behaviour discovered
09/09: no progress
16/09: no progress


056
resolve lenghtUnit=bits including fillbytes
12/08: No Progress
19/08: No Progress
26/08: No Progress 
09/09: no progress
057
Decide semantics and enumeration for 'parsed'  occursCountKind 
26/08: Subsequent discussion agreed on 'parsed' Need to agree semantics
09/09: no progress
16/09: occursxxx applies to array and optional elements. occursCountKind 
enumeration agreed. Semantics of 'parsed' are 'parse as many as possible.
059
9/9: define how encoding,  byteorder and floating point format externally
16/09: no progress

Closed actions:

042
MB: Complete variable specification.
To include how properties such as encoding can be set externally. Must be 
a known variable name.
06/05: No progress
20/05: AP to make proposal
27/05: MB proposed differentiating between input and output variables to 
avoid unnecessary evaluations during parse and unparse. Need to complete 
rest of variable specification.
03/06: Pointed out problem of declaring variables input or output when 
used to define syntax which is used both times. MB to update proposal to 
include how variables are set externally and how specific properties  such 
as encoding are set.
09/06: SKK to use example to dicument his proposal
17/06: SKK to refine proposal. Other aspects need progress.
24/06: SKK proposal discussed but not accepted. PL to document simpler 
proposal.
07/01: PL working on proposal
15/07: PL has distributed his proposal. SH, MB and SKK have commented. 
Broad agreement in principle. Need to agree on better name for 
dfdl:variable to reflect the annotation's purpose. PL to update proposal.
15/07: No Progress 
29/07: No Progress 
05/08: SH and others had commented on Variables [Draft proposal - 
20090715].doc. SH stated that fixOnMatch is not needed in dfdl v1.0
MB will document how to implement fixOnMatch behaviour with existing 
function.  PL to update proposal
12/08: PL to update proposal with SKK examples.
17/08: Chase PL for update
26/08: PL distributed updated proposal. Agreement in principle but some 
parts need clarification
- Clearer description of only one setVariable allowed even when default 
specified. State table is correct though.
- Should document that there is no implied order of defineVariable and 
other annotations such as defineFormat which might refer to a variable
-  Should not in the table that it is not an schema error to have multiple 
setVariables for the same variable defined in the schema but only one 
should be execute. For example a setVariable in each component of a 
choice. Although this can only be detected at runtime it is still a schema 
definition error.
- Send further comments to PL 
09/09: Discussed comments.PL to update. Created separate action for 
externalizing encoding etc.
16/09: Updated proposal approved. Closed
044
13/05:  Bidi
20/05: AP: will check what IBM products support.
27/05: Bidi is supported so will be needed in dfdl v1
03/06: No Progress
09/06: No Progress
24/06: No Progress
01/07: AP started investigation and documented issues. Suggest do whatever 
XML does.
15/07: No further progress
29/07: No Progress 
05/08: AP has been in touch with IBM bidi experts.
12/08: No Progress 
17/09: AP has been in touch with  WTX and IBM experts. Support will cover 
    1) Specifying bidi string in DFDL schema,
    2) Representaion in the infoset
    3) bidi propeties to describe instance data, including applicability 
to syntax elements
26/08: Initial proposal publish. General agreement. Send comments to AP
09/09: Discussed comments. AP to update
16/09: Updated proposal approved. Closed
055
Document which properties can take an expression
12/08: AP has distributed proposed list of properties and wording
19/08: SH to review proposal
26/08: SH agrees with proposal. Others to review.
09/09: Agreed
16/09: Closed



Work items:
No
Item
target version
status
003
Variables (from action 042) 
036
awaiting completion of action 042
005
Improvements on property descriptions 

not started
006
Envelopes and Payloads (from action 026)
036
awaiting completion of actions 026 and 042
007
valueCalc (from action 029) 
036
ensure all aspects documented
011
How speculative parsing works (combining choice and variable-occurence - 
currently these are separate) (from action 045)

awaiting completion of actions 045  
012
Reordering the properties discussion: move representation earlier, improve 
flow of topics 

not started 
033
Numeric data - what physical reps are allowed for what logical types (from 
action 020)
036
ensure all behaviour documented
036
Update dfdl schema with change properties 


038
Improve length section including bit handling

not started
042
Mapping of the DFDL infoset to XDM 

not required for V1 specification
051
Revised scoping rules (from action 051)
036
awaiting completion of action 051
052
add entity for  'one or more white space characters'
036

053
name, baseFormat, selector, escapeSchemeRef, textNumberFormatRef, 
textCalendarFormatRef, binaryCalendarFormatRef attributes only
036

054
Add occureCountKind='parsed'
036

055
Make dfdl:initiatedConet discriminating (from action 58)
036

056
bidi support (action 044)
036

057
Properties that take an expression (action 55)
036







Alan Powell

 MP 211, IBM UK Labs, Hursley,  Winchester, SO21 2JN, England
 Notes Id: Alan Powell/UK/IBM     email: alan_powell at uk.ibm.com 
 Tel: +44 (0)1962 815073                  Fax: +44 (0)1962 816898






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