Cover Pages: XML Daily Newslink: Wednesday, 23 September 2009

A Cover Pages Publication http://xml.coverpages.org/
Provided by OASIS and Sponsor Members
Edited by Robin Cover

This issue of XML Daily Newslink is sponsored by:
Microsoft Corporation http://www.microsoft.com

Headlines

HR-XML Consortium Announces Release of 3.0 XML Standards
W3C Web Services Resource Access Working Group Updates Five Drafts
Criteria API Builds Dynamic, Typesafe Queries in JPA 2.0
The Grammar of Schematron and RELAX NG
W3C Creates Working Group to Standardize Relational Database, RDF Mapping
Survey: Half of Businesses Don't Secure Personal Data
Fingerprints Not Enough for Future Security Government Systems
ODRL Initiative Updates Core Model for ODRL Specification Version 2.0
JAX-RS: Developing RESTful Web Services in Java

HR-XML Consortium Announces Release of 3.0 XML Standards
Staff, HR-XML Announcement

"The HR-XML Consortium has announced the availability of its new XML standards, the HR-XML 3.0 Release. This new version of the HR-XML standards aligns its schemas for human resources interoperability applications with the Open Applications Group implementation of UN/CEFACT (United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business) core components, making them more universal than ever...

The new standards were created with the goal of greatly improving data and knowledge transfer. For example, schemas from HR-XML can now be utilized within the standard toolsets of software developers for most major vendors. In addition, developers working in the IT departments of large corporations will also have an easier time understanding, integrating, and writing applications for HR using HR-XML schemas, which have become the standard for OAGIS in the HR vertical industry...

According to Mark Cates, an executive board member of the HR-XML Consortium, who played a leading role in compiling and developing the Version 3.0 standards: 'The 3.0 release is a modernization of HR-XML standards. More importantly, the release represents the building of relationships with the standards bodies of other industries. We are now consulting, directly and indirectly, with peers in other vertical industries. This will only enhance data sharing and interoperability within our industry'..."

W3C Web Services Resource Access Working Group Updates Five Drafts
Doug Davis, Ashok Malhotra, Katy Warr (et al, eds); W3C Technical Reports

Members of the W3C Web Services Resource Access Working Group have released updates for five specifications being advanced through the standardization process. Chaired by Bob Freund, this WG was chartered to produce W3C Recommendations for a set of Web Services specifications "by refining the WS-Transfer, WS-ResourceTransfer, WS-Enumeration, WS-MetadataExchange and WS-Eventing Member Submissions, addressing existing issues in those specifications, implementation experience and interoperability feedback from implementers and considering composition with other Web services standards...

The documents are published with a change log: each issue that has been incorporated is listed, where details of each issue may be viewed in the bugzilla database which is available as well as other informative materials and current editor's drafts and related documents via the Web Service Resource Access Working Group's public web page.

Web Services Enumeration (WS-Enumeration) describes a general SOAP-based protocol for enumerating a sequence of XML elements that is suitable for traversing logs, message queues, or other linear information models. Web Services Eventing (WS-Eventing) describes a protocol that allows Web services to subscribe to or accept subscriptions for event notification. Web Services Resource Transfer (WS-RT) defines extensions to WS-Transfer that deal primarily with fragment-based access to resources to satisfy the common requirements of WS-ResourceFramework and WS-Management. Web Services Transfer (WS-Transfer) describes a general SOAP-based protocol for accessing XML representations of Web service-based resources. Finally, Web Services Metadata Exchange (WS-MetadataExchange) defines how metadata associated with a Web service endpoint can be represented as resources, how metadata can be embedded in endpoint references, and how metadata could be retrieved from a Web service endpoint."

Criteria API Builds Dynamic, Typesafe Queries in JPA 2.0
Pinaki Poddar, IBM developerWorks

"Version 2.0 of the Java Persistence API (JPA) introduces the Criteria API, which brings the power of typesafe queries to Java applications for the first time and provides a mechanism for constructing queries dynamically at run time. A query for persistent Java objects is typesafe if a compiler can verify it for syntactic correctness...

This article describes how to write dynamic, typesafe queries using the Criteria API and the closely associated Metamodel API... It also establishes the critical role of the new Metamodel API and shows how instantiated metamodel classes enable the compiler to verify the correctness of the queries, thereby avoiding run-time errors caused by syntactically incorrect JPQL queries. Besides enforcing syntactic correctness, JPA 2.0's facilities for programmatic construction of queries can lead to more powerful usage, such as query-by-example, using database functions, and other innovative uses...

You will learn how to use the Criteria API to develop queries that a Java compiler can check for correctness to reduce run-time errors, in contrast to string-based Java Persistence Query Language (JPQL) queries. Through example queries that use database functions or match a template instance, the authos demonstrates the added power of programmatic query-construction mechanics compared to JPQL queries that use a predefined grammar...

The Grammar of Schematron and RELAX NG
Rick Jelliffe, O'Reilly Technical

"Can we make a schema language that handles both Schematron and RELAX NG at the same time? Can we convert or implement Schematron (or certain kinds of patterns, rules and assertions) in RELAX NG, as a way to get streaming performance? Here is a sketch...

For multiple patterns, each Schematron patterns could be a super-RELAX NG grammar, or, indeed, they could be merged. And in some cases the multiples patterns could be factored out into separate complete grammars, perhaps even not requiring the extensions I mention here... The idea of this sketch is to show that in fact a lot of Schematron can be implemented directly in a mildly enhanced version of RELAX NG without (I think) explosions before it all runs out of steam. At some point, guards or expressions or caterpillar grammars are probably needed..."

