ISO/IEC TR 20943-1:2003

Information technology — Procedures for achieving metadata registry content consistency — Part 1: Data elements

An ISO/IEC 11179-based metadata registry (MDR) (hereafter referred to as a "registry") is a tool for the management of shareable data; a comprehensive, authoritative source of reference information about data. It supports the standardization and harmonization processes by recording and disseminating data standards, which facilitates data sharing among organizations and users. It provides links to documents that refer to data elements and to information systems where data elements are used. When used in conjunction with an information database, the registry enables users to better understand the information obtained. A registry does not contain data itself. It contains the metadata that is necessary to clearly describe, inventory, analyze, and classify data. It provides an understanding of the meaning, representation, and identification of units of data. The standard identifies the information elements that need to be available for determining the meaning of a data element (DE) to be shared between systems. The purpose of ISO/IEC TR 20943-1:2003 is to describe a set of procedures for the consistent registration of data elements and their attributes in a registry. ISO/IEC TR 20943-1:2003 is not a data entry manual, but a user's guide for conceptualizing a data element and its associated metadata items for the purpose of consistently establishing good quality data elements. An organization may adapt and/or add to these procedures as necessary. The scope of ISO/IEC TR 20943-1:2003 is limited to the associated items of a data element: the data element identifier, names and definitions in particular contexts, and examples; data element concept; conceptual domain with its value meanings; and value domain with its permissible values. There is a choice when registering code sets and other value domains in an ISO/IEC 11179 metadata registry. Some Registration Authorities treat these sets as value domains, and others treat them as data elements. For the purposes of ISO/IEC TR 20943-1:2003, the choice will always be to treat the sets as data elements unless explicitly stated. This choice is made to help illustrate the way to register many different kinds of data elements, including examples for registering standard code sets as data elements.

Technologies de l'information — Procédures en vue d'obtenir la cohérence du contenu d'un registre de metadonnées — Partie 1: Éléments de données

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 24-Jul-2003
• ICS: 35.040 - Information coding
• ICS: 35.040.50 - Automatic identification and data capture techniques
• Technical Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 32 - Data management and interchange
• Drafting Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 32/WG 2 - MetaData
• Current Stage: 9093 - International Standard confirmed
• Completion Date: 11-May-2022

Standards Content (Sample)

TECHNICAL ISO/IEC
REPORT TR
20943-1
First edition
2003-08-01


Information technology — Procedures for
achieving metadata registry (MDR)
content consistency —
Part 1:
Data elements
Technologies de l'information — Procédures en vue d'obtenir la
cohérence du contenu d'un registre de metadonnées (RM) —
Partie 1: Éléments de données




Reference number
ISO/IEC TR 20943-1:2003(E)
©
ISO/IEC 2003

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ISO/IEC TR 20943-1:2003(E)
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©  ISO/IEC 2003
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ii © ISO/IEC 2003 — All rights reserved

