OASIS ebXML Messaging Services TC

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RE: [ebxml-msg] Issue 56: Specification / Schema conflict resolution

  • 1.  RE: [ebxml-msg] Issue 56: Specification / Schema conflict resolution

    Posted 02-18-2002 13:08
    Dick,
    
    I have trouble with the question being posed about
    deciding on a policy to deal with what to do when
    there is a discrepancy between the specification
    and the schema. (Let's assume both are normative.)
    
    The spec can be wrong. The schema can be wrong.
    Why do we need to decide that we will always
    regard one source as "correct"? In the next
    version, maybe the words will need to be rewritten,
    maybe the schema will need changes. 
    
    The real problem, to me, is what to do when
    a discrepancy is discovered, 
    and it causes an interoperability problem.
    What is our recommended workaround for
    vendors and users until _either_ the
    spec is changed or the schema changed,
    and the discrepancy is removed. I would
    say that it is easier to implement a workaround
    for a problem of this nature either by
    ignoring the text (because it is wrong)
    or issuing a schema update (because it
    was wrong). Therefore, in either case,
    it boils down to how
    we should do schema updates.
    (If both were wrong, still fix the schema 
    first please,
    and the text later.)
    
    And I think none of this should be used
    as an excuse not to fix discrepancies
    that are now known.
    
    Dale