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Re: [ontolog-forum] Where does a taxonomy fit into a conceptual datamod

To: "[ontolog-forum] " <ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: Rex Brooks <rexb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 4 Mar 2006 11:06:10 -0800
Message-id: <a06230924c02f924fcc8a@[67.103.35.12]>
Hi Marc,    (01)

We have our second concall scheduled for March 10, next Friday, at 
12:30 p.m. EST. I will send you a message privately about it, since I 
doubt the Ontolog forum is the right place to discuss our agenda.    (02)

Regards,
Rex    (03)

>Hi Rex - How are you?  Please remind me, when is the next NCOR HIT call?
>
>Marc
>--------------------------
>Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: ontolog-forum-bounces
>Sent: 03/04/2006 10:58 AM
>To: "[ontolog-forum] " <ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: RE: [ontolog-forum] Where does a taxonomy fit into a 
>conceptual datamodel?
>
>Thanks Matthew,
>
>for the excellent technical discussion.
>
>I wanted to add some standards and application discussions to this topic.
>
>In the OASIS Emergency Management Technical Committee (EM TC) we have
>developed the Emergency Data Exchange Language Distribution Element
>(EDXL_DE) Specification . It is currently in the final days of a
>second 15-day Public Comment (PC) Period, subsequent to the initial
>required 60-day  PC. The DE part of EDXL_DE means that it is a
>subspecification of the EDXL family of specifications. This is a
>taxonomical relationship.
>
>Within the DE we have specified certain "Distribution Types" of EDXL
>Messages, such as Report, Update, Request, Response, etc. These are a
>subset that we determined it was necessary for us to specify.
>
>However, for other elements and subelements we determined that it was
>not within our scope to specify, especially where groups exists that
>either have already  published their own terminologies with
>taxonomies within them, or else there is significant reason for us to
>expect that there were or could be conflicts in how different groups
>might need to define similar or identifical terms. So, for those
>elements, such as Event Types, we specified that messages must cite a
>keyword which is associated with a published and maintained list from
>which an Event Type for that message is used.
>
>We specified that these lists would each be accessed by through a
>value list urn, which is available through the usual means.
>
>This kind of structure implicitly calls for a taxonomy but, because
>we must also make our specifications usable by different kinds of
>devices, including handhelds, we did not restrict this further.
>
>We work with practioner-developer groups as we do this work, to
>develop these taxonomical relationships in such a way that building
>applications that use our specifications will be facilitated. At
>least that is our aim at the same time that providing a standard aims
>to make such applications interoperable. However, that is another
>topic. The point is that, as with other fields where much standards
>activity is going on, it is likely that the use of taxonomies and
>ontologies will increase as experience develops and the practical
>benefits are documented.
>
>That last statement is another key to building the momentum of
>adoption of standards generally, and taxonomies/ontologies in
>particular.
>
>Regards,
>Rex
>
>
>At 10:34 AM +0000 3/4/06, West, Matthew R SIPC-DFD/321 wrote:
>>Dear Kathleen,
>>
>>Well as the person who is responsible for developing Shell's
>>conceptual data model fot its downstream business I will try
>>to answer this question.
>>
>>See below
>>
>>
>>Regards
>>
>>Matthew West
>>Reference Data Architecture and Standards Manager
>>Shell International Petroleum Company Limited
>>Shell Centre, London SE1 7NA, United Kingdom
>>
>>Tel: +44 20 7934 4490 Mobile: +44 7796 336538
>>Email: matthew.west@xxxxxxxxx
>>http://www.shell.com
>>http://www.matthew-west.org.uk/
>>
>>>  -----Original Message-----
>>>  From: ontolog-forum-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>  [mailto:ontolog-forum-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Kathleen A
>>>  Ellis
>>>  Sent: 03 March 2006 19:48
>>>  To: [ontolog-forum]
>>>  Subject: [ontolog-forum] Where does a taxonomy fit into a conceptual
>>>  datamodel?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>  This week, a member of our TaxCop (Taxonomy Community of
>>>  Practice) group
>>>  posted this question.
>>>
>>>      "I am working on developing an enterprise wide conceptual
>>>  data model. I
>>>     wanted to know how developing a taxonomy is useful for the
>>>  data model.?
>>>
>>>  My background is microbiology and library science. I have
>>>  only a vague idea
>>>  about what an "enterprise wide conceptional model" is.
>>
>>MW: A conceptual data model will be an entity-relationship
>>model consisting of entity types (classes) and relationships
>>between the entity types. The relationships may have cardinality
>>constraints. You also find subtype/supertype relationships
