ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 11179-1
Second edition
2004-09-15


Information technology — Metadata
registries (MDR) —
Part 1:
Framework
Technologies de l'information — Registres de métadonnées (RM) —
Partie 1: Cadre




Reference number
ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(E)
©
ISO/IEC 2004

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(E)
PDF disclaimer
This PDF file may contain embedded typefaces. In accordance with Adobe's licensing policy, this file may be printed or viewed but
shall not be edited unless the typefaces which are embedded are licensed to and installed on the computer performing the editing. In
downloading this file, parties accept therein the responsibility of not infringing Adobe's licensing policy. The ISO Central Secretariat
accepts no liability in this area.
Adobe is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Details of the software products used to create this PDF file can be found in the General Info relative to the file; the PDF-creation
parameters were optimized for printing. Every care has been taken to ensure that the file is suitable for use by ISO member bodies. In
the unlikely event that a problem relating to it is found, please inform the Central Secretariat at the address given below.


©  ISO/IEC 2004
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from either ISO at the address below or
ISO's member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail copyright@iso.org
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland

ii © ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(E)
Contents Page
Foreword. iv
Introduction . v
1 Scope. 1
2 Normative references. 1
3 Terms and definitions. 1
3.1 Definitions of modeling constructs. 1
3.2 General terms used in this part of ISO/IEC 11179 . 2
3.3 Alphabetical list of terms used in the metamodel . 5
3.4 Specific terms used in this part of ISO/IEC 11179. 8
4 Abbreviations and acronyms. 9
5 Theory of terminology . 9
6 Metadata. 10
6.1 Concepts. 10
6.2 Fundamental model of data elements. 10
6.3 Data elements in data management and interchange. 12
6.4 Fundamental model of value domains. 12
6.5 Fundamentals of classification schemes. 15
7 Metadata registries. 16
7.1 General. 16
7.2 Overview model for an ISO/IEC 11179 MDR.16
7.3 Fundamentals of registration. 18
8 Overview of ISO/IEC 11179. 18
8.1 Introduction of parts . 18
8.2 Basic principles for applying ISO/IEC 11179. 20
9 Conformance. 21
Bibliography . 22

© ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved iii

---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(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
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. 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.
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 11179-1 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 32, Data management and interchange.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO/IEC 11179-1:1999), which has been technically
revised.
ISO/IEC 11179 consists of the following parts, under the general title Information technology — Metadata
registries (MDR):
 Part 1: Framework
 Part 2: Classification
 Part 3: Registry metamodel and basic attributes
 Part 4: Formulation of data definitions
 Part 5: Naming and identification principles
 Part 6: Registration
iv © ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(E)
Introduction
ISO/IEC 11179 - Metadata registries (MDR), addresses the semantics of data, the representation of data, and
the registration of the descriptions of that data. It is through these descriptions that an accurate understanding
of the semantics and a useful depiction of the data are found.
The purposes of ISO/IEC 11179 are to promote the following:
 Standard description of data
 Common understanding of data across organizational elements and between organizations
 Re-use and standardization of data over time, space, and applications
 Harmonization and standardization of data within an organization and across organizations
 Management of the components of data
 Re-use of the components of data
ISO/IEC 11179 is six part standard. Each part is devoted to addressing a different aspect of the needs listed
above. The parts and a short description follow:
 Part 1 – Framework – Contains an overview of the standard and describes the basic concepts
 Part 2 – Classification – Describes how to manage a classification scheme in a metadata registry
 Part 3 – Registry metamodel and basic attributes – Provides the basic conceptual model, including the
basic attributes and relationships, for a metadata registry
 Part 4 – Formulation of data definitions – Rules and guidelines for forming quality definitions for data
elements and their components
 Part 5 – Naming and identification principles – Describes how to form conventions for naming data
elements and their components
 Part 6 – Registration – Specifies the roles and requirements for the registration process in an
ISO/IEC 11179 metadata registry
Generally, descriptive data is known as metadata. That is, metadata is data that is used for describing other
data. As the use of the term has evolved, metadata now refers, generally, to data that is used for describing
some other objects. We limit the scope of the term as it is used here in ISO/IEC 11179 to descriptions of
data - the more traditional use of the term.
An MDR is a database of metadata that supports the functionality of registration. Registration accomplishes
three main goals: identification, provenance, and monitoring quality. Identification is accomplished by
assigning a unique identifier (within the registry) to each object registered there. Provenance addresses the
source of the metadata and the object described. Monitoring quality ensures that the metadata does the job it
is designed to do.
An MDR manages the semantics of data. Understanding data is fundamental to its design, harmonization,
standardization, use, re-use, and interchange. The underlying model for an MDR is designed to capture all
the basic components of the semantics of data, independent of any application or subject matter area.
© ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved v

