[DFDL-WG] Minutes for OGF DFDL Working Group Call, June 23-2010

Alan Powell alan_powell at uk.ibm.com
Fri Jun 25 05:50:50 CDT 2010


Open Grid Forum: Data Format Description Language Working Group

OGF DFDL Working Group Call, June 23-2010

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

Apologies
Suman Kalia (IBM)
Mike Beckerle (Oco)

1. Current Actions 
Updated below

2 Nils and Defaults. 
Reviewed Steve's updates to the parsing and unparsing rules.
- it might be possible to simplify the nil processing in the rules by 
having a defintion up front.
-  'nil indicator set' need a definition 
- Discussion about whether 'usNilForDefaults' could be replaced by some 
way of defining a literal, out of band value for the default.
- 'value' used when should be 'output value'
- dfdl:emptyValueDelimietrPolicy description should be moved from 
defaulting section to initiator section.
- 'text markup' used in section 14.2 of spec 


3  DFDL property types and other issues. 

Tim has proposed more specific types for some properties. In particular 
separating the different kinds of entities. 
- Modify the meaning and usage of the type 'DFDL String Literal' and 
modify the remainder of the specification accordingly 
- Improve the description of DFDL entities to avoid confusion over the 
intended usage of raw byte values. 
- Clarify the standard sentence about forward references in DFDL 
expressions - the current text implied that the restrictions only applied 
to the unparser. 
1.1        DFDL Properties 
Not discussed
Properties on DFDL annotations may be one or more of the following types 

·        DFDL string literal
The property value is a string that represents describes a sequence of 
literal bytes and or characters which appear in the data stream. 
·        List of DFDL string literals 
The property value is a space-separated list of DFDL string literals. When 
parsing, if more than string literal in the list matches the portion of 
the data stream being evaluated then the longest matching string literal 
in the list must be used.
When unparsing, the first string literal in the list must be used. 
·        DFDL expression 
The property value is an XPath 2.0 expression that calculates evaluates to 
a value derived from other property values and/or from the DFDL infoset. 
DFDL expressions can be used to calculate property values, and to 
calculate logical values for simple elements.
·        DFDL regular expression 
The property value is a regular expression that can be used as a pattern 
to calculate the length of an element by comparing that pattern to the 
sequence of literal bytes or characters which appear in the data stream. 
·        Enum
The property value is a string literal that must be one of the allowed 
values listed in the property description. 
·        QName
The property value is a string literal that also conforms to an XML 
Qualified Name as specified in ?Namespaces in XML ? 
·        DFDL Simple Type
The property value is a string that describes a logical value. The type of 
the logical value is one of the XML Schema simple types in the DFDL 
allowed subset. 
·        Non-negative integer
The property is a non-negative integer value What does this add?
Integer
The property is an integer value.What does this add?

     1.1.1.1         DFDL Entities in String Literals 
     1.1.1.1        Character classes in DFDL String literals 
     1.1.1.1        Raw byte values in DFDL String Literals 

4. using textStringPadCharacter with charRef '%#r' on multi-byte encoding 
Not discussed

textStringPadCharacter 
DFDL String literal 

The padding character or byte value that is used when justifying or 
trimming text elements. 

A pad character can be specified using DFDL entities. 
A pad byte value must be specified using the %#r entity. 

DFDL validation rules 
- if a pad byte value is specified when lengthUnits='characters' then the 
encoding must be a fixed-width encoding. 
- if a pad character is specified when lengthUnits='bytes' then the pad 
character must be a single-byte character. 

If a pad byte value is specified when lengthUnits='characters' then 
padding and trimming must be applied using an array of N pad byte values, 
where N is the width of a character in the fixed-width encoding. 

Annotation: dfdl:element, dfdl:simpleType


Would adding fillByte  to dfdl:padChar enumeration make it clearer. 
padChar is a pad character (%#r not allowed) 
fillByte is a fill byte 

5. nilIndicatorPath and nilIndicatorIndex properties   
These properties seem a bit of an anomaly. Tim has suggested they can be 
simplified. 
Not discussed

Meeting closed, 14:30

Next call  Wednesday  30 June  2010  15:00 UK  (10:00 ET)

Next action: 096
Actions raised at this meeting

No
Action 






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
23/06: 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.
23/06: Still no comments. Alan will contact OGF to understand the rest of 
the process.
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.
23/06: Steve's updates to the rules discussed. See minutes. Rest of 
document needs updating.
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
23/06: no progress
092
AP: Confirm behaviour of defaulting with various occursCountKinds and 
separator policies.
16/06: no progress
23/06: discussed 
- whether when number of instances doesn't match specified number of 
occurrences is it an error or should missing instances be defaulted? 
Decided it is an error.
- defaulting occurs up to minoccurs unless separator policy is required 
when default up to maxOccurs and unbounded is an error.



Closed actions
No
Action 





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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