See also: RELAX NG as ISO DSDL Part 2

W3C Creates Working Group to Standardize Relational Database, RDF Mapping
Ahmed Ezzat and Michael Hausenblas (Co-Chairs), W3C WG Charter Announcement

W3C has announced the formation of a new RDB2RDF Working Group, whose mission is to standardize a language for mapping relational data and relational database schemas into RDF and OWL, tentatively called the RDB2RDF Mapping Language, R2RML.

"From the beginning of the deployment of the Semantic Web, there has been increasing interest in mapping relational data to the Semantic Web. This is to allow relational data to be combined with other data on the Web, to link semantics directly to relational data and to aid in enterprise data integration. In October 2007 the W3C organized a workshop on RDF Access to Relational Databases. This led to the formation of the RDB2RDF Incubator Group to explore the area. This Incubator Group concluded its work in February 2009 having produced two deliverables: a Survey of the State of the Art and a RDB2RDF XG Final Report. The RDB2RDF XG Final Report recommended that the W3C initiates a Working Group to standardize a language for mapping relational database schemas to RDF and OWL. The new WG charter is in response to that recommendation.

The mapping language defined by the RDB2RDF WG will facilitate the development of several types of products. It could be used to translate relational data into RDF which could be stored in a triple store. This is sometimes called Extract-Transform-Load (ETL). Or it could be used to generate a virtual mapping that could be queried using SPARQL and the SPARQL translated to SQL queries on the underlying relational data. Other products could be layered on top of these capabilities to query and deliver data in different ways as well as to integrate the data with other kinds of information on the Semantic Web..."

Survey: Half of Businesses Don't Secure Personal Data
Lance Whitney, CNET News.com

"The personal information you give to businesses may not be as secure as you hope, according to a new survey. Around 55 percent of all businesses acknowledge that they secure credit card information but not Social Security numbers, bank account details, and other personal data, according to a survey of more than 500 companies released by Imperva and Ponemon Institute...

The survey was conducted to determine how many companies are complying with PCI DSS, the Payment Card Industry's Data Security Standard. PCI DSS tries to ensure that businesses take specific measures to secure their Web sites, databases, and other systems that process and store credit card information. Of the companies surveyed, 71 percent acknowledged not making data security a top initiative, despite the fact that 79 percent of them said they've been hit by one or more data breaches. In fact, Ponemon and Imperva noted that since the PCI DSS standard was enacted in 2005, the number of breaches and cases of credit card fraud has actually risen..."

Fingerprints Not Enough for Future Security Government Systems
Ellen Messmer, Network World

In the emerging world of advanced security systems at the FBI and U.S. Department of Defense, DNA, facial recognition, iris scans and palm prints will play a larger role in investigations than the traditional fingerprint. Both agencies have embarked on biometrics-system makeovers that may eventually include mass-scale DNA biometrics storage for investigative purposes.

Under what's called the Next-Generation Identification (NGI) program, the FBI is looking toward replacing its current Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) for a totally revamped biometrics system that over the years will not only be a repository for individuals' fingerprints, but also store additional biometrics expected to include iris scans, 2D-to-3D facial imaging, palm prints, voice and DNA..."

ODRL Initiative Updates Core Model for ODRL Specification Version 2.0
Susanne Guth and Renato Iannella (eds), Draft Specification

The revised ODRL Version 2.0 Core Model Specification incorporates new features and requirements for the ODRL rights expression language. The new model is based on additional semantics and requirements gathered from the DRM community, the latest research on security, access control, obligation management as well as the past experiences in implementations and research of ODRL. The requirements for Version 2.0 are documented (published) and are directly referenced in this document to ensure that they have been adequately addressed, where applicable.

In this Version 2.0 revision, 'Permission' (at least one) is now made mandatory; 'Containers' are changed to 'Extended Relations... The ODRL Version 2.0 Working Group expects to advance this document to Specification once the Working Group has developed Working Drafts for the ODRL Version 2.0 Core Profile and at least one Encoding and demonstrated at least two interoperable implementations.

The Open Digital Rights Language (ODRL) Initiative is an international effort aimed at developing and promoting an open standard for rights expressions. ODRL is intended to provide flexible and interoperable mechanisms to support transparent and innovative use of digital content in publishing, distributing and consuming of digital media across all sectors and communities..."

The document ODRL V2.0: Common Vocabulary (previous title: ODRL V2.0: Core Metadata) was also updated to 'Working Draft 25-September-2009'. It "contains the ODRL Version 2.0 Common Vocabulary Specification. The Common Vocabulary provides basic vocabulary and its semantics for the ODRL rights expression language. Any or all of the vocabulary terms can be used by communities to form their own profiles to meet their particular requirements. The consistent reuse of these terms will lead to greater interoperability across communities..."

JAX-RS: Developing RESTful Web Services in Java
Sangeetha S., DevX.com

"The simplicity of REpresentational State Transfer (REST), an architectural style for accessing information on the web, has made it a popular way for developers to access services. In the REST architectural style, information on the server side is considered a resource, which developers can access in a uniform way using web URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers) and HTTP. Because REST uses HTTP as the communication protocol, the REST style is constrained to a stateless client/server architecture...

For Java developers, JAX-RS (JSR 311) provides an API for creating RESTful web services in Java. Part of the Java EE 6 platform, JAX-RS fully supports REST principles. This article drills down into JAX-RS, exploring its classes and annotations, before demonstrating how to build a simple RESTful web service using JAX-RS... By defining annotations for creating and consuming REST-based web services, JAX-RS provides good support for building web services in a simple and elegant way. Using the JAX-RS API and annotations, you can expose a POJO as a web service and any request coming to a web resource will be served by a resource class and resource methods. JAX-RS also has the added benefit of sending and receiving objects of any type..."


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