---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(E)
MDR's are organized so that those designing applications can ascertain whether a suitable object described in
the MDR already exists. Where it is established that a new object is essential, its derivation from an existing
description with appropriate modifications is encouraged, thus avoiding unnecessary variations in the way
similar objects are described. Registration will also allow two or more administered items describing identical
objects to be identified, and more importantly, it will identify situations where similar or identical names are in
use for administered items that are significantly different in one or more respects.
In ISO/IEC 11179 the basic container for data is called a data element. It may exist purely as an abstraction
or exist in some application system. In either case, the description of a data element is the same in
ISO/IEC 11179. Data element descriptions have both semantic and representational components. The
semantics are further divided into contextual and symbolic types.
The contextual semantics are described by the data element concept (DEC). The DEC describes the kinds of
objects for which data are collected and the particular characteristic of those objects being measured. The
symbolic semantics are described by the conceptual domain (CD). A CD is a set of categories, not
necessarily finite, where the categories represent the meaning of the permissible values in a value domain -
the allowed values for a data element.
The names, definitions, datatype, and related objects that are associated with a particular object in an MDR
give that object meaning. The depth of this meaning is limited, because names and definitions convey limited
information about an object. The relationships that object has with semantically related objects in a registry
provides additional information, but the additional information is dependent on how many semantically related
objects there are.
The representational component is about the permitted values a data element may use. Each value
corresponds to one of the categories in the CD. The set of these permitted values is called a value domain
(VD). A VD specifies all the values that are allowed either through an enumeration, a rule, or a combination of
these. The computational model the values follow is given by their datatype.
The semantic and representational components are described through attributes contained in the conceptual
model of a metadata registry as specified in ISO/IEC 11179-3. A metadata registry that conforms to
ISO/IEC 11179 can describe a wide variety of data. In fact, the attributes described in ISO/IEC 11179-3 are
data elements, and they can be registered in an ISO/IEC 11179 metadata registry. Moreover, any set of
descriptors or metadata attributes may be interpreted as data elements and registered in the metadata
registry.
There are two main consequences to this:
 The metadata registry can describe itself
 Metadata layers or levels are not defined in ISO/IEC 11179
As a result, ISO/IEC 11179 is a general description framework for data of any kind, in any organization, and
for any purpose. This standard does not address other data management needs, such as data models,
application specifications, programming code, program plans, business plans, and business policies. These
need to be addressed elsewhere.
The increased use of data processing and electronic data interchange heavily relies on accurate, reliable,
controllable, and verifiable data recorded in databases. One of the prerequisites for a correct and proper use
and interpretation of data is that both users and owners of data have a common understanding of the meaning
and descriptive characteristics (e.g., representation) of that data. To guarantee this shared view, a number of
basic attributes has to be defined.
vi © ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(E)
The basic attributes specified are applicable for the definition and specification of the contents of data
dictionaries and interchanging or referencing among various collections of administered items. The "basic" in
basic attributes means that the attributes are commonly needed in specifying administered items completely
enough to ensure that they will be applicable for a variety of functions, such as
 design of information processing systems
 retrieval of data from databases
 design of EDI-messages for data interchange
 maintenance of metadata registries
 data management
 dictionary design
 dictionary control
 use of information processing systems
Basic also implies that they are independent of any
 application environment
 function of an object described by an administered item
 level of abstraction
 grouping of administered items
 method for designing information processing systems or data interchange messages
 MDR system
Basic does not imply that all attributes specified in ISO/IEC 11179-3 are required in all cases. Distinction is
made between those attributes that are mandatory, conditional, or optional.
© ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved vii

---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(E)

Information technology — Metadata registries (MDR) —
Part 1:
Framework
1 Scope
ISO/IEC 11179 specifies the kind and quality of metadata necessary to describe data, and it specifies the
management and administration of that metadata in a metadata registry (MDR). It applies to the formulation
of data representations, concepts, meanings, and relationships between them to be shared among people and
machines, independent of the organization that produces the data. It does not apply to the physical
representation of data as bits and bytes at the machine level.
In ISO/IEC 11179, metadata refers to descriptions of data. ISO/IEC 11179 does not contain a general
treatment of metadata. This part of ISO/IEC 11179 provides the means for understanding and associating the
individual parts and is the foundation for a conceptual understanding of metadata and metadata registries.
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 704:2000, Terminology work — Principles and methods
ISO 1087-1:2000, Terminology work — Vocabulary — Part 1: Theory and application
ISO/IEC 11179 (all parts), Information technology — Metadata registries (MDR)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1 Definitions of modeling constructs
This sub-clause defines the modeling constructs used in this part of ISO/IEC 11179.
3.1.1
attribute
characteristic of an object or entity
3.1.2
class
description of a set of objects that share the same attributes, operations, methods, relationships, and
semantics
[ISO/IEC 19501-1:2001, 2.5.2.9].
© ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved 1

