Open Grid Forum: Data Format Description Language Working Group

OGF DFDL Working Group Call, December-23-2009

Attendees
Mike Beckerle (Oco)
Steve Hanson (IBM)
Alan Powell (IBM)
Steve Marting (Progeny)
Stephanie Fetzer (IBM)
Peter Lambros (IBM)

Apologies
Suman Kalia (IBM)
Tim Kimber (IBM)

1. 045 - Disciminators
Briefly discussed WTX. Stephanie will provide more documentation and invite Bob Connelly to Jan 6 WG call

2. Does the parser/serializer have to start on a global element?
Confirmed agreement to remove of dfdl:documentRoot property
Alan will send Suman a separate note to alert him.

3. LengthUnits = 'bits'
Reviewed Mike's proposal and general agreement.
Items to add
- Clarification of lengthKinds permitted.
- Noted dfdl:lengthKind implicit does not use dfdl:lengthUnits as currently stated in the spec
- LengthUnits='bits' could be allowed for other schema types so long as the number of bits is a multiple of 8
- Clarification of how bits are mapped from logical to physical on parsing and unparsing when the lengths are different
- dfdl:binaryBooleanxxxRep should be unsignedInt rather than integer

Mike will update the proposal

4. Semantics of length=0
Steve H to investigate

5. Byte Order Mark and Unicode signature
Tim has investigated ICU behavior and it looks OK. Agreed that BOM will be treated as a unicode code point and part on the content

6. Go through remaining actions
Updated below

7. Draft 037 review
IBM implementation team and Steve H have submitted comments. Next draft will be issued In January when mpre comments have been received.

Agree terminology

Agreed that:
-A schema has components which have dfdl annotations
.- Dfdl annotations have properties (same as XSDL) but need to distinguish between format/representation properties and other properties such as name, ref, selector.

-The data stream has elements (which is consistent with the grammar)
-The infoset has items

Noted we are behind schedule

Activity		Schedule	Who
Complete Action items		- 18 Dec 2009	WG
Complete Spec	Write up work items	– 23 Dec 2009	AP
	Restructure and complete specification	- 23 Dec 2009	AP
	Issue Draft 038	23 Dec 2009
WG review	WG review	7 Dec – 08 Jan 2010	WG
	Incorporate review comments	4 Jan - 29 Jan 2010	AP +
	Issue Draft 039	15 Jan 2010
	Incorporate review comments	4 Jan - 29 Jan 2010	AP +
	Issue Draft 040	29 Jan 2010
Initial OGF Editor Review	Initial Editor review	1 Feb - 1 Mar 2010	OGF
	Initial GFSG review	1 Feb - 1 Mar 2010
	Issue Draft 041	1 Mar 2010
OGF Public Comment period (60 days)		1 Mar - 30 Apr 2010	OGF
OGF 28 Munich		15-19 March 2010
Incorporate comments	Incorporate comments	28 May 2010
Incorporate comments	Issue Draft 042	28 May 2010
Final OGF Editor Review	Final Editor review	June 2010	OGF
	final GFSG review	June 2010
	Issue Final specification	30 June 2010
Publish proposed recommendation		1 July 2010

Grid recommendation process		1 Jan - 1 April 2011

Meeting closed, 15:00

Next call 06 January 2010 13:00 UK

Next action: 073

Actions raised at this meeting

No
Action

Current Actions:

No
Action

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
...
16/09: no progress
30/09: AP distributed proposal and others commented. Brief discussion AP to incorporate update and reissue
07/10: Updated proposal was discussed.Comments will be incorporated into the next version.
14/10: Alan to update proposal to include array scenario where minOccurs > 0
21/10: Updated proposal reviewed
28/10: Updated proposal reviewed see minutes
04/11: Discussed semantics of disciminators on arrays. MB to produce examples
11/11: Absorbing action 033 into 045. Maybe decorated discrminator kinds are needed after all. MB and SF to continue with examples.
18/11: Went through WTX implementation of example. SF to gather more documentation about WTX discriminator rules.
25/11: Further discussion. Will get more WTX documentation. Need to confirm that no changes need to Resolving Uncertainty doc.
04/11: Further discussion about arrays.
09/12: Reviewed proposed discriminator semantic.
16/12: Reviewed discriminator examples and WTX semantic.
23/12: SF to provide better description of WTX behaviour and invite B Connolley to next call

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.
...
14/10: no progress
21/10: Discussed the real need for this being in the specification. It seemed that the main value is it define a schema location for downloading 'known' defaults from the web.
28/10: no progress
04/11: no progress
11/11: no update
18/11: no update
25/11: Agreed to try to produce for CSV and fixed formats
04/12: no update
09/12: no update
16/12: no update
23/12: no update

056
MB Resolve lengthUnits=bits including fillbytes
12/08: No Progress
...
28/10: no progress
04/11: MB to look at lengthUnits = bits
11/11: no update
18/11: no update
25/11: no update
04/12: no update. ALan will set up a separate call to progress this action.
09/12: no update. ALan will set up a separate call to progress this action.
16/12: MB, SH and AP had a separate call. MB to distribute proposal
23/12: Discussed proposal. MB will updated

064
MB/SH Request WG presentation at OGF 28
25/11: Session requested
04/12: no update
09/12: no update
16/12: SH has changed request to a general session rather tha WG in the hope of attracting more people.
23/12: no update

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
09/12: no update
16/12: reminded dent to project manager
23/12: SH will send another reminder.

