ISO/IEC 11179-6:2023

Information technology - Metadata registries (MDR) - Part 6: Registration

This document defines the type of information to be specified, the conditions to be met, and the procedure(s) to be followed for each item to be registered in a metadata registry. The requirements and procedures contained herein apply to all types of items specified in ISO/IEC 11179‑3, ISO/IEC 11179‑31, ISO/IEC 11179‑32, ISO/IEC 11179‑33, ISO/IEC 11179‑35 and those specified in ISO/IEC 19763. Some Registration Authorities can use this document to register and manage locally defined metadata item types that are not defined in ISO/IEC 11179 or ISO/IEC 19763. This document addresses the common metadata that is used to document the common facilities of a registry: administration, identification, naming and definition, details that can apply to any and all types of registry items. This document does not address the metadata that is specific to particular types of registry items, such as data elements and value domains. This document does not specify the registry's system design, file organization techniques, storage media, programming languages, etc. to be used in its implementation.

Technologies de l'information — Registres de métadonnées (RM) — Partie 6: Enregistrement des données

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 15-Jan-2023
• 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: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 16-Jan-2023
• Due Date: 02-Apr-2023
• Completion Date: 16-Jan-2023

Relations

• Consolidated By: ISO 6427:2025 - Plastics - Determination of matter extractable by organic solvents (conventional methods)
• Effective Date: 04-Nov-2023
• Revises: ISO/IEC 11179-6:2015 - Information technology - Metadata registries (MDR) - Part 6: Registration
• Effective Date: 23-Apr-2020

Overview

ISO/IEC 11179-6:2023 - part of the ISO/IEC 11179 Metadata Registries (MDR) series - defines the information, conditions and procedures required to register metadata items in a metadata registry. The standard focuses on the registry’s common facilities: administration, identification, naming and definition of registry items and the registration lifecycle. It supports multiple identifier schemes (including approaches based on ISO/IEC 6523 and IRDI concepts referenced in Annex A) and applies to items defined across ISO/IEC 11179 parts and ISO/IEC 19763, as well as locally defined metadata types managed by Registration Authorities (RAs).

Key topics and requirements

• Scope of registration: Specifies what metadata must be recorded for each registered item (common administrative and identification metadata) while excluding item‑specific metadata (e.g., detailed data element/value domain attributes).
• Metamodel alignment: Builds on the common‑facilities metamodel in ISO/IEC 11179‑3 to ensure consistent representation of registry items.
• Registration records: Each registered item is represented by a record documenting administration, identification, naming and definition plus any item‑specific details.
• Item types and relationships: Distinguishes administered items (have their own registration state) from attached items (inherit the administered item’s state).
• Registration status and administration: Defines status categories, administrative states and criteria for registration levels and conformance (see Table 1 and Clause 4).
• Procedures and governance: Recommends procedures, roles and responsibilities for Registration Authorities, stewardship and submitting organizations (Annexes B–E provide suggested operating procedures and FAQs).
• Conformance and availability: Addresses registry views, languages, contents and levels of conformance without prescribing system design, file formats or implementation technologies.

Practical applications and who uses it

ISO/IEC 11179‑6 is practical for organizations and initiatives that need structured, governed metadata for interoperable information exchange:

• Registration Authorities and national standards bodies - establish and manage authoritative metadata registries.
• Data governance teams and metadata architects - implement registration processes and registration records that support reuse and traceability.
• Enterprise IT and system architects - align system metadata with an international metamodel for semantic interoperability.
• Standards developers and integrators - harmonize metadata types across ISO/IEC 11179 parts and ISO/IEC 19763 artifacts.
• Consortia and multi‑agency programs - coordinate identifiers, naming and registration states for shared data assets.

Benefits include improved metadata consistency, unique identification of assets, better reuse and harmonization across domains, and clearer governance for administered vs attached items.

Related standards

• ISO/IEC 11179‑1 / ‑3 / ‑31 / ‑32 / ‑33 / ‑34 / ‑35 - other parts of the MDR series covering metamodels and item types.
• ISO/IEC 19763 - metamodels for semantic interoperability (ontologies, mappings, models).
• ISO/IEC 6523 - identifier schemes for organizations (informative Annex A linkage).