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ISO/IEC TR 20943-1:2003(E)
Contents Page
Foreword. vii
Introduction . viii
1 Scope. 1
1.1 Background. 1
1.2 Purpose. 1
1.3 Scope. 1
1.4 Registration approach — data elements and value domains . 1
2 Normative references. 2
3 Terms and definitions. 2
4 Data element abstraction . 2
4.1 Abstraction types. 3
4.2 Example of specialization/generalization. 3
4.2.1 Example of sharing a value domain. 4
4.3 Example of concatenation/decomposition. 4
4.4 Example of aggregation . 5
5 Data element registration. 6
6 Bottom-up approach to data element registration . 6
6.1 General procedures for registering a data element . 7
6.1.1 Understanding the data element . 7
6.1.2 Content research. 7
6.1.3 Data element definition. 8
6.1.4 Permissible values and value domain . 8
6.1.5 Representation class. 9
6.1.6 Names and identifiers. 9
6.1.7 Other metadata attributes. 9
6.1.8 Data element concept. 10
6.1.9 Classification schemes. 11
6.1.10 Registration and administrative status information. 11
6.2 Example of International Standard with enumerated domain. 12
6.2.1 Understanding the data element . 12
6.2.2 Content research. 12
6.2.3 Data element definition. 13
6.2.4 Permissible values and value domain . 13
6.2.5 Representation Class. 13
6.2.6 Identification and naming the data element. 13
6.2.7 Other metadata attributes. 14
6.2.8 Data element concept. 15
6.2.9 Classification. 15
6.2.10 Registration and administrative status information. 16
6.2.11 Other names and codes from ISO 3166. 16
6.2.12 Summary of metadata attributes . 16
6.3 Application system data element development examples . 19
6.3.1 Understanding the data element . 19
6.3.2 Content research. 19
6.3.3 Data element definition. 19
6.3.4 Permissible values and value domain . 20
6.3.5 Representation Class. 20
6.3.6 Identify and name the data element. 20
6.3.7 Other metadata attributes. 21
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ISO/IEC TR 20943-1:2003(E)
6.3.8 Data element concept .22
6.3.9 Classification.22
6.3.10 Registration and administrative status information.22
6.3.11 Related data elements .23
6.3.12 Summary of metadata attributes .23
6.4 Example of International Standard with non-enumerated domain .25
6.4.1 Understanding the data element.25
6.4.2 Content research.26
6.4.3 Data element definition.26
6.4.4 Permissible values and value domain.26
6.4.5 Representation Class.27
6.4.6 Identifying and naming the data element .27
6.4.7 Other metadata attributes.28
6.4.8 Data element concept .28
6.4.9 Classification.29
6.4.10 Registration and administrative status informaiton.30
6.4.11 Other data elements in ISO 6709 .30
6.4.12 Summary of metadata attributes .30
6.5 Example of a standard data element that uses a standard non-enumerated domain .33
6.5.1 Understanding the data element.33
6.5.2 Content research.33
6.5.3 Data element definition.33
6.5.4 Permissible values and value domain.33
6.5.5 Representation Class.34
6.5.6 Identifying and naming the data element .34
6.5.7 Other metadata attributes.35
6.5.8 Data element concept .36
6.5.9 Classification.36
6.5.10 Registration and administrative status information.37
6.5.11 Related data elements .37
6.5.12 Summary of attributes .37
6.6 Classification of data elements.40
6.6.1 General procedures for registering a classification of data elements .40
6.6.2 Data elements in a document.41
6.6.3 Data elements in a standard.42
6.7 Linking of data elements .43
7 Example of top-down approach to data element registration .44
7.1 Classification and Context.45
7.2 Objects and properties of data element concepts.46
7.3 Professional organization identifier example.47
7.3.1 Data element concept, conceptual domain and value meanings.47
7.3.2 Define and identify data elements .47
7.3.3 Specify value domain and permissible values.48
7.3.4 Other data element attributes .48
7.3.5 Classify the data element .49
7.3.6 Registration and administrative status information.49
7.3.7 Summary of attributes .49
7.4 Language expert identifier example.49
7.4.1 Data element concept, conceptual domain and value meanings.49
7.4.2 Define and identify data elements .49
7.4.3 Specify value domain and permissible values.50
7.4.4 Other data element attributes .50
7.4.5 Classify the data element .51
7.4.6 Registration and administrative status information.51
7.4.7 Summary of attributes .51
7.5 Language skill type identifier example .51
7.5.1 Data element concept, conceptual domain and value meanings.51
7.5.2 Define and identify data elements .52
7.5.3 Specify value domain and permissible values.52
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ISO/IEC TR 20943-1:2003(E)
7.5.4 Other data element attributes . 53
7.5.5 Classify the data element. 53
7.5.6 Registration and administrative status information.53
7.5.7 Summary of attributes. 53
7.6 Natural language identifier example . 53
7.6.1 Data element concept, conceptual domain and value meanings . 54
7.6.2 Define and identify data elements. 54
7.6.3 Specify value domain and permissible values . 54
7.6.4 Other data element attributes . 55
7.6.5 Classify the data element. 55
7.6.6 Registration and administrative status information.55
7.6.7 Summary of attributes. 56
7.7 Skill level discriminator example . 56
7.7.1 Data element concept, conceptual domain and value meanings . 56
7.7.2 Define and identify data elements. 56
7.7.3 Specify value domain and permissible values . 57
7.7.4 Other data element attributes . 57
7.7.5 Classify the data element. 58
7.7.6 Registration and administrative status information.58
7.7.7 Summary of attributes. 58
7.8 Example summary table of attributes. 58
8 Example of complex data. 58
8.1 Examples. 58
Annex A (informative) Tables of data element attributes for examples. 65
Annex B (informative) Application of ISO/IEC 11179-2, -4, -5 and -6. 75
B.1 Data element definition. 75
B.1.1 Rules for definitions . 75
B.1.2 Guidelines for definitions. 77
B.1.3 Data element definition syntax . 80
B.1.4 Terms commonly used in definitions . 81
B.2 Representational attributes. 81
B.2.1 Permissible values. 81
B.2.2 Value domain. 82
B.2.3 Representation class. 83
B.2.4 Data Element Example. 84
B.3 Identifying and naming a data element. 85
B.3.1 Name context. 85
B.3.2 Establish a naming convention . 86
B.3.3 Example of a naming convention. 87
B.3.4 Formulating a data element name. 87
B.4 Identification. 88
B.4.1 Data element identifier. 88
B.4.2 Versioning. 89
B.5 Conceptual relationships. 90
B.5.1 Data element concept. 90
B.5.2 Conceptual domain. 91
B.5.3 Value meanings. 91
B.6 Classification. 92
B.7 Quality review. 93
B.7.1 Registration status. 93
B.7.2 Administrative status. 93
Annex C (informative) Crosswalk of names in Technical Report to ISO/IEC 11179-3 metamodel. 95
Annex D (informative) Example of complete associated metadata item descriptions using top-
down approach to data element registration . 98
D.1 Example data model. 98
D.2 Presentation of Information . 99
D.2.1 Format of Item identifier. 99
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ISO/IEC TR 20943-1:2003(E)
D.3 Context.100
D.4 Object classes and properties .101
D.5 Data element concepts and conceptual domains.105
D.6 Value Meanings.112
D.7 Value Domains and Representation Classes .114
D.8 Permissible Values.118
D.9 Data elements.121
Bibliography.125

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ISO/IEC TR 20943-1:2003(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of
ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees
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technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental
and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work. In the field of information
technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of the joint technical committee is to prepare International Standards. Draft International
Standards adopted by the joint technical committee are circulated to national bodies for voting. Publication as
an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the national bodies casting a vote.
In exceptional circumstances, the joint technical committee may propose the publication of a Technical Report
of one of the following types:
— type 1, when the required support cannot be obtained for the publication of an International Standard,
despite repeated efforts;
— type 2, when the subject is still under technical development or where for any other reason there is the
future but not immediate possibility of an agreement on an International Standard;
— type 3, when the joint technical committee has collected data of a different kind from that which is
normally published as an International Standard (“state of the art”, for example).
Technical Reports of types 1 and 2 are subject to review within three years of publication, to decide whether
they can be transformed into International Standards. Technical Reports of type 3 do not necessarily have to
be reviewed until the data they provide are considered to be no longer valid or useful.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO/IEC TR
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