16 October 2008

Test Post

Posted in Uncategorized at 6:03 pm by Mary McRae

SRU/CQL 2.0 Proposals

October 2008

The Table below
shows the current proposals for version 2.0 of SRU and CQL (current as
of the above date).  These have been proposed by the OASIS
Search Web Services Technical Committee.

For some proposals there is not yet consensus on an approach, and more
than one approach is listed.

Feature

Description
1. Element selection

Example: Client wants MODS records, but only the single element “dateIssued”.

Two possible approaches.

  1. Via element set names.
  2. Create a new schema with just those elements.

Approach 1 would require a protocol change. Approach 2 would not.

This requirement comes from an attempt to represent select
clauses. Consider the following geospatial example,

” select the geometry and depth from the HYDROGRAPHY
feature for the area of the Grand Banks.  The Grand
Banks are bounded by the following box: [-57.9118,46.2023,-46.6873,51.8145]. “

In CQL, that might be partially expressed as:

geo.feature=hydrography AND geo.bbox=/nwse

“-57.9118,46.2023,-46.6873,51.8145”

But “select the geometry and depth” cannot
be represented within the CQL expression, it could only be represented
within the SRU request outside of the query.
2. Same container

The classic example: “find ‘A’ and ‘B’ within the same
container element  ‘C'”

Introduce a new context set, ‘element’

  1. A   PROX/element.container=C  B
    or
  2. A PROX/element.unit=container/distance=0/ element.containerName=C
    B
3. ‘window’ relation

Find ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ ….. within a span of X words.

examples:

* dc.title window/distance<5/unit=word “fries salt
vinegar”

fries, salt, and vinegar all within a span of 5 words

4. boolean modifier ‘prox’

A not near B

Example:

A not/prox/unit=word/distance=3/ordered B

Find occurences of A that are not following within 3 words by
B
5. faceted search Two possible approaches.

  1. Via scan
    Add the capability within the Scan operation to scan a result
    set: Eliminate the scan clause, add a query parameter and
    enrich the scan response. The facets would then be the terms
    in the scan response, but only for the records that  match
    the query.
  2. Via searchRetrieveAdd a response parameter, “facetResults”, or more
    general, “additionalSearchInfo”.  Develop a “facet” schema
    (or more general “additionalSearchInfo” schema).   Perhaps
    add a request parameter to indicate that faceted results are
    requested, and which facets.
6. multiple query types Two possible approaches.

  1. queryType parameter
    Optional.  If omitted, there would be a default. (Either
    a standard-wide  default, i.e. “cql”, or server-specific.
    specified by Explain)
  2. Query parameter name implies query typeThe list of supported query parameter names is specified
    by explain.
7. Alternative Response Format Two possible approaches.

  1. Request parameterAdd a request parameter responseFormat.
  2. Bound to a bindingThus for SRU 2.0, the response format would always be the SRU
    2.0 response format defined in the protocol.  There could
    be a different binding for RSS, etc.
8. Depricate ‘operation’ and ‘version’ parameters Make these optional for compatibility with earlier version.
9. Non-XML Records Allow non-xml data in the response records, including value
by reference. These would be signaled by additional values for
the recordPacking parameter.  Exisiting values (‘string’,
‘xml’) would be retained, a value of ‘uri’ to indicate value by
reference, or ‘base64’ for base 64, or in general a MIME Content
Transfer Encoding type.
10. Result size precision Allow the client to indicate how much effort the server should
take to determine or estimate the number of records in the result
set. Similarly, allow the response to indicate the (estimated)
accuracy of  the result-set-size reported.

The server may be able to determine the exact number of records,
or provide a realistic estimate, but it may be an expensive process.
The server might prefer not go through that process unless the
client requests that it does so. Or the client might want to
explicitly request that the server go through, or not go through,
that process.

The client might want the first 10 records, or any 10 records,
regardless of how many records there are. In that case if the server
goes through the process of determining how many records there
are, it may go through an expensive process for nothing.

Or perhaps the server cannot determine or estimate the number
of records in the result set. The server should be able to report
this condition.

22 August 2008

How long will it take …

Posted in Uncategorized at 9:22 am by Mary McRae

… from the time you submit your specification for Public Review to come up for OASIS organizational membership ballot and the results to be announced? Well now there’s an easy way to find out. The same workbook that contains the Technical Committee Formation Scheduler (see prior post) has another tab entitled “PR to OS” and calculates the absolute minimum – that is, the earliest possible – timeline from Public Review submission to announcement of membership ballot results.

The worksheet has two tables – one for a 60-day Public Review and the second for a 15-day Public Review, should additional reviews be required or requested.

I’ve created a video tutorial to go along with the spreadsheet; the spreadsheet itself is available in both .ods and .xls formats.

Try it out, and let me know what you think.

What’s that date again?

Posted in general, TC Process at 9:10 am by Mary McRae

It seems that we’ve been launching new Technical Committees at an amazing pace and that’s a good thing. The OASIS TC Process has some very strict rules around the timing of a new Technical Committee launch to ensure that the requisite steps are completed as quickly as possible. All those rules can lead to quite a bit of confusion, particularly when trying to plan backwards – say, from the date of the first meeting, or the Call for Participation announcement. My notebook is full of such scenarios – each time a new date is suggested the planning starts again.