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 11179-6
Fourth edition
2023-01
Information technology — Metadata
registries (MDR) —
Part 6:
Registration
Technologies de l'information — Registres de métadonnées (RM) —
Partie 6: Enregistrement des données
Reference number
© ISO/IEC 2023
© ISO/IEC 2023
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword . vi
Introduction .vii
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Concept of operation . 4
4.1 Metamodel of a metadata registry . 4
4.2 Common facilities. 4
4.2.1 Identification . 4
4.2.2 Designation and definition . 4
4.2.3 Classification . . 4
4.2.4 Registration . 5
4.3 Status categories . . 5
4.3.1 General . 5
4.3.2 Summary of registration status categories . 5
4.3.3 Description of registration status categories . 7
4.3.4 Description of administrative status . 9
4.4 Procedures . 9
5 Metadata registries of administered items .10
5.1 General . 10
5.2 Contents . 10
5.2.1 Metadata registry views . 10
5.2.2 Metadata registry contents and levels of conformance . 10
5.2.3 Metadata registry contents and types of administered items . 11
5.3 Language(s) . 11
5.4 Availability of the metadata registry of administered items . 11
6 Conformance .11
Annex A (informative) Identifiers based on ISO/IEC 6523 .12
Annex B (informative) Suggested functional operating procedures — Roles and
responsibilities .16
Annex C (informative) Suggested functional operating procedures — Concept of operations .24
Annex D (informative) Suggested functional operating procedures — Procedures .27
Annex E (informative) Suggested functional operating procedures — Harmonization and
reuse .36
Annex F (informative) Frequently asked questions .38
Bibliography .40
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List of Figures
Figure A.1 — Structure of International Registration Data Identifier (IRDI) .13
Figure A.2 — Structure for the identification of organizations and organization parts .14
Figure B.1 — Organizational roles to the metadata registry and their relationships .17
Figure C.1 — Registration functional activities .25
iv
© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

List of Tables
Table 1 — Registration status levels and criteria . 6
Table A.1 — DUNS entry from the ISO/IEC 6523 registry .15
Table D.1 — Example administrative status values .34
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© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

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 established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC 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.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance
are described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria
needed for the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in
accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives or
www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs).
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. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the
Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents) or the IEC
list of patent declarations received (see https://patents.iec.ch).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html. In the IEC, see www.iec.ch/understanding-standards.
This document was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 32, Data management and interchange.
This fourth edition cancels and replaces the third edition (ISO/IEC 11179-6:2015), which has been
technically revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— the restructuring of the different parts of ISO/IEC 11179 have been taken into account;
— references to other standards have been updated to the latest editions.
A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 11179 series can be found on the ISO and IEC websites.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards
body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html and
www.iec.ch/national-committees.
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© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

Introduction
This document describes the procedure by which metadata items, or other registry items, required
in various application areas can be assigned an internationally unique identifier and registered in a
metadata registry maintained by one or more Registration Authorities. This document supports
multiple schemes for ensuring the uniqueness of the identification.
The metamodel of the common facilities for a metadata registry is defined in ISO/IEC 11179-3. Other
parts in the ISO/IEC 11179 series and the ISO/IEC 19763 series provide additional metamodels to extend
the common facilities to permit various types of metadata to be registered. The metamodel for the
common facilities defined in ISO/IEC 11179-3 allows a registry item to simply be identified or to be both
identified and registered. A registered item may either be an administered item, meaning it has its own
registration state, or it may be an attached item, which means it is attached to an administered item and
shares the latter's registration state. The registered items are included in registries maintained by one
or more Registration Authorities, to which the registered items logically and functionally belong. An
organization wishing to become a registration authority may do so in accordance with the procedure
prescribed in Annex A.
The registration process described in this document may be applied to any type of registry item, such
as those specified by:
[8]
— ISO/IEC 11179-31 : data elements, data element concepts, conceptual domains, value meanings,
value domains and classification schemes;
[9]
— ISO/IEC 11179-32 : concept systems, relations and links;
[10]
— ISO/IEC 11179-33 : data sets and associated attributes;
[16]
— ISO/IEC 11179-34 : computable data;
[11]
— ISO/IEC 11179-35 : models;
[14]
— ISO/IEC 19763 : ontologies, process models, service models, role and goal models,
information models, document models, mappings between models, and form designs;
and/or custom types not specified by these standards. Each registered item is represented within
a metadata registry by a registration record that documents the common administration and
identification, naming and definition details together with their metadata item-specific details.
Within this document, the use of “Registry” denotes an implementation of a registry that is based upon
the common facilities defined in ISO/IEC 11179-3 and that is managed by one or more Registration
Authorities.
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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 11179-6:2023(E)
Information technology — Metadata registries (MDR) —
Part 6:
Registration
1 Scope
This document defines the type of information to be specified, the conditions to be met, and the
procedure(s) to be followed for each item to be registered in a metadata registry. The requirements
and procedures contained herein apply to all types of items specified in ISO/IEC 11179-3,
[8] [9] [10] [11]
ISO/IEC 11179-31 , ISO/IEC 11179-32 , ISO/IEC 11179-33 , ISO/IEC 11179-35 and those
[14]
specified in ISO/IEC 19763 . Some Registration Authorities can use this document to register and
manage locally defined metadata item types that are not defined in ISO/IEC 11179 or ISO/IEC 19763.
This document addresses the common metadata that is used to document the common facilities of a
registry: administration, identification, naming and definition, details that can apply to any and all
types of registry items.
This document does not address the metadata that is specific to particular types of registry items, such
as data elements and value domains. This document does not specify the registry's system design, file
organization techniques, storage media, programming languages, etc. to be used in its implementation.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements 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/IEC 11179-3, Information technology — Metadata registries (MDR) — Part 3: Metamodel for registry
common facilities
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/IEC 11179-3 and the following
apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
data
re-interpretable representation of information in a formalized manner suitable for communication,
interpretation, or processing
Note 1 to entry: Data can be processed by human or automatic means.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 2382:2015, 2121272, modified — Notes to entry 2 and 3 deleted.]
© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

