ISO 30042:2008

Systems to manage terminology, knowledge and content - TermBase eXchange (TBX)

The TBX framework defined by ISO 30042:2008 is designed to support various types of processes involving terminological data, including analysis, descriptive representation, dissemination, and interchange (exchange), in various computer environments. The primary purpose of TBX is for interchange of terminological data. It is limited in its ability to represent presentational markup. Intended application areas include translation and authoring. TBX is modular in order to support the varying types of terminological data, or data-categories, that are included in different terminological databases (termbases). TBX includes two modules: a core structure, and a formalism for identifying a set of data-categories and their constraints, both expressed in XML. The term TBX, when used alone, refers to the framework consisting of these two interacting modules. To maximize interoperability of the actual terminological data, TBX also provides a default set of data-categories that are commonly used in terminological databases. However, subsets or supersets of the default set of data-categories can be used within the TBX framework to support specific user requirements.

Systèmes de gestion de la terminologie, de la connaissance et du contenu — TermBase eXchange (TBX)

General Information

• Status: Withdrawn
• Publication Date: 07-Dec-2008
• Withdrawal Date: 07-Dec-2008
• ICS: 01.020 - Terminology (principles and coordination)
• ICS: 35.240.30 - IT applications in information, documentation and publishing
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 37/SC 3 - Management of terminology resources
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 37/SC 3 - Management of terminology resources
• Current Stage: 9599 - Withdrawal of International Standard
• Start Date: 01-Apr-2019
• Completion Date: 13-Dec-2025

Relations

• Revised: ISO 30042:2019 - Management of terminology resources - TermBase eXchange (TBX)
• Effective Date: 21-Jul-2012

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 30042
First edition
2008-12-15
Systems to manage terminology,
knowledge and content — TermBase
eXchange (TBX)
Systèmes de gestion de la terminologie, de la connaissance et du
contenu — TermBase eXchange (TBX)

Reference number
©
ISO 2008
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ii © ISO 2008 – All rights reserved

Contents
1 Scope.1
2 Normative references.1
3 Terms and definitions.2
4 Relationship to other standards.5
5 Applications of TBX.5
6 Fundamental principles.5
6.1 General.5
6.2 Principles relating to grouping and representing data-categories.6
7 Requirements for TBX files.7
7.1 Compliance requirements.7
7.2 Examples of non-compliance.8
7.3 Implementation levels.8
8 The core-structure module.8
8.1 Introduction.8
8.2 Hierarchy.9
8.3 Components of a terminological entry.10
8.4 Elements that can appear at multiple levels of the entry.10
8.5 Elements that occur only at the term level or lower.11
8.6 Handling of text.12
8.7 Meta data elements.14
8.8 Attributes.15
8.9 Character set issues.16
8.10 Language.16
9 The default data-category constraints.16
9.1 Introduction.16
9.2 Data-categories built into the core structure DTD of TBX.17
9.3 Data-categories specialized from meta data-categories through the default XCS file.17
10 Examples.21
10.1 Example of a typical TBX file.21
10.2 Examples of encoding TBX elements.22
10.3 Examples of TBX entries.23
11 Referencing objects.25
11.1 General information about referencing.25
11.2 Referencing a file that is embedded in the back matter of a TBX file.26
11.3 Referencing a file from the back matter.26
11.4 Referencing a file directly in the entry.27
11.5 Referencing an external source.27
11.6 Referencing and documenting a bibliographic source.27
11.7 Referencing and documenting information about a responsible person or organization.28
11.8 Referencing an external concept system, classification system, or thesaurus.29
11.9 Referencing a TBX entry from within a corpus.29
12 Creating customized TBX TMLs.29
12.1 General information about TMLs.29
12.2 Example of an XCS file for a user-defined TBX TML.30
12.3 Creating customized picklist display names.31
Annex A (Normative) DTD for the core structure module.33
Annex B (Normative) DTD for the data-category constraints (XCS file).38
Annex C (Normative) Default XCS file.40
C.1 Introduction.40
C.2 XCS file for the default data-categories and constraints.40
Annex D (Normative) Descriptions of the core structure elements and attributes and the default data-
categories.48
Annex D.1 General information about the descriptions.48
D.2 Macros.48
D.3 Attribute classes.49
D.4 Elements.50
D.5 Default data-categories.61
Annex E (Normative) Descriptions of elements and attributes for the XCS file.73
E.1 Introduction.73
E.2 Attribute classes.73
E.3 Elements.73
Annex F (Informative) Integrated schema and other TBX resources.81
Annex G (Informative) TBX-Basic.82
Annex H (Informative) Summary of changes.83
Annex I (Informative) Indexes.88
I.1 Core-module DTD.88
I.2 XCS DTD.89
I.3 Terminological data-categories.89
Bibliography.91

