We have stated two requirements in this area.

The first is that we can register artefacts such as XML Schema elements, attributes and data types (we will need to decide exactly which artefacts we can register: what about groups etc?).

The second is that we can register metadata which we can later serialize as XML Schema or other formats. I would expect this to be based on the CCTS metadata, but we have not yet specified this.

How do we plan to use these? If information is entered into the registry as metadata and later serialized as XML Schema, that is not problem. But we know that, in Government, people don't like their schemas being messed with. I don't think that, if people submit a schema component, we could convert it to metadata and throw away the component. We therefore have two types of artefact - schema components and metadata from which we can derive components.

One possibility is always to derive metadata from a submitted schema component and register this. The component goes into the repository. This means that the registry can be searched in a way that treats submitted components equivalently to the same information that has been submitted just as metadata. If someone requests a component as XML Schema, we can see if one is stored. If it is, we use it. If it isn't, we create it from metadata.

Any views? Carl? Nikola? Duane? Farrukh? Ann? Others?

Regards