XSEM: a conceptual model for XML

Recently XML is the standard format used for the exchange of data between information systems and is also frequently applied as a logical database model. If we use XML as a logical database model we need a conceptual model for the description of its semantics. In this paper, we describe our work on a new conceptual model for XML called XSEM created as a combination of several ap- proaches applied in the area of conceptual modeling for XML.

Proceedings of the 2006 ACM symposium on …, 2006

2009

In this paper we briefly describe a new conceptual model for XML called XSEM. It is a combination of several approaches in the area. It divides the conceptual modeling process to conceptual and structural level. At the conceptual level, we design an overall conceptual schema of a domain independently on the required hierarchical representations of the data in XML documents. At the structural level, we design required hierarchical representations of the modeled data in different types of XML documents. In this paper, we further extend ...

Procedia Computer Science, 2012

Modern information systems may exploit numerous XML formats for communication. Each message may have its own XML format for data representation which causes problems with evolution of their schemas. Manual change management of the XML formats may be error-prone and time consuming. We tackled this problem in our previous work with the introduction of a formal two level conceptual model for XML which interconnects multiple XML schemas describing parts of a common problem domain on a conceptual level. This allows for well-defined and automated change management of XML schemas. In this paper, we extend our previous work with inheritance modeling. Because inheritance is common in XML schemas and conceptual models in general, its modeling is needed and makes our conceptual model more usable in real world situations. There are two basic types of inheritance when it comes to modeling: structural and conceptual inheritance. We discuss the differences and how these two types need to be reflected in our model.

Data & Knowledge Engineering, 2005

XML was initially developed for document management, but it is becoming increasingly used for storing and exchanging all kinds of data on the Internet. In this paper, we introduce a design methodology for XML schemas that is based upon well-understood conceptual modeling methodologies. Because XML is hierarchical (tree-structured), many different XML schemas (or document structures) can be generated from the same conceptual database schema. We describe algorithms for generating customized hierarchical views from EER model, creating XML schemas from hierarchical views, generating SQL queries corresponding to the XML schemas, and creating XML instance documents from the query results.

2007

Because XML has become a new standard for data representation, there is a need for a simple conceptual model that works well with XML-based development. In this research we present a conceptual model for XML, called C-XML, which meets this new need of systems analysts who store their data using XML. We describe our implementation of an automatic conversion from XML Schema to C-XML that preserves information and constraints. With this conversion, we can view an XML Schema instance graphically at a higher level of abstraction. We also describe our implementation of an automatic conversion from C-XML to XML Schema. Our conversion preserves information and constraints as long as we count the special C-XML comments that we insert in an XML-Schema instance to capture the constraints in C-XML that are not representable in XML Schema. In connection with defining C-XML and implementing conversions between C-XML and XML Schema, we are also able to make several insightful observations. We poin...

2013

In this article the conceptual model EMX (Entity Model for XML-Schema) for dealing with the evolution of XML Schema (XSD) is introduced. The model is a simplied representation of an XSD, which hides the complexity of XSD and oers a graphical presentation. For this purpose a unique mapping is necessary which is presented as well as further information about the visualization and the logical structure. A small example illustrates the relationships between an XSD and an EMX. Finally, the integration into a developed research prototype for dealing with the coevolution of corresponding XML documents is presented.

2011

Over the years, a lot of course material has been developed to explain to undergraduate students the fundamentals of XML, and schema languages such as DTD and XML-Schema. Typically, the syntax of these languages is discussed and examples are given. How to find a schema for some XML content is often not covered by the material. As a result, students have problems to start with modeling a complex schema, many of their inferred XML schemas are too liberal, and some are even incorrect. In this paper we present a systematic approach for modeling XML content models based on rewriting regular expressions. A smallscale experiment has demonstrated that the quality of the models is improved, and that the approach helps students to begin modeling XML content.

This paper provides a formal specification in Z of a conceptual model for an XML document called Graph-Document Type Definition (G-DTD). This model has been used for describing XML documents at the schema level and also assists the user to arrange the content of XML documents. More importantly G-DTD can be used as a tool to simplify the XML document design in a simple and precise way. The specification presented here provides a formal account of the state and operation of this model and a sound basis for instantiations of the model to be built.

Logics for Emerging Applications of Databases, 2004