---------------------- Page: 8 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(E)
3.1.3
identifier (in Metadata Registry)
sequence of characters, capable of uniquely identifying that with which it is associated, within a specified
context
NOTE A name should be used as an identifier because it is not linguistically neutral.
3.1.4
relationship
connection among model elements
[ISO/IEC 19501-1:2001, 2.5.2.36].
3.2 General terms used in this part of ISO/IEC 11179
This sub-clause defines terms that have general usage beyond the specific needs of this part of
ISO/IEC 11179, but are not modeling constructs defined in 3.1.
3.2.1
basic attribute
attribute of a metadata item commonly needed in its specification
3.2.2
characteristic
abstraction of a property of an object or of a set of objects
NOTE Characteristics are used for describing concepts.
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.2.4].
3.2.3
concept
unit of knowledge created by a unique combination of characteristics
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.2.1].
3.2.4
concept system
set of concepts structured according to the relations among them
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.2.11]
3.2.5
conceptual data model
conceptual model
data model that represents an abstract view of the real world
NOTE A conceptual model represents the human understanding of a system.
3.2.6
data
re-interpretable representation of information in a formalized manner suitable for communication,
interpretation, or processing
NOTE Data can be processed by humans or by automatic means.
[ISO 2382-1:1993, 01.01.02].
2 © ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 9 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(E)
3.2.7
data model
graphical and/or lexical representation of data, specifying their properties, structure and inter-relationships
3.2.8
definition
representation of a concept by a descriptive statement which serves to differentiate it from related concepts
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.3.1].
3.2.9
designation
representation of a concept by a sign which denotes it
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.4.1].
3.2.10
entity
any concrete or abstract thing that exists, did exist, or might exist, including associations among these things
EXAMPLE A person, object, event, idea, process, etc.
NOTE An entity exists whether data about it are available or not.
[ISO/IEC 2382-17:1999, 17.02.05].
3.2.11
essential characteristic
characteristic which is indispensable to understanding a concept
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.2.6].
3.2.12
extension

totality of objects to which a concept corresponds
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.2.8].
NOTE This term has a different meaning in ISO/IEC 11179-3.
3.2.13
general concept
concept which corresponds to two or more objects, which form a group by reason of common properties
NOTE Examples of general concepts are 'planet', 'tower'.
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.2.3]
3.2.14
individual concept
concept which corresponds to only one object
NOTE Examples of individual concepts are: 'Saturn', 'the Eiffel Tower'.
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.2.2].
© ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved 3

---------------------- Page: 10 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(E)
3.2.15
intension

set of characteristics which makes up the concept
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.2.9].
3.2.16
metadata
data that defines and describes other data
3.2.17
metadata item
instance of a metadata object
3.2.18
metadata object
object type defined by a metamodel
3.2.19
metadata registry
MDR
information system for registering metadata
3.2.20
metamodel
data model that specifies one or more other data models
3.2.21
name
designation of an object by a linguistic expression
3.2.22
object
anything perceivable or conceivable
NOTE Objects may also be material (e.g. an engine, a sheet of paper, a diamond), immaterial (e.g. a conversion ratio,
a project plan), or imagined (e.g. a unicorn).
[ISO 1087-1:2000, 3.1.1].
3.2.23
registry item
metadata item recorded in a metadata registry
3.2.24
registry metamodel
metamodel specifying a metadata registry
3.2.25
terminological system
concept system with designations for each concept
4 © ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 11 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(E)
3.3 Alphabetical list of terms used in the metamodel
This sub-clause provides definitions for terms used in this part of ISO/IEC 11179, which are the names of
metadata objects in the metamodel specified in ISO/IEC 11179-3.
3.3.1
administered item
registry item for which administrative information is recorded in an administration record
3.3.2
administration record
collection of administrative information for an administered item
3.3.3
administrative status
designation of the status in the administrative process of a registration authority for handling registration
requests
NOTE The values and associated meanings of “administrative status” are determined by each registration authority.
C.f. “registration status”.
3.3.4
classification scheme
descriptive information for an arrangement or division of objects into groups based on characteristics, which
the objects have in common
3.3.5
classification scheme item
CSI
item of content in a classification scheme.
NOTE This may be a node in a taxonomy or ontology, a term in a thesaurus, etc.
3.3.6
conceptual domain
CD
set of valid value meanings
NOTE The value meanings in a conceptual domain may either be enumerated or expressed via a description.
3.3.7
context
circumstance, purpose, and perspective under which an object is defined or used
NOTE This term has a different meaning in 11179-3.
3.3.8
data element
DE
unit of data for which the definition, identification, representation and permissible values are specified by
means of a set of attributes
3.3.9
data element concept
DEC
concept that can be represented in the form of a data element, described independently of any particular
representation
© ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved 5

