Re: [xml-dev] Re: 3 possible approaches for representing concepts

At 05:19 PM 4/2/2003 -0500, Chiusano Joseph wrote:

>APPROACH #1: Element-based approach
>
>- One long-named element that represents the entire "concept":
>
><CurrentYearBudgetFinalEstimatedAmount>999.99</CurrentYearBudgetFinalEstimatedAmount>
>
>APPROACH #2: Attribute-based approach
>
>- One short- and simply-named element that represents the most basic
>concept, with multiple attributes to "fill in the meaning":
>
><Amount yearType="CurrentYear" amountType="Budget"
>finalIndicator="Final" estimateIndicator="Estimated">999.99</Amount>
>
>APPROACH #3: Combined approach
>
>- One more "fully-named" element with several attributes to "fill in the
>meaning":
>
><FinalEstimatedAmount yearType="CurrentYear" amountType="Budget">
>999.99</FinalEstimatedAmount>

Hi Joe,

The overall information model is more important than the decision whether 
to use elements or attributes - a simple-valued element and an attribute 
are not that different.

More important, I think, is understanding the relationship between years, 
budgets, estimates, etc. For instance, the concept "current year" does not 
apply to data for more than a year - do you really want it used everywhere? 
Which means that it is dangerous for me to try to answer your questions.

Also, what kind of processing are you doing? Design is a kind of 
optimization, as Tommie Usdin likes to point out, and until you know how 
you are using the markup, it is hard to know what to optimize. I like to 
mock up some data and try a bunch of queries on it.

And then there's a lot of taste. I often use an approach like your #2:

<final-estimate year="2003" type="budget">999.99</final-estimate>

But....is this a final estimate whose type is budget, or a budget whose 
type is final estimate? In my models, I would think the latter:

<budget year="2003" type="finalEstimate">999.99</budget>

Whatever design you choose, create sample data and play with it - how hard 
is it to create in your environment? How hard to query? How hard to write 
stylesheets for? Have you captured the relationship between the different 
"atoms" well?

Jonathan