iv
Foreword
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO
member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical
committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has
the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in
liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of ISO technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an International
Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights.
ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 30042 was prepared by LISA OSCAR and was adopted, under a special "fast-track procedure", by Technical
Committee ISO/TC 37, Terminology and other language and content resources, Subcommittee SC 3, Systems to
manage terminology, knowledge and content, in parallel with its approval by the ISO member bodies.
The Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA - www.lisa.org) is the standards organization for the
globalization industry. Within LISA, the OSCAR (Open Standards for Container/content Allowing Reuse) Special
Interest Group develops XML-based standards for automated language-processing in the areas of globalization,
internationalization, localization, and translation, including standards for translation memory, terminology, text
memory, word/character counts, and other related areas. The main task of the OSCAR Special Interest Group is to
develop standards to facilitate and automate the globalization of products and services in a way that supports local
language and culture conventions. Publication as an OSCAR standard requires approval by the OSCAR steering
committee. An earlier version of TBX was developed and published by LISA in 2002.
TBX and the TBX logo are registered trademarks of LISA, and the TBX logo is subject to terms of use as defined by
LISA. LISA maintains copyright on the TBX specification that is available on the LISA Web site, and ISO maintains
copyright on the TBX specification that it distributes as ISO 30042. The technical content of these two documents is
identical, and is subject to joint maintenance by a team of ISO TC 37 and LISA OSCAR members.
v
Introduction
This International Standard defines an XML-based framework for representing structured terminological data
referred to as TermBase eXchange (TBX). Within this framework, a variety of terminological markup languages
(TMLs) can be defined. A TML defined by TBX can facilitate the interchange of terminological data between users,
which include people such as translators and writers, and applications and systems, such as Computer Assisted
Translation tools and controlled authoring software. Therefore, it can be used for both human-oriented and machine-
oriented terminological data. In this manner, it can enable the flow of terminological information throughout the
information production cycle, both inside an organization and with outside service providers.
The intended audience for this document consists of two groups: (1) programmers and analysts who wish to develop
software applications that process TBX-compliant data files; (2) terminologists and other language specialists who
wish to analyse a terminological data collection for representation in TBX or to understand a TBX file.
This version of TBX is an update of a version that was published by the Localization Industry Standards Association
(LISA) in 2002. Among other enhancements, the current version provides reference to an integrated schema that
includes the core-structure module and the data-category constraints in combined declarations using the Relax NG
and Schematron languages. It also provides reference to a TBX-compliant TML called TBX-Basic.
Users of this International Standard should first study the body (clauses 1-12). The suggested use of annexes A-I is
described below.
(1) The core-structure module of TBX
All TMLs within the TBX framework have the same core structure. The core-structure module is described in Clause
8. A DTD for the core-structure module is found in Annex A. The elements, attributes, and data types are described
in Annex D, and listed alphabetically in Annex I.
(2) The XCS module
TMLs may differ with respect to which data-categories are allowed, and at what levels of a terminological entry these
data-categories can occur. These constraints on the core structure, which define a particular TML, are formally
represented in an XCS file. A DTD for the XCS module is found in Annex B. The elements and attributes are
described in Annex E, and listed alphabetically in Annex I.
(3) The default XCS of TBX
The TBX-default TML is constrained by the default XCS file. The TBX default XCS is described in Clause 9. The
default XCS file is provided in Annex C. The data-categories are described in Annex D, and listed alphabetically in
Annex I.
(4) Compliance checking of TBX document instances
Once a TBX TML has been defined by an XCS, a TBX document instance can be checked for compliance with that
TML. The requirements for compliance are found in Clause 7. One can use a variety of methods and schema
definition languages to check compliance. In particular, the Relax NG schema referred to in Annex F can be used to
check whether a TBX document instance is compliant with the TBX-default TML. Annex F also indicates where a
TBX user can find additional resources for compliance checking. Another TBX TML, called TBX-Basic, is referred to
in Annex G.
(5) Changes that have been made to TBX since its submission to ISO in February 2007 are summarized in Annex H.
Summary of annexes:
A: DTD for core-structure module
B: DTD for XCS module
C: Default XCS that defines the TBX-default TML
D: Descriptions of core structure elements and attributes
D.5: Descriptions of default data-categories
E: Descriptions of XCS elements and attributes
F: Relax NG schema and other resources for compliance checking
G: Reference to TBX-Basic
H: Summary of changes to TBX
I: Indexes (alphabetical lists of elements and data-categories)

