University of Liverpool

Design & Evaluate XML Schema Development methodology

XML and its related technologies are the latest step in the development of semantic understanding of document content. XML can be used to create not only web-based documents, but web services, databases and as a method of transferring documents between organizations. XML documents rely on Schema to define the structure and content allowed in each type of document.
XML is now a stable specification [W3C, 2004] with the content required for XML schema well defined and there are many tutorials and documents available both on the web [W3C Schools, 2005; Vlist, 2001] and in textbooks [Schmelzer et al., 2002] on writing Schema. There are however few documents containing advice and guidance, on the actual processes and methods by which XML Schema are constructed, unlike programming which has well defined paradigms for program creation. Those identified from initial research are either company specific [Burns et al, 2004] or limited to small parts of the schema creation process (for example: identifying objectives for creating schema [Costello, 2003])
This project aims to address this issue by analyzing current processes by which schema are created (through interviews with current schema authors as well as undertaking the process myself) and from this, develop a model by which schema can be created, using best practice. This will then be evaluated through end-user input (asking end-users to create schema using this model and feedback on its success etc).