068
Should the roots of messages be designated.?
09/12: Yes. New dfdl:documentRoot property
Closed
16/12: reopened and decided to drop property subject to agreement from SKK and SF
23/12: SKK review decision to drop dfdl:documentRoot

071
Semantics of length=0, nil handling and defaults.
23/12:SH no update

072
Byte Order Mark and Unicode signature
23/12: Confirm BOM will be treated and part of the content.

Closed actions

No
Action

Work items:

No
Item target version status

005
Improvements on property descriptions not started

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

036
Update dfdl schema with change properties ongoing

038
Improve length section including bit handling some improvement in 036

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

069
ICU fractional seconds

070
Write DFDL primer

071
Write test cases.

072
it is a processing error if the number of occurrences in the data does not match the value of the expression or prefix

073
Rename dfdl:separatorPolicy="required" to "always".

074
- Last 'postFix' separator is not optional
- Terminators are mandatory.
- dfdl:documentFinalTerminatorCanBeMissing
- dfdl:documentFinalSeparatorCanBeMissing (Action (70))

075
Remove occursCountKind="useAvailableSpace".

076
dfdl:documentRoot, will be defined that can only be on global elements.
The DFDL spec does not have to define the format of parameters to the DFDL processor but will indicate that it must be possible to adresss any element.
Agreed that ANY element within the schema cane be the starting point for parsing or unparsing.

077
'delimited' means the item is delimited by the item’s terminator (if specified) or an enclosing construct’s separator or end of the enclosing construct designated by its known length or its terminator.
The definition of EndOfParent also needs improving.

078
document UPA checks

Alan Powell

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

Unless stated otherwise above:
IBM United Kingdom Limited - Registered in England and Wales with number 741598.
Registered office: PO Box 41, North Harbour, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO6 3AU

No	Action

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 ... 16/09: no progress 30/09: AP distributed proposal and others commented. Brief discussion AP to incorporate update and reissue 07/10: Updated proposal was discussed.Comments will be incorporated into the next version. 14/10: Alan to update proposal to include array scenario where minOccurs > 0 21/10: Updated proposal reviewed 28/10: Updated proposal reviewed see minutes 04/11: Discussed semantics of disciminators on arrays. MB to produce examples 11/11: Absorbing action 033 into 045. Maybe decorated discrminator kinds are needed after all. MB and SF to continue with examples. 18/11: Went through WTX implementation of example. SF to gather more documentation about WTX discriminator rules. 25/11: Further discussion. Will get more WTX documentation. Need to confirm that no changes need to Resolving Uncertainty doc. 04/11: Further discussion about arrays. 09/12: Reviewed proposed discriminator semantic. 16/12: Reviewed discriminator examples and WTX semantic. 23/12: SF to provide better description of WTX behaviour and invite B Connolley to next call
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. ... 14/10: no progress 21/10: Discussed the real need for this being in the specification. It seemed that the main value is it define a schema location for downloading 'known' defaults from the web. 28/10: no progress 04/11: no progress 11/11: no update 18/11: no update 25/11: Agreed to try to produce for CSV and fixed formats 04/12: no update 09/12: no update 16/12: no update 23/12: no update
056	MB Resolve lengthUnits=bits including fillbytes 12/08: No Progress ... 28/10: no progress 04/11: MB to look at lengthUnits = bits 11/11: no update 18/11: no update 25/11: no update 04/12: no update. ALan will set up a separate call to progress this action. 09/12: no update. ALan will set up a separate call to progress this action. 16/12: MB, SH and AP had a separate call. MB to distribute proposal 23/12: Discussed proposal. MB will updated
064	MB/SH Request WG presentation at OGF 28 25/11: Session requested 04/12: no update 09/12: no update 16/12: SH has changed request to a general session rather tha WG in the hope of attracting more people. 23/12: no update
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 09/12: no update 16/12: reminded dent to project manager 23/12: SH will send another reminder.
068	Should the roots of messages be designated.? 09/12: Yes. New dfdl:documentRoot property Closed 16/12: reopened and decided to drop property subject to agreement from SKK and SF 23/12: SKK review decision to drop dfdl:documentRoot
071	Semantics of length=0, nil handling and defaults. 23/12:SH no update
072	Byte Order Mark and Unicode signature 23/12: Confirm BOM will be treated and part of the content.

No	Item	target version	status
005	Improvements on property descriptions		not started
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
036	Update dfdl schema with change properties	ongoing
038	Improve length section including bit handling		some improvement in 036
042	Mapping of the DFDL infoset to XDM	none	not required for V1 specification
069	ICU fractional seconds
070	Write DFDL primer
071	Write test cases.
072	it is a processing error if the number of occurrences in the data does not match the value of the expression or prefix
073	Rename dfdl:separatorPolicy="required" to "always".
074	- Last 'postFix' separator is not optional - Terminators are mandatory. - dfdl:documentFinalTerminatorCanBeMissing - dfdl:documentFinalSeparatorCanBeMissing (Action (70))
075	Remove occursCountKind="useAvailableSpace".
076	dfdl:documentRoot, will be defined that can only be on global elements. The DFDL spec does not have to define the format of parameters to the DFDL processor but will indicate that it must be possible to adresss any element. Agreed that ANY element within the schema cane be the starting point for parsing or unparsing.
077	'delimited' means the item is delimited by the item’s terminator (if specified) or an enclosing construct’s separator or end of the enclosing construct designated by its known length or its terminator. The definition of EndOfParent also needs improving.
078	document UPA checks