The BQS has a notion of the "excluded attributes". They can be
specified in query methods and cause that the resulting collection has
some attributes missing. The intention was to allow to create more
lightweight collections (without long abstracts, for example). This reason
is still valid and I am not going to ask to remove it from the query
methods.
However, during our implementation we found that also other "user
pattern" is quite often: To create a collection, then ask for few
attributes (like titles), and then ask for the another few attributes, and
only that, finally, ask for the (whole) collection. The existence of
excluded attributes in query methods makes it possible to realize such
pattern - but the implementation become quite complex. Because whenever
the user wants to change the set of excluded attributes, the server has to
create a new collection (which may be optimalized, I know, but still it is
a hassle for the implementation).
Therefore, I am thinking about adding the "excluded attributes"
parameter also to the retrieval methods.
I would not expect big problems from the FTF's P&P point of view,
because I hope that I can prove that adding such parameter is not new
functionality but only a convenient way how to achieve already existing
functions. However, I would like to ask for your advice, if this addition
is or is not bad from the BQS architecture point of view. I know that our
implementation (and perhaps other implementations as well) would be much
cleaner with having these attributes, but is that enough to justify the
suggested change?

Resolution (would be):

To add a parameter "in AttributeList excluded" to the retrival methods
(all in BibRefCollection interface):

• retrieve_all_elements()
• create_iterator()
• find_by_id()

see below

The current spec says that the subject headings come from standard
lists (e.g. SEARS, LCSH). But the spec does not have an attribute
specifying this source. After consulting with the librarians and similar
people, we found that this information is so important that it should
qualify for having its own and explicit attribute.
This is what was shown in the last resolution as
public string subject_heading_collection;
The contents of this attribute could be, for example, "SEARS", "MeSH",
"LCSH".

This, of course, opens the question why we are not suggesting the same
for classification codes. We don't because we feel that classification
codes are unique, they are more or less like identifers - and therefore
they can be even expressed as identifiers using the same notation as with
databases (source/id).
But the subject headings are not necessarily unique: for example
something like "MeSH/blahblah" can appear in several places in the MeSH
trees) - and therefore using for that the pattern used for identifiers
would not be appropriate. Therefore, the example just above would be coded
as "blahblah" as one of the 'subject_heading' strings, and the word "MeSH"
woud be in 'subject_heading_collection'.

Resolution:
To add subject_heading_collection (as shown already).
To clarify documentation about differences between subject headings and
classification codes, with a suggestion that for classification code may
be used pattern for identifiers.

see below

During our implementation it became obvious that name 'subheading' is
confusing - because it may mean both sub-heading (a lower level heading),
and a 'subject heading' (as used in cataloques as SEARS).
For example, the MEDLINE uses the term MeSH for "medical subject
headings", which has a descriptor (which is equivalent to BQS's
subheading) and which has also a set of more detailed words called
'subheadings'. Confusing, isn't it? AFAIK, MEDLINE itself is going to
change their naming of 'subheadings' to 'qualifiers' soon.

Resolution:
To change name 'subheading' to 'subject_heading'. Which means to have
in DsLSRBibObject module this IDL:

typedef string SubjectHeading;
typedef sequence<SubjectHeading> SubjectHeadingList;

...

valuetype BibRefSubject

;

see below

The text in 2.2.8.3 (query by the constraint language) needs to be more
precise when describing what 'params' can contain. The type of 'criteria'
should be 'DsLSRControlledVocabularies::VocabularyStringList', and "the
implementation uses these parameters in the same way" is not completely
correct because criteria cannot be sent back (the 'params' is not an inout
parametr, as in the 'find' method).

see below

Method 'export' in interface BibRefUtilities is, indeed, a utility
method (converting given citation into an XML representation). However,
the format of XML used may be (and usually is) dependent on the
collection/repository where the citation comes from. Therefore, it is much
easier and more logical to have this method in the BibRefCollection
interface (as we found during the implementation).

Resolution:
To move the 'export' method from interface BibRefUtilities to the
interface BibRefCollection (both in module DsLSRBibQuery).

see above

Bibliographic repositories may deal with citations using non-ascii
characters (for example MEDLINE is using unicode for foreign characters).
Sending such strings using IDL type 'string' will result in a CORBA
exception (character encoding error, or something like that). The problem
is not with attributes stored and sent in the dynamic properties - they
are wrapped in CORBA Anys, and therefore may be encoded using IDL
type 'wstring' without changing BQS IDL - but the problem is with
explicitly specified attributes.

Resolution:
To change the type of the following attributes (and typedefs) from
'string' to 'wstring':

• in DsLSRBibObjects module: Keywords, surname, first_name,
  mid_initials, postal_address, affiliation, name (in Organisation, Service,
  and Journal), the_abstract, table_of_contents, title
• in DsLSRBibQuery module: PhraseList

see below

This AB member asked the author during the AB meeting whether the UML
diagram is intended to be normative. For example, multiplicities on
references are 0..1 in some cases and 1 in other cases, indicating in the
former cases that a null value is acceptable and in the latter cases that a
null value is not acceptable. The question is whether the author intended
such specifications of multiplicity and other semantics in the UML diagram
to be normative. The author answered that they are intended to be
normative. However, the document calls the diagram "illustrative."

see below

The UML model on page 18 does not specify multiplicities on both ends of
associations.

Close the issue without any changes.

During BQS implementation we found that a convenient method retrieving
only identifiers of the citations from the query collection would
dramatically improve the performance and make the implementation easier.
It is, indeed, a convenient method, not a new functionality - because
the same can be achieved by creating a collection using a list of
'excluded' attributes. Such list would need to contain all attributes
except of an identifier which may not be so easy to implement (both on
server and client side). Also, it would require to create always a new
collection just for the purpose of retrieving pure identifiers. To have
this convenient method make simply life easier.

Resolution:
To add a new method into module DsLSRBibQuery in the interface
BibRefCollection:

DsLSRBibObjects::BibRefIdentifierList retrieve_all_ids()
raises (LimitExceeded);

see above

Repository introspection mechanism allows to find what attributes are
available in the repository. But the attributes play two roles: they can
be used in queries (query-able attributes) and they can be just return
back in the retrieved citations (usually the first role is a subset of the
latter one). There is no interoperable way how to find what role which
attribute plays.

Resolution:

To add to DsLSRBibQuery module:
const string ROLE_ATTR_QUERYABLE = "queryable";
const string ROLE_ATTR_RETRIEVABLE = "retrievable";

And to explain in the text that these strings could/should appear in the
'description' field of the controlled vocabularies with attributes.

see above

The UML model on page 18 uses the OMG UML Profile for CORBA. It does not
use the capability of that profile to indicate that a particular valuetype
inheritance is truncatable.

see below

The author indicates that the UML is intended to be normative, but the
submission does not provide an XMI representation of the UML model. An XMI
representation of a UML model has the benefit of providing a precise, linear
rendering of all the properties of the model using the official OMG XMI DTD
for UML.

Close the issue without any changes.

The BQS spec says (in 2.1.6.4 Journal) that "the rest are accessible
using dynamic properties" but, unfortunately, the Properties attribute is
missing in the IDL. It is a typo.

Resolution:
To add the following property attribute to the valuetype Journal in
module DsLSRBibObjects:

public CosPropertyService::Properties properties;

see above