In an effort to make your life easier, as well as mine, I’ve built (with the help of Rob Weir at IBM) a spreadsheet that does all the calculations automagically. Enter a date in a yellow cell and each of the other milestones will display not only a date, but the day of the week (scheduling a conference call on a Saturday afternoon could result in poor attendance). There are three separate tables on the first worksheet tab:

  1. Submission Date Scheduler – enter the date of the planned/actual draft charter submission the OASIS TC Administrator to see the dates for each following step
  2. Meeting Date Scheduler – enter the planned date for the first meeting (either teleconference or face-to-face) and the charter submission date as well as all interim dates are created
  3. Call for Participation Scheduler – enter the planned date for the Call for Participation announcement and all prior and following dates are displayed

I’ve created a video tutorial to go along with the spreadsheet; the spreadsheet itself is available in both .ods and .xls formats.

There’s another tab in the workbook that will show the minimum timeline from Public Review through OASIS Standard ballot results announcement. More on that in the next post.

4 August 2008

Joining a Technical Committee

Posted in general tagged , , at 7:09 pm by Mary McRae

If you’re new to OASIS, there are two separate steps involved to join a Technical Committee. The first is to get an OASIS login and password. Once you have that, you can then sign up for one or more committees – TCs for short.

If you want to actively participate in the work of the TC you’ll need to join as a “member” – this gives you read/write privileges. Alternatively, you may just want to keep up-to-date with the work of the committee, in which case you can join as an “observer.” Observers are, in effect, “read only.”

This very short video shows the steps:

Joining a TC

Once you’ve completed the above process, there’s one final confirmation required before your name is added to the membership roster. You must be “approved” by your organization’s Primary Representative. If you are an individual or associate member, you will receive an email instructing you to visit a specific page and either approve or deny the request. You must complete this action. Once approved, you’ll receive an email to let you know that you have been added to the roster.

27 September 2007

Webinars?

Posted in general at 6:22 pm by Mary McRae

I’m currently experimenting with Acrobat Connect (formerly Macromedia Breeze). Duane Nickull was kind enough to secure an enterprise license for OASIS. Hopefully technical committees will be able to avail themselves of this free resource soon. One of the nice features is the wide range of supported platforms – including Windows, Mac, Linux and Solaris.

I’m also working on a Kavi training webinar that will highlight each of the components of the groupware application. The intended audience is all users; another webinar will highlight the additional functionality that’s available to Technical Committee Chairs and Secretaries. I hope to have it available as a download so members can view it at their convenience. I’m experimenting with another new tool (at least new to me) – Camtasia Studio – to do the screen recording. It’s actually quite easy to use and I think will work well for mini-tutorials. The final result can be saved in a number of formats, including Flash, Windows Media Player, and iPod, so hopefully I can accomodate our entire membership.

Wish me luck.

8 August 2007

Public vs Member-only URIs

Posted in spec writing, spec-related, TC Process at 4:17 pm by Mary McRae

When trying to access an information asset created by an OASIS Technical Committee and uploaded to the OASIS document repository, you may be challenged to enter a user name and password. The OASIS Technical Committee Process requires that all work of any technical committee must always be publicly available. So where’s the disconnect?

Like many content content creation systems, the software in use by OASIS Technical Committees was designed around a notion of “workgroups” where only those who are part of the group can view the information stored. When an information asset of any kind is uploaded into the document repository, a URI is generated in the following format:

http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/{tc-abbreviation}/
download.php/{uid}/{filename}

where:

  • {tc-abbreviation} represents the short name of the technical committee (i.e. dita),
  • {uid} represents a 5-digit unique identifier, and
  • {filename} represents the actual name of the information asset.

This URI is only accessible by OASIS members; that is, someone with an OASIS login and password.

There’s a little trick that will convert any URI in the format above into one that is publicly accessible. Replace “apps/org/workgroup/{tc-abbreviation}/” with “committees” and the resource will become accessible by all.

http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/
download.php/{uid}/{filename}

If you are passing along a URI for information that has been uploaded into the document repository, please be sure to use the publicly-accessible version. If you are trying to access a document but are asked to enter a user name and password, convert the URI to bypass the challenge.

NOTE: All information assets uploaded to the OASIS Library (docs.oasis-open.org) are publicly accessible; there is no notion of “workgroup.”

30 July 2007

Face 2 Face Time

Posted in Uncategorized at 7:58 am by Mary McRae

I’ll be attending OASIS face-to-face meetings this week – staff, Board of Directors and Technical Advisory Board. I’ll be checking email when I can, and I apologize in advance if I’m delayed in responding to your requests.

The following week I’ll be in Montreal for four days – attending eXtreme. If any of you are planning on attending, be sure to say hello!