vi
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 30042:2008(E)

Systems to manage terminology, knowledge, and content -
TermBase eXchange (TBX)
1 Scope
The TBX framework defined by this International Standard is designed to support various types of processes
involving terminological data, including analysis, descriptive representation, dissemination, and interchange
(exchange), in various computer environments. The primary purpose of TBX is for interchange of terminological
data. It is limited in its ability to represent presentational markup. Intended application areas include translation and
authoring.
TBX is modular in order to support the varying types of terminological data, or data-categories, that are included in
different terminological databases (termbases). TBX includes two modules: a core structure, and a formalism for
identifying a set of data-categories and their constraints, both expressed in XML. The term TBX, when used alone,
refers to the framework consisting of these two interacting modules.
To maximize interoperability of the actual terminological data, TBX also provides a default set of data-categories that
are commonly used in terminological databases. However, subsets or supersets of the default set of data-categories
can be used within the TBX framework to support specific user requirements.
TBX, when used with its default set of data-categories, qualifies as a terminological markup language (TML) as
defined in ISO 16642, which will be referred to as the TBX-default TML in this International Standard. Likewise, other
markup languages that comply with TBX and use a subset of the default set of data-categories are also TMLs, but
may go by other names, such as the one referred to in Annex G (Informative) TBX-Basic.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated references,
only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
ISO 639-1:2002, Codes for the representation of names of languages – Part 1: Alpha-2 code
ISO 639-2:1998, Codes for the representation of names of languages – Part 2: Alpha-3 code
ISO 639-3:2007, Codes for the representation of names of languages – Part 3: Alpha-3 code for comprehensive
coverage of languages
ISO/IEC 646:1991, Information technology – ISO 7-bit coded character set for information interchange
ISO 3166-1:2006, Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions – Part 1: Country codes
ISO 8601:2004, Data elements and interchange formats – Information interchange – Representation of dates and
times
ISO/IEC 10646, Information technology — Universal Multiple-Octet Coded Character Set (UCS)
ISO 12200:1999, Computer applications in terminology – Machine-readable terminology interchange format
(MARTIF) – Negotiated interchange
ISO 12620, Computer applications in terminology – Data categories
ISO 16642:2003, Computer applications in terminology – Terminological markup framework
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this International Standard, the following terms and definitions apply:
3.1
analysis
identification of the elements and structure of a terminological data collection in order to make explicit the data fields,
their types, and their relationships
3.2
blindness
property of a data format indicating the degree to which the data are sufficiently defined that it is unnecessary for the
importer to establish contact with the originator of the data in order to interpret them
NOTE The term blindness has its origin in the engineering phrase "blind transmission," which refers to a
transmission of data where it is not necessary to “see” who is the sender of the data in order to interpret it. In
terminology, the concept of blindness is often used in the context of blind interchange (3.3).
3.3
blind interchange
ability to receive a terminology file and integrate it into a target system, such as a Computer-Assisted Translation
(CAT) tool, without having to contact the originator of the file in order to understand its contents
NOTE Interchange that is perfectly blind is interchange that is lossless while requiring no communication
between the sender and the receiver of the data . Due to differences between terminological data collections and
markup formats, perfectly blind interchange is rare. Typically, some of the data in a data collection is blind (can be
exchanged without loss and without communication between parties) and some of the data requires communication
between the parties in order to be exchanged.
3.4
complementary information
CI
information supplementary to that described in terminological entries and shared across the terminological data
collection
[ISO 16642:2003]
NOTE In a TBX document instance, complementary information is contained in the back matter.
3.5
core-structure module
XML specification of the elements and attributes that are permitted in a TBX file
NOTE The core-structure module is defined in a DTD which is used in tandem with an XCS file that applies
additional data-category constraints. It can also be used to generate an integrated schema, such as a Relax NG
schema [ISO 19757-2], that defines both the core-structure module and the data-category constraints in one file. See
also data-category constraint (3.7).
3.6
data-category
result of the specification of a given data field
[ISO 1087-2:2000]
EXAMPLE: /part of speech/, /grammatical number/
NOTE 1 The default set of data-categories for TBX were primarily selected from ISO 12620:1999.
NOTE 2 In running text, such as in this International Standard, data-category names are set off using forward
slashes and italics. In a TBX document instance, camel case (e.g. type="partOfSpeech">noun) should be used instead of using white space between words.
2 © ISO 2008 – All rights reserved

