[DFDL-WG] Minutes for OGF DFDL Working Group Call, June 16-2010

Alan Powell alan_powell at uk.ibm.com
Fri Jun 18 05:38:21 CDT 2010


Open Grid Forum: Data Format Description Language Working Group

OGF DFDL Working Group Call, June 16-2010

Attendees
Steve Hanson (IBM) 
Alan Powell (IBM) 
Stephanie Fetzer (IBM)
Tim Kimber(IBM) 

Apologies
Suman Kalia (IBM)
Mike Beckerle (Oco)

1 Nils, defaults and unparsing   
Steve had done  thorough review which we went through.
Main points
- The 4th case of 'has a default' describes nils processing and shouldn't 
be included in defaulting as it don't always apply.
- required context not sufficiently described.
- parsing/unpasring rules can be claified if more clearly split into 
missing and not missing.
Steve will update draft.


2  OGF 29   
Chicago, June 20-22 
Suman may be able to attend subject to finding reasonable travel cost.

3 Current Actions 
Updated below


4 Trailing alignment with lengthKind delimited or endOfParent 
Is it sensible to allow Trailing skip bytes with LK delimited 

The grammar says that trailing alignment is applied before the separator 

So the parser must search for the separator then remove the trailing bytes 
from the value and length. 

@Data1   *Data2*#       -  Test1 value=Data1 length=5

@Data1*Data2*#          -  Test1 value=Da length=2   (do we require that 
the trailing data must be the fillByte?) 

But bear in mind that the grammar effectively says: 

     RightFraming = Terminator TrailingSkipBytes 

So the combination of dfdl:lengthKind="delimited" & dfdl:trailingSkipBytes 
would work when the delimiter is a terminator 

Steve was keen that there was consistent behaviour over different 
lengthKinds  so that we shouldn't just disallow trailingSkipBytes for 
delimited. We discussed allowing TSB when terminator was specified. Alan 
to propose wording. 
Alan suggested 'dfdl:terminator must be specified and not empty if 
dfdl:lengthKind is delimited or endOfParent.'
Agreed
It was noted that this emphasised that terminators and postFix separators 
do not behave the same.


5  More on bit oriented formats 
Steve has been looking at a bit oriented format from the space industry 

The 'unused' fields could be defined as hidden or as leading/trailing skip 
bytes of a nearby field. But LSB and TSB are specified in bytes only. 
Steve proposed that LSB and TSB should be renamed leadingSkip and 
trailingSkip and can be specified in bits or bytes as specified by 
alignmentUnits or a new property skipUnits 
Ageed that it should be possible to specify bits.
- LSB and TSB renames to dfdl:leadingSkip, dfdl:trailingSkip
- units are specified by dfdl:alignmentUnits.
6 separatorPolicy with optional fields and variable arrays.
In particular:
- separatorPolicy 'required' with variable arrays 
- supressAtEnd with required fields that have defaults. 
Tim will dig out his original writeup
7 DFDL property types.
Tim has proposed more specific types for some properties. In particular 
separating the different kinds of entities. 
Tim and Alan discussed after the call
Confirmed that only inputValueCalc can have forward reference during 
parsing.
Meeting closed, 16:30

Next call  Wednesday  23 June  2010  15:00 UK  (10:00 ET)

Next action: 096
Actions raised at this meeting

No
Action 
094
AP: Improve DFDL property types
095
AP: Skip Bytes should allow bits
Ageed that it should be possible to specify bits.
- LSB and TSB renames to dfdl:leadingSkip, dfdl:trailingSkip
- units are specified by dfdl:alignmentUnits.


