INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
ISO/IEC
11179-6
Third edition
2015-08-01
Part 6:
Information technology — Metadata
registries (MDR) —
Registration
Technologies de l’information — Registres de métadonnées (RM) —
Partie 6: Enregistrement des données
Reference number
ISO/IEC 11179-6:2015(E)
© ISO/IEC 2015
ISO/IEC 11179-6:2015(E)
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© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved
ISO/IEC 11179-6:2015(E)
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Contents
Page
Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................iv
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................v
Scope .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................1
Statement of scope ...............................................................................................................................................................................1
1.1
Exclusions ....................................................................................................................................................................................................1
1.2
Normative references ......................................................................................................................................................................................1
Terms and definitions .....................................................................................................................................................................................1
Concept of operation ........................................................................................................................................................................................9
4.1 Metamodel of a Metadata Registry ........................................................................................................................................9
4.2 Metadata Items .......................................................................................................................................................................................9
Common facilities ..............................................................................................................................................................................10
4.3
Identification ....................................................................................................................................................................10
4.3.1
4.3.2 Designation and Definition ..................................................................................................................................10
Classification ....................................................................................................................................................................10
4.3.3
Registration .......................................................................................................................................................................11
4.3.4
4.4
Status categories.................................................................................................................................................................................11
General...................................................................................................................................................................................11
4.4.1
4.4.2
Summary of registration status categories ............................................................................................11
4.4.3 Description of administrative status ...........................................................................................................14
4.5
Procedures ...............................................................................................................................................................................................14
Metadata Registries of Administered Items ..........................................................................................................................15
General ........................................................................................................................................................................................................15
5.1
Contents .....................................................................................................................................................................................................16
5.2
5.2.1 Metadata Registry Views .......................................................................................................................................16
5.2.2 Metadata Registry Contents and Levels of Conformance ..........................................................16
5.2.3 Metadata Registry Contents and Types of Administered Items ...........................................16
Language(s) ............................................................................................................................................................................................16
5.3
5.4
Availability of the Metadata Registry of Administered Items ......................................................................16
Conformance ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................16
Annex A (informative) Identifiers based on ISO/IEC 6523 .........................................................................................................17
Annex B (normative) Contents of the Metadata Registry: Metadata attributes required for
Administered Items ........................................................................................................................................................................................22
Annex C (informative) Suggested functional operating procedures — Roles and Responsibilities 41
Annex D (informative) Suggested functional operating procedures — Concept of operations ...........48
Annex E (informative) Suggested functional operating procedures — Procedures .........................................51
Annex F (informative) Suggested functional operating procedures — Harmonization and reuse ..60
Annex G (informative) Frequently Asked Questions .........................................................................................................................62
Bibliography .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................65
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© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved
iii
ISO/IEC 11179-6:2015(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.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for
the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
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.
Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction
and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical Barriers
to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, Subcommittee
SC 32, Data management and interchange.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO/IEC 11179-6:2005), 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 principles
— Part 6: Registration
iv
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved
ISO/IEC 11179-6:2015(E)
Introduction
This part of ISO/IEC 11179 describes the procedure by which metadata items required in various
application areas could be assigned an internationally unique identifier and registered in a metadata
registry maintained by one or more Registration Authorities. This edition of this part of ISO/IEC 11179
supports multiple schemes for ensuring the uniqueness of the identification.
The metamodel of a metadata registry defined in ISO/IEC 11179-3 allows a metadata item to simply be
identified or to be both identified and registered. A registered item may either be an administered item,
meaning it has its own registration state, or it may be an attached item, which means it is attached to
an administered item and shares the latter’s registration state. The registered items are included in
Metadata Registries maintained by one or more Registration Authorities, to which the registered items
logically and functionally belong. An organization wishing to become a Registration Authority may do
so in accordance with the procedure prescribed in Annex A.
The registration process described in this part of ISO/IEC 11179 may be applied to any type of metadata
item, such as those specified by ISO/IEC 11179-3: data elements, data element concepts, conceptual
domains, value meanings, value domains, classification schemes, and concept systems; those specified
by ISO/IEC 19763: ontologies, process models, service models, role and goal models, information models,
mappings between models, and form designs; and/or custom types not specified by these standards.