3.7
data-category constraint
specification of the value of an attribute, the content of an element, or one or more structural levels, that constrains
the application of a meta data-category (3.16)
NOTE The data-category constraints are defined in an XCS file which is used in tandem with a DTD that
defines the core-structure module. They can also be included in an integrated schema, such as a Relax NG schema,
that incorporates both the core-structure module and the data-category constraints into one file. See also core-
structure module (3.5).
3.8
data file
sequence of bytes that is either stored on a disc in a traditional file system or transmitted as a stream of data over a
network
3.9
eXtensible Constraint Specification
XCS
XML file that identifies data-categories and their constraints for a specific TBX TML (3.21)
3.10
extension
totality of objects to which a concept corresponds
[ISO 1087-1:2000]
3.11
global information
GI
technical and administrative information applying to the entire data collection
[ISO 16642:2003]
NOTE In a TBX document instance, global information is contained in the front matter.
3.12
intension
set of characteristics which makes up the concept
[ISO 1087-1:2000]
3.13
interchange
exchange
transaction involving exporting data from one terminological data collection and importing it into another
terminological data collection
3.14
lemma
lexical unit chosen according to lexicographical conventions to represent the different forms of an inflectional
paradigm
[ISO 1951:2007]
3.15
lemmatize
to transform an inflected form of a word to its lemma (3.13)
3.16
lossless roundtrip
series of data manipulation procedures whereby data are output from a database into an interchange format and
then re-imported into the same database without loss of information
3.17
meta data-category
name used to group similar data-categories (3.6) together; thus, a category of data-categories (3.6)
NOTE A meta data-category is equivalent to a typed element in ISO 16642. A meta data-category is
instantiated into a terminological data-category through the value of its type attribute.
EXAMPLE: In the tag , the meta data-category is descrip and the terminological data-
category is /definition/.
3.18
metadata registry
information system for registering metadata
NOTE The associated information store or database is known as a metadata register.
3.19 object language
language being described in a
EXAMPLE In a element, the object language is French.
NOTE See also working language (3.28).
3.20
structural level
level of the metamodel to which one or more information units can be attached
[ISO 16642:2003]
3.21
TBX TML
TML (3.27) that adheres to TBX (3.26)
NOTE Implementers of a TBX TML may or may not use an XCS file (in conjunction with a DTD representing
the core structure) for validation purposes. Some may choose to use an integrated schema instead.
3.22
TBX-default TML
TBX (3.26) and its default selection of data-categories (3.6) and their constraints expressed in the default XCS (3.9)
file
3.23
TBX document instance
file containing terminological entries in a TBX TML (3.21) format
3.24
terminological database
database comprising information about special language concepts and terms designated to represent these
concepts, along with associated conceptual, term-related, and administrative information
3.25
term component
one of the words comprising a multi-word term, or a component, such as a morpheme, of a single-word term
3.26
TermBase eXchange
TBX
framework consisting of a core structure, and a formalism (eXtensible Constraint Specification (3.9)) for
identifying a set of data-categories (3.6) and their constraints, both expressed in XML
4 © ISO 2008 – All rights reserved