3.2
data element
unit of data (3.1) that is considered in context to be indivisible
EXAMPLE The data element “age of a person” with values consisting of all combinations of 3 decimal digits.
Note 1 to entry: The definition states that a data element is “indivisible” in some context. This means that it
is possible that a data element considered indivisible in one context (e.g. telephone number) can be divisible in
another context, (e.g. country code, area code, local number).
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 2382:2015, 2121599, modified — Note 1 to entry label removed from the example.
Note 2 to entry replaced and renumbered as Note 1, Note 3 to entry deleted.]
3.3
metadata
data (3.1) that defines and describes other data
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 11179-1:2023, 3.2.26]
3.4
registry
information system for registration
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 11179-1:2023, 3.2.34]
3.5
identification scheme
system allocating identifiers to registered objects
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 6523-1:1998, 3.6]
3.6
version
unique form differing in certain aspects from an earlier form
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 11179-1:2023, 3.3.25]
3.7
registration acting body
RAB
type of organization (3.8) participating in the registration process of administered items
Note 1 to entry: Currently, there are three RABs: registration authority (RA), stewardship organization (StO) and
submitting organization (SuO).
3.8
organization
unique framework of authority within which individuals act, or are designated to act, towards some
purpose
Note 1 to entry: The kinds of organizations covered by ISO/IEC 6523-1 include the following examples:
a) an organization incorporated under law;
b) an unincorporated organization or activity providing goods, services or both including the following:
1) partnerships;
2) social or other non-profit organizations or similar bodies in which ownership or control is vested in a
group of individuals;
3) sole proprietorships;
4) governmental bodies;
© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

c) groupings of the above types of organizations where there is a need to identify these in information
interchange.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 6523-1:1998, 3.1, modified — ‘goods and/or services’ changed to ‘goods, services
or both’, 'person or persons' changed to 'individuals', leading article deleted, trailing fullstop deleted,
NOTE converted to Note 1 to entry.]
3.9
organization part
any department, service, or other entity within an organization (3.8) which needs to be identified for
information exchange
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 6523-1:1998, 3.2]
3.10
organization identification scheme
identification scheme dedicated to the unique identification of organizations (3.8)
3.11
International Code Designator
ICD
identifier of an organization identification scheme (3.10)
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 6523-1:1998, 3.8, modified — uses 'identifier of' instead of 'the data element used to
uniquely identify'.]
3.12
International Code Designator value
ICD value
identifier allocated to a particular organization identification scheme (3.10)
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 6523-1:1998, 3.9]
3.13
organization identifier
identifier assigned to an organization (3.8) within an organization identification scheme (3.10) and
unique within that scheme
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 6523-1:1998, 3.10]
3.14
organization part identifier
OPI
identifier allocated to a particular organization part (3.9)
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 6523-1:1998, 3.11]
3.15
international registration data identifier
IRDI
internationally unique identifier for an identified item as defined in the framework of ISO/IEC 11179
3.16
OPI Source Indicator
OPIS
data element (3.2) used to specify the source for the organization part identifier (3.14)
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 6523-1:1998, 3.12]
© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