Each registered item is represented within a metadata registry by a registration record that documents
the common administration and identification, naming and definition details together with their
metadata item-specific details.
Within this part of ISO/IEC 11179, the use of “Metadata Registry” denotes an implementation of a
metadata registry that is based upon ISO/IEC 11179 and that is managed by one or more Registration
Authorities.
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved
v
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD
ISO/IEC 11179-6:2015(E)
1.2 Exclusions
2 Normative references
Registration
1 Scope
1.1 Statement of scope
Information technology — Metadata registries (MDR) —
Part 6:
This part of ISO/IEC 11179 defines the type of information to be specified, the conditions to be met,
and the procedure(s) to be followed for each metadata item to be registered in a metadata registry. The
requirements and procedures contained herein apply to all metadata items specified in ISO/IEC 11179-3
and those specified in ISO/IEC 19763. Some Registration Authorities may want to use this part of
ISO/IEC 11179 to register and manage locally defined metadata item types that are not defined in
ISO/IEC 11179-3 or ISO/IEC 19763.
This part of ISO/IEC 11179 addresses the common metadata that is used to document the common
facilities of a metadata registry: administration, identification, naming and definition, details that can
apply to any and all types of metadata items.
This part of ISO/IEC 11179 does not address the metadata that is specific to particular types of metadata
items such as data elements and value domains. This part of ISO/IEC 11179 does NOT specify the
registry’s system design, file organization techniques, storage media, programming languages, etc. to
be used in its implementation.
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 11179-1, Information technology — Metadata registries (MDR) — Part 1: Framework
ISO/IEC 11179-3, Information technology — Metadata registries (MDR) — Part 3: Registry metamodel and
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
registered item (3.38) for which administrative information (3.2) is recorded
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 11179-3:2013, 3.2.2]
information about the administration of an item in a metadata registry (3.26)
EXAMPLE
Creation date, last change date, origin, change description, and explanatory comment.
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved
3.2
administrative information
3 Terms and definitions
1
basic attributes
3.1
administered item
ISO/IEC 11179-6:2015(E)
3.4
attached item
3.5
classifiable item
3.6
classification scheme
3.3
administrative status
Origin, composition, structure, application, function, etc.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 11179-3:2013, 3.2.3]
designation (3.10) of the status in the administrative process of a Registration Authority (3.42)
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 11179-3:2013, 8.1.2.6.2.6]
Note 1 to entry: Administrative status is described in 4.4.3. Examples are provided in E.3.
registered item (3.38) for which administrative information (3.2) is recorded in another registered item
Note 1 to entry: This is often a member of a group of registered items that is managed as a whole.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 11179-3:2013, 3.2.6]
metadata item (3.23) of a type for which classification is supported in a given metadata registry (3.26)
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 11179-3:2013, 3.2.15]
descriptive information for an arrangement or division of objects into groups based on criteria such as
characteristics, which the objects have in common
EXAMPLE
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 11179-3:2013, 3.2.16]
instance of a role (3.49) of an individual (3.16) or organization (3.30) or organization part (3.33) or
organization Person (3.35) to or from whom an information item(s), a material object(s) and/or person(s)
can be sent in a specified context
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 11179-3:2013, 3.2.23]
re-interpretable representation of information in a formalized manner suitable for communication,
interpretation, or processing
Note 1 to entry: Data can be processed by human or automatic means.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 2382-1:1993, 01.01.02]
unit of data (3.8) that is considered in context to be indivisible
EXAMPLE
The data element “age of a person” with values consisting of all combinations of three decimal
digits.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 2382-4:1999, 04.07.01]
Note 1 to entry: The definition states that a data element is “indivisible” in some context. This means that it is
possible that a data element considered indivisible in one context (e.g., telephone number) might be divisible in
another context (e.g., country code, area code, local number).
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved
3.7
contact
3.8
data
2
3.9
data element