3.27
terminological markup language
TML
XML application for describing a terminological data collection conforming to the constraints expressed in ISO 16642
(Terminological markup framework)
NOTE 1 Adapted from ISO 16642:2003.
NOTE 2 TBX coupled with the default XCS file comprise a TML called TBX-default TML (3.22). TBX-Basic is
also a TML.
3.28
working language
default language used in terminological entries
EXAMPLE If definitions, notes, picklist values, and so forth, are normally recorded in English, then English is the
working language of the terminological data collection.
NOTE See also object language (3.19).
4 Relationship to other standards
The foundations for TBX were established by the following three international standards.
• ISO 16642:2003 (TMF) defines the structural metamodel for TBX and other TMLs
• ISO 12620 provides an inventory of data-categories for terminological data
• ISO 12200:1999 (MARTIF) provides the basis for the core structure of TBX and the XML styles of its
elements and attributes.
A particular TML requires the choice of an XML style and a selection of data-categories. Most of the data-categories
of the TBX-default TML were chosen from ISO 12620:1999, and the XML style of TBX was adopted from ISO 12200.
Thus, TBX is a standards-based framework, being based on ISO 16642, ISO 12620, and ISO 12200.
5 Applications of TBX
TBX is designed to facilitate the following use cases:
Interchange, such as that required to support
• the flow of terminological data between technologies and systems
• integration of terminological data from multiple sources
• data conversion necessitated by a change in applications or technologies
Dissemination, including
• querying multiple terminological databases through a single user interface by passing data through a
common intermediate format on a batch or dynamic basis
• placing data on an online site for download by interested parties
• making entries which require some work available for public feedback
• making terminology available dynamically in networked applications through a Web service
Analysis and representation, including
• comparing the contents of various terminological databases
• studying how lossless a conversion between two terminology databases can be
• designing a new terminological database intended to minimize loss during conversion.
6 Fundamental principles
6.1 General
The TBX framework is based on the assumption that, because of the variety of terminological data collections and
use scenarios, no one terminological markup language would satisfy all user requirements.
To maximize interoperability, it is recommended that implementers of TBX adhere to ISO standards governing the
principles and methodologies of terminology management, and the content and quality of terminological resources,
such as those described in 2 Normative references and Bibliography. It is recommended that terminological
databases select and use data-categories and their constraints that are specified in this International Standard.
Extensions beyond those data-categories and constraints should be taken from ISO 12620 where possible.
Fundamental principles of terminological data modelling such as data granularity, data elementarity, data
repeatability, and term autonomy, are described in other ISO TC 37 standards.
The information represented in a TBX document instance must be concept-oriented. The terms in a single entry are
assumed to be synonymous unless otherwise noted.
TBX allows the representation of various kinds of information about individual terms that distinguish them from other
terms in the same concept entry. It also allows for the documentation of directionality in situations where a term in
one language may be translated by a given term in another language but the converse is not true due to partial
equivalence. It should be noted that some terminological databases document nearly-identical concepts in separate
linked entries, while others document nearly-identical concepts in the same entry. TBX can reflect both approaches.
6.2 Principles relating to grouping and representing data-categories
In TBX, there are four general types of data-categories. Understanding what these general types mean and how they
are represented will facilitate the understanding of the rest of this International Standard.
NOTE In this specification, attribute names are identified by the at sign (@) in Appendix D, and are italicized in
running text.
core-structure module data-category
A core-structure module data-category is any data-category that is defined in the core-structure module DTD. For
example, , , and .
meta data-category
A meta data-category is a core-structure module data-category that takes a type attribute, such as ,
, and . It is a general data-category that is used for grouping purposes and to reflect the
metamodel in ISO 16642. Each type attribute value instantiates a meta data-category into a specific terminological
data-category that is defined according to ISO 12620. The type attribute values are defined in an XCS file. For
example, the tag comprises the meta data-category instantiated into a
terminological data-category that is called /definition/ according to ISO 12620.
data-category implemented using an attribute
A data-category implemented using an attribute is a terminological data-category that is defined according to ISO
12620, such as /definition/, and one that is specified as a value of the name attribute in the default XCS file. In a
TBX document instance, these data-categories appear as the value of a type attribute on a meta data-category
element. The value of these data-categories is the content of their corresponding element. For instance,
the /definition/ data-category, represented via the tag takes free text as its content, and
the /gender/ data-category, represented in the tag takes one of a closed set
of values (picklist values) as its content (masculine, feminine, neuter, otherGender).
data-category implemented as the content of an element
A data-category implemented as the content of an element is a simple data-category, that is, one value of a closed
set of values (picklist). These terminological data-categories are also documented according to ISO 12620. They are
enumerated in the default XCS file as the permissible content of a meta data-category having a specific type
attribute value. For instance, the meta data-category that has the type attribute value 'termType' can
have as its content a limited set of values that includes abbreviation, acronym, and so forth. In the integrated RNG
schema that is referred to in Annex F, an element's content is constrained to a picklist through embedded
Schematron rules. (For a reference to Schematron, see Bibliography.)
The use of meta data-categories in the TBX framework facilitates modularity. The core-structure (which remains
6 © ISO 2008 – All rights reserved