---------------------- Page: 12 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(E)
3.3.10
data identifier
DI
unique identifier for an administered item within a registration authority
3.3.11
datatype
set of distinct values, characterized by properties of those values and by operations on those values
[ISO/IEC 11404:1996, 4.11].
3.3.12
dimensionality
expression of measurement without units
NOTE A quantity is a value with an associated unit of measure. 32º Fahrenheit, 0º Celsius, $100 USD, and 10
reams (of paper) are quantities. Equivalence between two units of measure is determined by the existence of a quantity
preserving one-to-one correspondence between values measured in one unit of measure and values measured in the
other unit of measure, independent of context, and where characterizing operations are the same. Equivalent units of
measure in this sense have the same dimensionality. The equivalence defined here forms an equivalence relation on the
set of all units of measure. Each equivalence class corresponds to a dimensionality. The units of measure "temperature
in degrees Fahrenheit" and "temperature in degrees Celsius" have the same dimensionality, because for each value
measured in degrees Fahrenheit there is a value measured in degrees Celsius with the same quantity, and vice-versa.
The same operations may be performed on quantities in each unit of measure. Quantity preserving one-to-one
correspondences are the well-known equations Cº = (5/9)*(Fº - 32) and Fº = (9/5)*(Cº) + 32.
3.3.13
enumerated conceptual domain
conceptual domain that is specified by a list of all its value meanings
3.3.14
enumerated value domain
value domain that is specified by a list of all its permissible values
3.3.15
international code designator
ICD
identifier of an organization identification scheme
NOTE Based on ISO/IEC 6523-1:1998, 3.8.
3.3.16
item identifier
identifier for an item
3.3.17
item registration authority identifier
identifier of the registration authority registering the item
3.3.18
non-enumerated conceptual domain
conceptual domain that is not specified by a list of all valid value meanings
3.3.19
non-enumerated conceptual domain description
description or specification of a rule, reference, or range for a set of all value meanings for the conceptual
domain
3.3.20
non-enumerated value domain
value domain that is specified by a description rather than a list of all permissible values
6 © ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 13 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(E)
3.3.21
non-enumerated value domain description
description or specification of a rule, reference, or range for a set of all permissible values for the value
domain
3.3.22
object class
set of ideas, abstractions, or things in the real world that are identified with explicit boundaries and meaning
and whose properties and behavior follow the same rules
3.3.23
organization
unique framework of authority within which a person or persons act, or are designated to act, towards some
purpose
[ISO/IEC 6523-1:1998, 3.1].
3.3.24
organization identifier
identifier assigned to an organization within an organization identification scheme, and unique within that
scheme
[ISO/IEC 6523-1:1998, 3.10].
3.3.25
organization part
any department, service, or other entity within an organization which needs to be identified for information
exchange
[ISO/IEC 6523-1:1998, 3.2].
3.3.26
organization part identifier
OPI
identifier allocated to a particular organization part
[ISO/IEC 6523-1:1998, 3.11].
3.3.27
organization part identifier source
source for the organization part identifier
NOTE Based on ISO/IEC 6523-1:1998, 3.12.
3.3.28
permissible value
expression of a value meaning allowed in a specific value domain
3.3.29
property
characteristic common to all members of an object class
3.3.30
registrar
representative of a registration authority
3.3.31
registration
relationship between an administered item and the registration authority
© ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved 7

---------------------- Page: 14 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(E)
3.3.32
registration authority
RA
organization responsible for maintaining a register
3.3.33
registration authority identifier
identifier assigned to a registration authority
3.3.34
registration status
designation of the status in the registration life-cycle of an administered item
3.3.35
representation class
classification of types of representations
3.3.36
unit of measure
actual units in which the associated values are measured
NOTE The dimensionality of the associated conceptual domain must be appropriate for the specified unit of
measure.
3.3.37
value
data value
3.3.38
value domain
VD
set of permissible values
3.3.39
value meaning
meaning or semantic content of a value
NOTE Given a permissible value, representation of its value meaning shall be independent of (and shall not
constrain) the representation of its corresponding value.
3.3.42
value meaning description
description of a value meaning
3.3.43
version
unique version identifier of the administered item
3.4 Specific terms used in this part of ISO/IEC 11179
This sub-clause defines terms that have specific usage in this part of ISO/IEC 11179 and are not used in the
other parts.
3.4.1
data construct
object a metadata item describes
NOTE Individual data elements, value domains, data element concepts, conceptual domains, object classes, and
properties are data constructs.
8 © ISO/IEC 2004 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 15 ----------------------
ISO/IEC 11179-1:2004(E)
3.4.2
quantity
value associated with a unit of measure
4 Abbreviations and acronyms
NOTE Some of the abbreviations or acronyms in this section represent ter
...