4 Concept of operation
4.1 Metamodel of a metadata registry
The ISO/IEC 11179 series provides a conceptual metamodel of a metadata registry (MDR) for describing
data. ISO/IEC 11179-1 provides the means for understanding and associating the individual parts and is
the foundation for a conceptual understanding of metadata and metadata registries.
The core metamodel in ISO/IEC 11179-3 specifies common facilities for a generic registry. Other parts
of ISO/IEC 11179 specify specialized metadata items, including:
[8]
: data elements, data element concepts, value domains, conceptual domains, and
— ISO/IEC 11179-31
others;
[9]
— ISO/IEC 11179-32 : concept systems, relations and links;
[10]
— ISO/IEC 11179-33 : data sets;
[11]
— ISO/IEC 11179-35 : models.
This document addresses aspects common to the registration of any registry item. This document also
applies to the registration of items specified in ISO/IEC 19763, such as process models, service models,
documents and forms.
It is envisioned that an organization may extend its registry with additional types of items that are to be
registered. It is also envisioned that the standard may be extended at a later date to specify additional
types of items. Others may want to use this document to register and manage locally defined metadata
item types that are not defined in any document. The common facilities specified here apply equally to
all such extensions.
4.2 Common facilities
4.2.1 Identification
Any registry item that is to be retrieved directly (as opposed to indirectly through a related item),
shall be an identified item, so the item can be referenced. Each identified item shall have at least
one identifier, and that identifier shall be unique within a specified namespace. Early editions of
[3]
ISO/IEC 11179 mandated the identification scheme specified by ISO/IEC 6523 . From the third edition
(2013) onwards, ISO/IEC 11179 permits any identification scheme that can guarantee uniqueness (e.g.
[1]
IETF RFC 4122 ).
Annex A describes the structure of the identifier if the identification scheme specified by ISO/IEC 6523
is used.
4.2.2 Designation and definition
Any registry item can be designated (named), defined or both in the registry.
[6]
ISO/IEC 11179-4 provides guidelines for the formulation of data definitions.
[7]
ISO/IEC 11179-5 provides instructions for naming of the following items: concept, data element
concept, conceptual domain, data element, and value domain, as defined in ISO/IEC 11179-3 and
[8]
ISO/IEC 11179-31 . ISO/IEC 11179-5 describes naming in an MDR, including principles and rules by
which naming conventions can be developed, and provides examples of naming conventions.
4.2.3 Classification
Any registry item can be classified in a classification scheme.
© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

ISO/IEC 11179-3:2023, Clause 10 describes the registration of classification schemes and their use
[5]
in classifying items in a registry. ISO/IEC TR 11179-2 provides further guidance on the use of
classification schemes.
4.2.4 Registration
Any identified item can be made a registered item to allow it to be managed in the registry. Each
registered item shall be instantiated as one of the specializations: administered item or attached item
in accordance with ISO/IEC 11179-3.
Registration is the primary topic of this document.
4.3 Status categories
4.3.1 General
There are two types of status categories. The registration status is a designation of the level of
registration or quality of metadata or progression of an administered item. The administrative status
is a designation of the status in the administrative process of a registration authority for handling
registration requests. Both status categories apply to individual administered items that have been
registered in the registry. Attached items do not have their own statuses. They inherit the status of the
administered item to which they are attached.
An administrative status specifies the process that an administered item is undergoing within a
registration status. It identifies the process that is taking place within a registration status. It is
very probable that the permissible administrative status values will be dependent upon the current
registration status that an administered item possesses. A registration authority will establish the
focus of the use of administrative status. A registration authority determines the allowed values of
this attribute. It is the responsibility of the registration authority to refine, publish, and implement this
administrative feature.
Because the registration status of an administered item determines when constraints are to be enforced,
each item shall be administered by exactly one registration authority. If more than one registration
authority needs to register the same real-world item, then separate administered items shall be
registered. If necessary, they can be related through the item mapping facility of ISO/IEC 11179-3:2023,
Clause 11.
4.3.2 Summary of registration status categories
Registration status specifies the state of an administered item that is in the registry, in the view of
the registration authority. Registration status categories shall apply to individual administered items
that have been registered in the registry by the registration authority. Registration status categories
are of two sub-types: lifecycle and documentation. The lifecycle registration status categories address
improvement and progression towards levels of perfection of the quality of the metadata of the item and
of the preferences of usage of the administered item. The documentation registration status categories
are used to denote positions at which there will be no more progression in quality of metadata or use of
the administered item. The relationships among these status categories, along with the requirements
for an administered item to achieve a particular registration status level, are presented in Table 1.
© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