constant) is one module, and a particular XCS file (which expresses constraints on the core structure) is another
module. The combination of these two modules defines a particular TML. This approach mirrors TMF (ISO 16642) in
that the core-structure module corresponds to the abstract data model of TMF. In addition, it facilitates an explicit
description of what two TMLs within the TBX framework have in common (the core structure) and how they differ
(expressed as differences between their XCS files). This modular approach is consistent with generally accepted
principles of modularity in software engineering, allowing a programmer/analyst to study the core structure and the
XCS structure separately without being required to digest multiple large, monolithic schemas.
7 Requirements for TBX files
7.1 Compliance requirements
For a TML to be compliant with TBX, it shall meet the following three criteria:
1. The TML shall define XML document instances that are valid according to the TBX core-structure module.
The core-structure module is described in 8 The core-structure module and is defined formally by the TBX
DTD (Annex A).
2. The TML shall express its data-categories and their constraints in an XCS file that validates against the XCS
DTD that is defined in Annex B (Normative) DTD for the data-category constraints (XCS file), and it shall
adhere to the constraints in that XCS file. A TML that includes a data-category that has the same name as a
data-category found in the default XCS shall use this data-category according to its description found in
Annex C.
3. The TML can include fewer or more data-categories than those found in the default XCS (Annex C), and still
be compliant with TBX, provided that those data-categories are expressed in an XCS file. If the TML
includes data-categories that are not in the default XCS, it shall, in addition, describe those additional data-
categories in the header of the XCS file.
NOTE Several general constraints, such as date formats, are not formally defined in either the DTD or the
XCS, but are described in the relevant sections of this document, such as Annex D. These constraints shall also be
adhered to for TBX compliance.
The extension for a TBX document instance is .tbx and the extension of an XCS document instance is .xcs.
Although an XCS document instance must exist to formally define a TBX TML, it need not be used for compliance
checking. Indeed, general-purpose XML validation tools do not recognize the constraints in the XCS file unless those
constraints have been incorporated into an integrated schema such as the one referred to in Annex F.
TBX compliance checking is schema-definition-language neutral. Three types of compliance checking are described
in this document:
DTD and XCS
A DTD representing the core structure of TBX is provided at Annex A (Normative) DTD for the core structure
module. An XCS file representing the default set of data-categories and their constraints is provided in Annex C.2
XCS file for the default data-categories and constraints. With a DTD and an XCS file, a TBX document instance can
be validated by using a compliance checker that is specifically designed for TBX files.
Relax NG
A Relax NG schema file representing the core structure and the default set of data-categories and their constraints is
referred to in Annex F. This file includes some embedded Schematron for some of the data-category constraints. By
using this file, one can validate a TBX document instance for compliance with the default TBX TML by using any
XML validator that supports Relax NG and Schematron. With appropriate software, an integrated Relax NG schema
could be generated for another TBX TML, based on its XCS.
Other methods
Compliance checking is also allowed using other methods that incorporate information from the core-structure
module and data-category constraints. Additional methods may be documented on the LISA Web.
For more information about user-specific TMLs based on TBX, see 12 Creating customized TBX TMLs.
7.2 Examples of non-compliance
Compliance to TBX includes the following aspects:
1. XML well-formedness
2. validity relative to the core-structure module
3. adherence to the data-category constraints in an XCS file
The following example is not well-formed, since the first element has a spelling error in the end tag and
the element has no closing tag.
kitten Small feline
The following example is well-formed but not core-structure valid, since the core-structure module of TBX does not
allow a tag to follow a .