26 July 2007

Why You Can’t Post to the e-Mail List

Posted in general at 10:10 pm by Mary McRae

When someone tries – unsuccessfully – to post to one of our e-mail lists I usually hear about it. With a little bit of investigation I can fairly quickly determine the problem and send a note with the requisite instructions. Here’s the most common problems and their resolution – hopefully I can help some of you avoid the frustration caused by a bounced message.

Trying to send to a Technical Committee Mail List

  • you’re not a member of the TC. Only members can post; that is, someone with the role of member, voting member, chair, secretary, or leave of absence.
    • if you’re an observer, you’ll need to:
      • leave the group
      • join the group, indicating “member”
      • await your organization’s Primary Representative’s approval
    • if you’re an OASIS member but not on the TC roster, you’ll need to:
      • join the group, indicating “member”
      • await your organization’s Primary Representative’s approval
    • if you’re not an OASIS member, we’d love to welcome you. Please visit the Join page. As an alternative, you can submit your comment, feedback, concern or request to the technical committee comment list. You can find out more information by going to the Technical Committee’s home page and selecting the “Send a Comment” button.
    • NOTE: if you are an individual or associate member, you will receive a message containing a link to the approval page. You must authorize yourself to participate in the TC before you will be added to the roster.
  • you are a member of the TC. Chances are you’re sending from a different email address than the one registered on our groupware application. Please check your account – note that you can set up a secondary email address.

Trying to send to a TC Subcommittee Mail List

  • you’re not a member of the subcommittee. Only members can post; that is, someone with the role of member, voting member, chair, secretary, or leave of absence.
    • if you’re an observer on the SC but a member of the parent TC, you’ll need to:
      • leave the group
      • join the group, indicating “member”
    • if you’re an observer on the SC as well as the parent SC, you’ll need to:
      • leave the parent TC
      • join the parent TC, indicating “member”
      • await your organization’s Primary Representative’s approval
      • once approved and on the parent TC roster, join the subcommittee as a “member”
    • if you’re a member of the TC but are not on the subcommittee roster, you’ll need to:
      • join the subcommittee, indicating “member”
    • if you’re an OASIS member but not a member of the parent TC, you’ll need to:
      • join the parent TC, indicating “member”
      • await your organization’s Primary Representative’s approval
      • once approved and on the parent TC roster, join the subcommittee as a “member”
  • you are a member of the TC. Chances are you’re sending from a different email address than the one registered on our groupware application. Please check your account – note that you can set up a secondary email address.

If you’re still having difficulties, feel free to send me an email and I’ll do my best to make sure the problem is resolved as quickly as possible.

10 July 2007

You Have an Issue With that?

Posted in spec-related, template usage at 7:33 pm by Mary McRae

Whether you’re just starting to work on a new specification or you’re working on Version 5.0, chances are you have some issues, problem spots, holes, or other things that need to be captured, tracked, discussed, and resolved before you call it a day. Oftentimes a question will pop up on a list that will identify a weakness or inaccuracy, or it could be something someone said on a conference call. Having a system in place can not only make everyone’s lives easier (no “lost” issues, no “backtracking” previously-resolved issues, the ability to track progress, focus discussions, etc.) it can also provide a public record of work to be done and decisions made to date.

Here are several options that are currently in use by various TCs.

XML

This one is my favorite. There’s a schema and a stylesheet that produces a wonderful report full of both internal as well as external hypertext links back to source documents or resolutions. You can always view the most recent list, or you can select any of the historical versions from the directory listing. In order to take advantage of this solution you’ll need someone to volunteer as Issues List Editor and be willing to work in XML.

http://docs.oasis-open.org/ws-sx/issues/Issues.xml

Spreadsheet

This is probably the low-tech solution — you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who isn’t familiar with using a spreadsheet for tabular information. The spreadsheet itself may be made available in several formats simply by uploading the file to the group’s document repository or by sending to me for upload in the OASIS Library (a/k/a “docs”). The advantage to the OASIS Library is that a single URI can be bookmarked that will always deliver the most recent version while retaining version-specific URIs; the downside is that until development is further along, upload access is restricted to the TC Admin.

(spreadsheet example)

Wiki

The wiki solution makes it easy for any TC member to add/update the Issues List. OASIS provides a wiki for each TC upon request. Previous versions can be viewed/compared.

http://wiki.oasis-open.org/xacml/IssuesList

Hopefully that gives you some ideas and you’ll find one of these methods perfect for your participants. If you’d like more help, you know where to ask.

28 June 2007

SLAs

Posted in TC Process at 1:52 pm by Mary McRae

Are you aware that there are published SLAs (a/k/a turnaround times) for TC Administration tasks? While the TC Process defines several explicit SLAs, we have tried to fill in the gaps. If you’re planning your schedule to target a particular date, you’ll want to take these into consideration. Of course my goal is to turnaround requests as quickly as possible, but oftentimes there’s already a queue.

Here they are:

  • Announcement of Public Review: 5 business days
  • Launch Committee Specification Ballot: 5 business days
  • Launch other Special Majority Ballots: 3 business days
  • Create Subcommittee: 3 business days
  • Announce ballot results: 3 business days
  • Requests to use external facility resources (such as systems support): 5 business days
  • Publish standing rules: 5 business days

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