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Topic Maps - Anyone Using Or Planning To ?

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    Topic Maps - Anyone Using Or Planning To ?

    I found a several interesting articles regarding Topic Maps (an XML technology) and how to implement in a RDBMS. Has anyone tried this or have plans to use? Apparently, the system can be implemented on "top" of an existing RDBMS application - greatly enhancing the usability.

    A link to 2 of the articles follows:

    http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2003/03/05/tmrdb.html

    http://www.ontopia.net/topicmaps/materials/tao.html

    Does AlphaSoftware plan to look at this technology? It looks VERY promising.

    Al

    #2
    RE: Topic Maps - Anyone Using Or Planning To ?

    I believe that the issue here is that the complexity of traditional RDBMS design time makes the XML run time topic map approach feasable.

    A5 uses Xbasic, Xdialogue and genie automation to simplify design time to an extent that the XML topic map method becomes superfluous.

    In upcoming version 6 SQL tables will be as easily managed and edited as any other type of data bringing the reality of RAD to enterprise RDBMS programming.

    Just my oppinion but integrated automation beats XML in my book.

    Perhaps others have another position on the matter.

    Marc
    Marc King
    A5solutions

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      #3
      RE: Topic Maps - Anyone Using Or Planning To ?

      Marc,

      I agree that Alpha 5 makes many things easier; however, for an information-based application like I am designing, topic maps are based on a structure that is very flexible yet totally organizing. I will have many links to various topics, concepts, associations, occurrences, facets etc. This gives me a "starting point" for organizing disparite information archives, "information chunks," timelines, outlines etc.

      Al

      Comment


        #4
        RE: Topic Maps - Anyone Using Or Planning To ?

        Sounds interesting, I have built several business lifecycle apps that allow the attachment of any number of any type of files to a project. Alternatly these files can have keywords attached that allow filtering of the attachments in a seperate library app.

        Doing this in an environment where Access was the tool of choice was problematic and time consuming to the extreme.

        Visual basic and to some extent Filemaker with XML does allow much needed flexability. That being said there is nothing I have found that cant be accomplished directly within the A5 environment.

        I totally agree that as XML was invisioned it allows flexible integration of many disparate legacy data sources. I also think its days are numbered by ever advancing simplified design tools like A5 that will soon retire those legacy systems.

        The more I learn about code be it XML, SOAP, XSLT ect...
        The more I realize that the need to code in these extended languages is a failure on the part of companies who dont understand the user interface or priciples of process automation. I give it one or two years and all these programming tasks will be gone. Giving way to packaged integrators and toolbox addons partnered with Data Base providers.

        Thats my soap box, for what its worth.
        Marc

        Marc King
        A5solutions

        Comment


          #5
          RE: Topic Maps - Anyone Using Or Planning To ?

          Marc,

          I will be using A5 as my "control center" however, via XML and/or XTM we can "talk" to other apps; this makes our data and information reusable in different environments. We can maintain our "mapping" databases in A5 so that subsets of our information can be exported, transformed/used by another application then imported back into A5 if necessary.

          For example, A5 does not have the capabilities (as far as I know :-) ) for efficient outlining or timeline creation; and I need both of these capabilities. However, A5 can assemble the raw data for me, export it to my outliner (eg LM that accepts XML import) then import the finished outline and store it in a memo field for future use.

          Another information application I use that has an import/export capability is PersonalBrain and I want to have it talk to A5 (when XML import is added to A5) for obvious reasons. The list goes on...

          Al

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