zone de soufflage

Area where snow is thrown by a snowplow.

The following example is valid according to the TBX core-structure DTD but does not adhere to the default XCS,
since there is no TBX data-category called "conflagration" in the XCS file.
kitten Small feline
7.3 Implementation levels
There are three levels of implementation of TBX for a given software application relative to a particular terminological
database:
Level 1
The software application shall export and import TBX document instance files that are well-formed and core-
structure valid and that adhere to at least one XCS file, and the software application shall detect when document
instances are not well-formed or not core-structure valid or not XCS-adherent. The XCS file is not required to be the
default XCS, for example, it could be a superset or a subset. Level 1 supports interchange between systems that use
the same XCS.
Level 2
The software application shall achieve level one implementation but shall also be able to import every data-category
that is in the default XCS. Thus, level two implementation supports a degree of blindness in that it can import TBX
files from any outside source whose export can be limited to the data-categories that conform to the default XCS file.
Level 3
The software application shall achieve level two implementation and in addition be able to check adherence to a
comprehensive XCS that supports a lossless roundtrip from the terminological database in the application to a TBX
TML and back to the terminological database in the application. Thus, once the information in the terminological
database has been exported to TBX, the terminological database can be emptied and subsequently repopulated
from the information in the TBX file.
8 The core-structure module
8.1 Introduction
This section describes the core-structure module for TBX. The elements of the core-structure module are formally
declared in Annex A and described in Annex D. For quick access to all these elements, refer to the Index (Annex I).
8 © ISO 2008 – All rights reserved

There is a correspondence between the high-level elements of the core-structure module and the TMF (ISO 16642)
metamodel, shown in Figure 1, High-level structure of the TMF (ISO 16642) metamodel. The Terminological Data
Collection (TDC) corresponds to a TBX document instance.
Figure 1. High-level structure of the TMF (ISO 16642) metamodel
In the figures in the following sections, a question mark after an element in the box
...