Table 1 — Registration status levels and criteria
Administered item
Status criteria
registration status category
Lifecycle statuses
Incomplete The submitter wishes to make the community that uses this registry aware
of the existence of an administered item in their local domain.
Candidate The administered item has been proposed for progression through the regis-
tration levels.
Recorded The registration authority has confirmed that
— all mandatory metadata attributes have been completed.
Qualified The registration authority has confirmed that
— the mandatory metadata attributes are complete and
— the mandatory metadata attributes conform to applicable quality require-
ments.
Standard The registration authority confirms that the administered item is
— of sufficient quality and
— of broad interest for use
in the community that uses this registry.
Preferred Standard The registration authority confirms that the administered item is
— preferred for use within the community that uses this registry.
Superseded The registration authority determined that the administered item is
— no longer recommended for use by the community that uses this registry,
and
— a successor administered item is now preferred for use.
Retired The registration authority has approved the administered item as
— no longer recommended for use in the community that uses this registry
and
— should no longer be used.
Documentation statuses
Historical The submitter wishes to make the community that uses this registry aware
of the existence of an administered item that was used in the past.
Application The registration authority wishes to make the community that uses this
metadata register aware of the existence of an administered item in their
local domain that is in an application system and is not specified at the logi-
cal level. This item may be very well described.
While the general intent is to progress as many administered items as possible from “Incomplete” to the
“Preferred Standard” registration status, progression to a status higher than “Recorded” or “Qualified”
is not always appropriate. That is, necessary metadata attribute documentation for an administered
item is possibly not available to establish required documentation for the “Recorded” status, is possibly
not of the quality necessary for the “Qualified” status, or identification as “Preferred Standard”
administered item is possibly not appropriate. Such administered items shall be held at their current
status level in the metadata register to facilitate understanding of and access to these administered
items by the community that uses this registry.
© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

4.3.3 Description of registration status categories
4.3.3.1 Lifecycle status categories
4.3.3.1.1 Overview
The lifecycle status category of an administered item entry shall be based upon the completeness of
the data entered, its accuracy, and its conformance to the established format and syntax. The lifecycle
status category shall be one of those listed in Table 1 in 4.3.2 and described in 4.3.3.1.2 through 4.3.3.1.9.
NOTE Attached items do not have their own registration status. Instead, the rules do not apply to them,
except that once the associated administered item reaches “Recorded” status or above, all mandatory attributes
and other constraints are enforced for the attached items as well as for the administered item.
4.3.3.1.2 Incomplete
When an administered item has the “Incomplete” status, this means that the submitter wishes to make
the community that uses this registry aware of the existence of an administered item, and any associated
attached items in their local domain. An administered item in the status of “Incomplete” in the registry
shall not be maintained under version control. The minimum metadata attribute documentation for the
“Incomplete” status in the registry shall be as follows:
a) identifier;
b) submitter organization name;
c) submitter contact name;
d) submitter contact information.
It is possible that the administered item does not contain all mandatory attribute values, and other
constraints specified for particular metadata objects in the ISO/IEC 11179-3 and related metamodels
are not enforced.
4.3.3.1.3 Candidate
When an administered item has the “Candidate” status, this means that the administered item, and
any associated attached items, has been proposed for progression through the registration levels.
Administered items in the “Candidate” status are maintained under version control. The minimum
metadata attribute documentation for the “Candidate” status includes all attributes required for
“Incomplete” status, plus the following:
a) stewardship organization name;
b) stewardship contact name;
c) stewardship contact information.
It is possible that the administered item does not contain all mandatory attribute values, and other
constraints specified for particular metadata objects in the ISO/IEC 11179-3 and related metamodels
are not enforced.
4.3.3.1.4 Recorded
When an administered item has the “Recorded” status, this means that all mandatory metadata
attributes have been completed, all mandatory associations have been instantiated and all associated
constraints are to be enforced. The preceding rule also applies to any and all attached items attached
to the administered item. An administered item in the “Recorded” status implies that the administered
item may be shared across domains. The contents of the mandatory metadata attributes possibly do not
conform to quality requirements. The submitter may request the retirement of an administered item in
© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

