Conceptual XML for Systems Analysis Reema Al-Kamha Spring Research Conference Supported by NSF

2 Motivation Since: XML becoming standard for data representation XML Schema to specify and validate XML documents Thus, Systems analysts who store their models using XML need a simple conceptual model that works with XML- based development

3 Motivation XML Schema Low-level implementation details Hierarchical structure Textual implementation Conceptual models

4 Conceptual XML (C-XML) We have an answer to the new need of XML system analysts! Conceptual XML (C-XML) is a conceptual model: “Model-equivalent” with XML Schema Represents the model at a high level of abstraction Example of usefulness: integration of XML repositories

5 C-XML

6 Transformations between C-XML and XML Schema We need information- and constraint-preserving transformations in both directions Transformations need not be inverses

7 Transformation from C-XML to XML Schema (Customer,CustomerName,CustomerAddr,Discount, (Order, OrderID, OrderDate, (Item, SalePrice, Qty)* )* )* (Item, ItemNr, Description,Price, (PreviousItem)*,(Manufacturer,RequestDateTime,Qty)* )* 8: 9:... 28: 29: 30: 31: 32:

8 Transformation from XML Schema to C-XML 56: 57:... 60:... 77: 78: Algorithm overview: Generate object sets for each element, attribute Connected by relationship sets Nested according to XML hierarchy Re-code all constraints in C-XML

9 Transformation from XML Schema to C-XML Artifact of XML Schema Artifact of XML nesting n-ary relationship decomposition

10 Integration XML Schema1XML Schema2 C-XML1 instanceC-XML2 instance Transform Integrated XML Schema Integrated C-XML model instance Integrated XML Schema Transform

11 Integration

12 Integration Name Addr ID ID-Nr Month Day Year Order ConsumerDetails Consumer OrderDate OrderID Order CustomerName CustomerAddr CustomerDetails Customer

13 Integration

14 Contributions A vision for applying conceptual modeling to support the need of XML systems analysts A framework to support the vision Information- and constraint-preserving mappings between C- XML and XML Schema Conceptual-level integration indeed properly provides for XML schema integration