>>between entity types. They are traditionally presented in
>>diagramatic form, but can also be in a lexical form.
>>
>>Data models are usually developed as the basis for a database
>>design, where entity types potentially become database tables.
>>
>>The link below should give you more information about data
>>models and how to develop them.
>>
>>http://www.matthew-west.org.uk/Documents/princ03.pdf
>>
>>>  Since
>>>  the membership
>>>  of Ontolog forum seems to be very technical, I would like to
>>>  know how you
>>>  would answer this question? Here is some more background for
>>>  the question:
>>>
>>>     Here is what I have to do. I have several budgets such as
>>>  Finance, Human
>>>     Asset etc. Now I am categorizing my Finance subject area
>>>  into following
>>>     :
>>>
>>>     Fund Management
>>>     Payment Management
>>>     Cost Accounting
>>>     Receipt Management
>>>     Asset Management
>>>     Now I can sub categorize any of these category , i.e. Fund
>>>  Management is
>>>     categorized into following:
>>>     Account Structure
>>>     Budget
>>>     GL Account
>>>     Audit Finding
>>>     Available Funding    etc
>>>     Now you can see, I am developing this category, so where
>>>  is Taxonomy
>>>     here?  Here is description of my Fund Management :
>>
>>MW: Well many of these things are activities. In principle, they
>>could become entity types, but looking at these, they are
>>rather general groupings of things. The critical question would
>>be "Does the organization want to hold information about an
>>instance of a (say) fund management activity?" If the answer
>>is "yes" then you make it an entity type. If the answer is
>>"no" then you need to decompose fund management into its component
>>activities and ask what you want to hold about that.
>>
>>MW: GL Account is a good example of something where you will
>>want to hold the instances. You will want to hold the names
>>of the GL accounts and know which transactions have been posted
>>to them. So GL account would be an entity type.
>>>
>>>     "Funds Management activities capture the highest level of
>>>  financial data
>>>     and summarizes and maintains account balances by fund
>>>  structure. Funds
>>>     Management is also the primary tool for carrying out the Agency
>>>     responsibility of establishing a system and maintaining
>>>  official records
>>>     for ensuring that it does not obligate or disburse funds
>>>  in excess of
>>>     those appropriated and/or authorized. Information captures
>>>  processes
>>>     involved with Funds Management include budget preparation, budget
>>>     formulation, funds allocation, budget execution and funds control."
>>>
>>>
>>>     Does this description mean to Taxonomy?
>>
>>MW: Not much. This is an activity description. You need to pick out
>>the "things of interest to the business" from it (and more probably
>>from the definitions of its component activities). They are your
>>candidate entity types.
>>
>>MW: Taxonomy is split into two parts when you are dealing with
>>data models. The first part is in the subtype/supertype relationships
>>between entity types. So you might have in a data model entity types
>>
>>Organization
>>   Company
>>   Department
>>   Public Administration
>>   Charity
>>
>>Where the latter would be subtypes of the former shown in the data
>>model.
>>
>>You might also have an entity type called Product Type. Instances
>>of this entity type would themselves be classes, and will probably
>>have a subtype/supertype hierarchy. These instances will be held
>>as data records in a data base, and as such are usually referred
>>to as Reference Data (or sometimes Master Data). Reference data
>>is stuff that changes slowly in the business and is usually
>>contrasted with Transaction Data which is about things like sales.
>>Most reference data are classes, and so reasonably the subject of
>>taxonomy, but some are individuals, like organizations and countries.
>>
>>So after all that explanation, the answer to give to your data
>>modelling colleagues is that taxonomy is found in the subtype/
>>supertype structure of the conceptual data model and in the
>>hierarchies of the Reference Data held in the databases it
>>defines.
>>
>>>  __________________________________________
>>>  Kathleen Ellis - Assistant Senior Information Specialist
>>>  LINK -- Lilly Information and Knowledge
>>>  Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN 46285
>>  > Email: kaellis@xxxxxxxxx Voice: 317-277-4071 Fax:317-276-4418
>>>
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>>
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>
>
>--
>Rex Brooks
>President, CEO
>Starbourne Communications Design
>GeoAddress: 1361-A Addison
>Berkeley, CA 94702
>Tel: 510-849-2309
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>To Post: mailto:ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx    (04)


-- 
Rex Brooks
President, CEO
Starbourne Communications Design
GeoAddress: 1361-A Addison
Berkeley, CA 94702
Tel: 510-849-2309
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