SBVR 1.5 RTF Avatar
  1. OMG Issue

SBVR15 — Fix the objectification example

  • Key: SBVR15-34
  • Legacy Issue Number: 18703
  • Status: closed  
  • Source: Thematix Partners LLC ( Mr. Edward J. Barkmeyer)
  • Summary:

    The objectification example “EU-Rent reviews each corporate account at EU-Rent Headquarters” in SBVR v1.1 clause 9.2.7 (as modified per the resolution to issue 16309), is expressed in the usual sequence of sentences. The formal logic interpretation of those sentences is:
    For each corporate account A, there exists a state of affairs S such that

    S objectifies “EU-Rent reviews A”,

    and S occurs at EU Rent HQ.

    Now, per Clause 8 there is only one such state of affairs; and its existence is a given, that is, for every proposition of the form ‘company reviews account’, the corresponding state of affairs necessarily exists. But nothing is said here about that state of affairs being actual. Moreover, since there is probably more than one “occurrence” of that state of affairs, the definition of ‘state of affairs occurs at place’ would be less than obvious. Or is it the intent that there is only one review of each corporate account? Whatever it means for an abstract state of affairs (that might be a set, including the empty set) to ‘occur at a place’, it is not clear, and it is important to the example of objectification – what is the state of affairs that it produces.

    In SBVR v1.0, the variable S ranges over the verb concept ‘company reviews account’, because the instances of the verb concept were then said to be actualities. The resolution of Issue 14849 makes instances of a verb concept ‘states of affairs’ instead of actualities. But states of affairs need not be actual. It is obvious that some thought was given to this example, because v1.1 changed it. What is not clear is whether it is any closer to what was intended.

    A definition of ‘state of affairs occurs at place’ should probably follow the DTV pattern for ‘state of affairs occurs at time’. In DTV parlance, what was intended is: Each occurrence of the state of affairs “EU Rent reviews A” ‘occurs at’ EU Rent HQ. But SBVR lacks the vocabulary to express that.

  • Reported: SBVR 1.1 — Wed, 8 May 2013 04:00 GMT
  • Disposition: Deferred — SBVR 1.5
  • Disposition Summary:

    Need to establish approved baseline from SBVR v1.5 Issue Resolutions to proceed with the Rest

    Need to establish approved baseline from SBVR v1.5 Issue Resolutions to proceed with the Rest

  • Updated: Tue, 8 Oct 2019 17:48 GMT