the registration status of “Recorded” at any time. Administered items in “Recorded” registration status
or higher are maintained under version control.
4.3.3.1.5 Qualified
When an administered item has the “Qualified” status, this means that the administered item had a
“Recorded” registration status and the registration authority has confirmed that the mandatory
metadata attributes are complete and conform to applicable quality requirements. In the event that an
administered item is not approved by the registration authority for the “Qualified” registration status
level, it shall remain at the “Recorded” registration status level.
4.3.3.1.6 Standard
When an administered item has the “Standard” status, this means that the administered item had a
“Qualified” registration status and the registration authority has confirmed that the administered item
is of sufficient quality and of broad interest for use in the community that uses this registry. There is
possibly more than one “Standard” administered item that addresses the same function, concept, etc.
4.3.3.1.7 Preferred Standard
When an administered item has the “Preferred Standard” status, this means that the registration
authority confirms that the administered item is preferred for use in the community that uses this
registry.
4.3.3.1.8 Superseded
When an administered item has the “Superseded” status, this means that the registration authority
has determined the administered item is no longer recommended for use in the community that uses
this registry. A “Superseded” administered item may be used, but the successor administered item is
preferred for use. “Superseded” administered items are retained in the registry archival storage facility
for historic reference purposes. “Superseded” administered items should include a reference to the
successor administered items. Only editorial edits of “Superseded” administered items are permitted.
An administered item can move to “Superseded” status from “Recorded” status or above, so the quality
of the attribution is possibly no better than in “Recorded” status.
4.3.3.1.9 Retired
When an administered item has the “Retired” status, this means that the registration authority has
determined that the administered item is no longer recommended for use in the community that uses
this registry. A “Retired” administered item should no longer be used. Such administered items are
retained in the registry archival storage facility for historic reference and research purposes. “Retired”
administered items should include a reference to replacement administered items when appropriate.
Only editorial edits of “Retired” administered items are permitted. An administered item can move to
“Retired” status from “Recorded” status or above, so the quality of the attribution is possibly no better
than in “Recorded” status.
4.3.3.2 Documentation status categories
4.3.3.2.1 Overview
For the documentation status categories, any state of completeness is possible.
4.3.3.2.2 Historical
When an administered item has the “Historical” status, this means that the submitter wishes to make
the community that uses this registry aware of the existence of an item that was used in the past and
has not been used recently. It is important to record so that related items can be given additional
© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

perspective through knowledge of this item. A “Historical” administered item has not passed through
the dynamic registration levels. It is possible that the quality of the attribution is no better than in
“Incomplete” status.
4.3.3.2.3 Application
When an administered item has the “Application” status, this means that the registration authority
wishes to make the community that uses this registry aware of the existence of an administered item
in their local domain that is used by an application system. It is possible that this item is very well
described. It is also possible that the quality of the attribution is no better than in “Incomplete” status.
Items with the “Application” status may be from application systems that are in current development.
4.3.4 Description of administrative status
There should be administrative statuses that denote the pending changes that are important to the
community that uses this registry. These status levels forewarn the community of changes that will
possibly have an impact on their area of interest. The administrative status values are defined and
controlled by the registration authority responsible for the registry. D.3 provides examples of possible
administrative statuses used to record the progress of an administered item within each registration
status. The example shown is not normative.
4.4 Procedures
The registration authority shall establish procedures for necessary activities of the registry. Example
functional activities that need procedures are:
a) Submission of items - Submitters hall submit items to the registration authority for entry into the
registry.
b) Entry of items into the registry - The item shall first be identified. This process makes it an
identified item. The item may also be designated and defined. Finally, the item may become an
administered item by providing additional administrative information about the submitting
organization and submitter.
c) Specification of registration status - An administered item may be recorded as “Incomplete”
or “Candidate” registration status, as the submitter deems appropriate. A registration status
of “Incomplete” implies usage restricted to the submitter’s domain while being posted for
informational purposes. The “Candidate” status implies that the submitter intends to progress
the administered item to higher registration status levels. Submitters or stewards can progress
administered items in the “Candidate” status to the “Recorded” registration status by completing
all mandatory metadata attributes required of that administered item.
d) Progression of administered items - Submitters shall progress administered items to “Recorded”
status. Progression of administered items to registration status of “Qualified” or higher shall
require the sponsorship of a steward and approval of the registration authority.
e) Harmonization of administered items - The objective of harmonization is to resolve any potential
duplicate or overlapping of administered items and to understand the justifiable differences
that possibly exist among the harmonized items. Procedures shall be established to facilitate
administered item harmonization and reuse.
f) Modification of administered items - Procedures shall be established to change administered
items.
g) Retirement of administered items - Procedures shall be established to retire administered items.
h) Administrative processing - The registration authority may assign administrative statuses in
order to track an interim state of an administered item.
© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

