Automating XML document Transformations: A conceptual modelling based approach

The growing use of XML mark-up language has made a large amount of heterogeneous XML documents widely available. As the number of applications that utilize heterogeneous XML documents grows, the importance of XML documents transformations increases greatly. A serious obstacle for translating directly between two XML documents, using languages like XSLT, is that a mapping between the two XML representations needs to be carefully specified by a human expert. Current research attempts to address this problem by proposing algorithms to automate aspects of XML schemas matching task. In this paper, we identify two major problems encountered when current matching algorithms are used in the context of XML documents transformations. The first problem concerns possible scalability problem due to the diversity of schema constructs. The second problem deals with the need to perform semantic matching. We argue in favour of conceptual modelling as solution to avoid such problems. We introduce a new layered model for XML schemas, called Layered Interoperability Model for XML Schemas (LIMXS). LIMXS offers a semantic view for XML schemas through the specification of concepts and semantic relationships among them. We will show how our model transforms the matching algorithm into a dynamic and incremental algorithm that provide semantic mappings and helps to automate the transformation process

Automating XML documents transformations: a conceptual modelling based approach

The growing use of XML mark-up language has made a large amount of heterogeneous XML documents widely available. As the number of applications that utilize heterogeneous XML documents grows, the importance of XML documents transformations increases greatly. A serious obstacle for translating directly between two XML documents, using languages like XSLT, is that a mapping between the two XML representations needs to be carefully specified by a human expert. Current research attempts to address this problem by proposing algorithms to automate aspects of XML schemas matching task. In this paper, we identify two major problems encountered when current matching algorithms are used in the context of XML documents transformations. The first problem concerns possible scalability problem due to the diversity of schema constructs. The second problem deals with the need to perform semantic matching. We argue in favour of conceptual modelling as solution to avoid such problems. We introduce a new layered model for XML schemas, called Layered Interoperability Model for XML Schemas (LIMXS). LIMXS offers a semantic view for XML schemas through the specification of concepts and semantic relationships among them. We will show how our model transforms the matching algorithm into a dynamic and incremental algorithm that provide semantic mappings and helps to automate the transformation process

A CONTRACT BASED MODEL FOR CREATING STRUCTURED VIRTUAL DOCUMENTS: KEY ISSUES FOR REUSABILITY AND COLLABORATION Abstract

anhvu.nguyenngoc, yassine.rekik, karim.zeramdini} @ epfl.ch The importance of structured document paradigm, especially with the intensive use of Internet and the adoption of XML technology has made a large amount of heterogeneously structured information widely available. In this framework, sharing and reusing structured pieces of data by several applications and users is of major concern. Although, significant results have been achieved in the domain of information reuse and computer supported collaborative work, several problems remain unsolved when applied to structured documents. The paper describes our so-called contract-based approach to combine and reuse structured document fragments to collaboratively build virtual documents. To get more insights into the problem, this approach will be validated in the educational domain. Although, it will be validated in a specific field, our approach wants to be general and applicable in the generation of structured virtual documents some is the applicability. The paper has two goals (a) to raise problems related to reusing, sharing and assembling structured documents (b) and to present our framework: the FAVORITE project which objective is to define new models, methods and algorithms to create structured virtual course support from repositories of pedagogical material