Current Actions:
No
Action 
066
Investigate format for defining test cases
25/11:IBM to see if it is possible to publish its test case format.
04/12: no update
...
17/02: IBM is willing in principle to publish the test case format and 
some of the test cases. May need some time to build a 'compliance suite'
24/03: No progress
03/03: Discussions have been taking place on the subset of tests that will 
be provided.
10/03: work is progressing
17/03: work is progressing
31/03: work is progressing
14/04: And XML test case format has been defined and is being tested.
21/04. Schema for TDML defined. Need to define how this and the test cases 
will be made public
05/05: Work still progressing
12/05: Work still progressing
02/06: Work still progressing on technical and legal considerations
16/06: work continues
085
ALL: publicize Public comments phase to ensure a good review..
14/04: see minutes
21/04: Press release, OMG and other standards bodies.
05/05: Alan and Steve H have contacted other standards bodies. Will ask 
them to add comments on spec
15/05: still no public comments
02/06: No public comments
16/06: Public comments period has ended with no external comments. Alan 
had posted changes made in draft 041. Steve suggested send a note to the 
WG highlighting these changes.  Steve also suggested requesting an 
extension as other IBM groups may review. We discussed whether this was 
necessary as changes will need to be made during the implementation phase 
anyway. Alan to ask OGF what the process is for changes post public 
comment.
086
AP: Nils and Defaults during unparsing - update table
31/03: TK to documetn use cases for parsing
14/04: Investigate new property to control empty string behaviour.
21/04: After investigation a new property is not required. New rules 
developed and tables updated.
Need examples of complexTypes to confirm tables apply. 
Review Nils, defaulting spec section.
05/05: Discussed defaulting complex elements. Tables updated but need to 
add terminator.
SH; to confirm WMD behaviour when infoset item has no value on unparsing
Need to describe defaulting choices.
15/05: More discussion. Alan updating sections
26/05: Discussed draft updates. Stephanie to confirm asserts do not make 
an element required. 
Alan will update draft..  All: review rest of draft.
02/06: Alan updated description. Please review.
Discussed Stephanie's example using discriminators. Decided no changes 
needed.
16/05: went through Steves comments. Steve to update draft.
088
define semantics of choiceKind 'fixedLength' 
31/03: TK to provide definition of calculable length.
Investigate  PL/I varchars and Cobol occurs dependingon.
14/04Tim had distributed a document starting the definition of calculable 
length for the longest choice member.
Alan had done some investigation of COBOL occurs depending on and when 
used in the working section of a program then the maximum storage was 
reserved but when used in the linkage section the dependent number was 
uses. We need to understand how the WMB COBOL importer deals with ODO.
21/04: Need to define 'calculable length' and WMB importer ODO behaviour.
05/05: TK: Still need definition of calculable length.
SKK: WMB COBOL imported behaviour with ODO
15/05: Suman sent an expmle of an imported Cobol ODo which suggested that 
the maximum space was reserved. He will extend the example.
02/06: no progress
16/06: no porgress
092
AP: Confirm behaviour of defaulting with various occursCountKinds and 
separator policies.
16/06: no progress
093
AP: Describe trailingSkipBytes for delimited formats.
16/06: wording above agreed. Closed

Closed actions
No
Action 
093
AP: Describe trailingSkipBytes for delimited formats.
16/06: wording above agreed. Closed
095
AP: Skip Bytes should allow bits
Ageed that it should be possible to specify bits.
- LSB and TSB renames to dfdl:leadingSkip, dfdl:trailingSkip
- units are specified by dfdl:alignmentUnits.

Work items:
No
Item
target version
status
005
Improvements on property descriptions 

not started
012
Reordering the properties discussion: move representation earlier, improve 
flow of topics 

not started 
036
Update dfdl schema with change properties 
ongoing

042
Mapping of the DFDL infoset to XDM 
none
not required for V1 specification
070
Write DFDL primer 


071
Write test cases.


083
Implement RFC2116


097
Remove functions that returns duration
041

 098
 occursCountKind="expression" is parsing only
041

099
nilValue and OccuresStopValue cannot have an expression.
On unparsing only outputValueCalc can have a forward reference.
041

100
Need to state in 4.1.2 Infoset that value is optional.
041

101
When dfdl:textNumberRep is ?zoned? only the pattern for positive numbers 
is used. Only the following pattern characters may be used: 

  '+' MUST BE present at the beginning or end of the pattern to indicate 
whether the leading or trailing digit carries the overpunched sign, if the 
logical type is signed 
  '+' MAY BE present at the beginning or end of the pattern to indicate 
whether the leading or trailing digit carries the overpunched sign, if the 
logical type is unsigned 
  'V' MAY BE used  to indicate the location of an implied decimal point 
  '0' indicates the number of required digits (including overpunched). 
 '#' indicates the number optional digits.
041

102
Also  textNumberPolicy implies it applies to zoned, but doesn't state what 
zoned behaviour it covers. I think it should be consistent with 
binaryNumberCheckPolicy for packed, and control whether positive punched 
data is accepted or rejected when parsing an unsigned type, and whether 
unpunched data is accepted or rejected when parsing a signed type.
041

103
- textStandardBase 
- textStandardGroupSeparator 
- textStandardExponentCharacter 
- textStandardInfinityRep 
- textStandardNanRep 
- textStandardZeroRep 
- textZonedSignStyle 
041

104
4 Unsigned decimal 
Proposed solution: 
- Allow xs:nonNegativeInteger which enables unsigned unbounded integers to 
be modelled.  The problem to solve is then just for xs:decimal. 
- Call the new property dfdl:decimalSigned. It only applies to xs:decimal 
or user defined restrictions thereof.  It applies to all physical 
decimals, as its name implies (not just zoned or packed). 
041

105
AP: Describe trailingSkipBytes for delimited formats.
Alan suggested 'dfdl:terminator must be specified and not empty if 
dfdl:lengthKind is delimited or endOfParent.'


106
AP: Skip Bytes should allow bits
Ageed that it should be possible to specify bits.
- LSB and TSB renames to dfdl:leadingSkip, dfdl:trailingSkip
- units are specified by dfdl:alignmentUnits.





 
Regards

 
Alan Powell
 
Development - MQSeries, Message Broker, ESB
IBM Software Group, Application and Integration Middleware Software
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