Functional operating procedures are needed for those that develop, operate, and/or maintain a registry.
ISO/IEC 11179-3 requires organizational participation of certain roles, such as registration authority,
registrar, submitter and steward.
Annex B provides a suggested set of roles and responsibilities along with suggested functional operating
procedures for the use of the registry by role.
Annex C provides a suggested concept of operations.
Annex D provides suggested procedures to address these functional requirements and the concept of
operations.
Annex E provides suggested procedures for harmonization of administered items.
5 Metadata registries of administered items
5.1 General
A metadata registry is a system for registering metadata. A particular metadata registry may be used
to manage any number of metadata registers, the information stores or databases maintained by the
metadata registry. Each metadata register is maintained by one or more registration authorities. The
number of metadata registers and registration authorities for any particular implementation of a
metadata registry is a decision of the implementer and/or operator of a particular metadata registry.
Each administered item in any metadata register is associated with exactly one registration authority
through the registration association. (See ISO/IEC 11179-3:2023, 9.5.4.)
The principal participants of metadata registries are registration authorities, submitting organizations,
and stewardship organizations. The registration authority has one or more registrars as its contacts.
Submitting organizations submit items to a registration authority for entry into a metadata registry
under their control. A submitter is a contact for a submitting organization for a particular administered
item. A submitting organization may utilize any number of submitters. Each administered item may
be associated with one or more submitting organization, but with exactly one submitter at each
organization. Stewardship organizations are authoritative sources for the attributes of administered
items. A steward is a contact for a stewardship organization for a particular administered item. A
stewardship organization may utilize any number of stewards. Each administered item is associated
with exactly one steward and exactly one stewardship organization once the administered item reaches
“Recorded” status.
5.2 Contents
5.2.1 Metadata registry views
In the context of this document, the views on the contents of the metadata register may vary based
upon of the roles of the participants in the metadata registry and the levels of conformance to which
the registry ascribes.
5.2.2 Metadata registry contents and levels of conformance
Stewardship organizations may have an impact on the content of individual attributes of each
administered item. Stewardship organizations do not have the purview on the composition of the
registry itself, i.e. what specific metadata attributes to include with each administered item. The
registration authority specifies the requirements. For example, while the registration authority
determines, in accordance with this document, that each administered item shall have a definition, the
stewardship organization ensures that the definition of an item is semantically correct.
A registration authority may adopt a stricter or less strict level of conformance, levying corresponding
requirements on submitting organizations. The contents of a metadata register, therefore, may vary
© ISO/IEC 2023 – All rights reserved

accordingly. Conformance for metadata registries shall be in accordance with ISO/IEC 11179-3:2023,
Clause 4. ISO/IEC 11179-3:2023, 9.4.6 provides a mechanism for a registration authority to control
which constraints are applied to which administered items.
5.2.3 Metadata registry contents and types of administered items
Not all metadata registries will have the need or the means to support all the types of metadata items
specified in the metadata models described in various parts of ISO/IEC 11179 and ISO/IEC 19763.
Possibly, some metadata registries will start with a metadata register of data element concepts; some
will start with conceptual domains, then, at a later time, implement data elements and value domains.
This document refers the reader to the relevant parts of ISO/IEC 11179 and ISO/IEC 19763 for the
registry metadata attributes needed for specific types of administered items. This document makes
use of the registry metadata attributes that apply to all administered items.
A metadata registry, however, shall not violate the business rules (as specified via associations and
multiplicities) of the registry metamodel
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