1

Intro to Sharp’s Methods

Jim Carpenter

Bureau of Labor Statistics

OTSP Seminar

May 24, 1999

2Who is Dr. John Sharp?

• Sharp Informatics, Inc.

• Sandia National Laboratories (18 yr.)

• Pioneer in NLM applications– NLM = Natural Language Modeling

• Author: “mathematically precise procedure for performing information analysis”

http://www.dama-ncr.org/SpeakerBios.htm

3

Why is he here at BLS?

• My Project

• Carl Lowe’s Project

• Sharp’s Method

4

My project: 3 Key Technologies in Systems Development

• Describe (model)

• Demonstrate applications to BLS

5Describe Key Technologies in Systems Development

• Components– packaging & distribution of CPU processes

• Modeling Languages – every method & tool has a language

• Metadata– managing sharable data.

– My roles in:• ISO & ANSI: committee, workshops at BLS, Terminology

Management Technical Report

• OSMR sponsored research: taxonomy, usability,...

6

Demonstrate applications to BLS

• Conceptual Models: Economics & Statistics

• DB for X3.285 model (ANSI standard)

• IPP data dictionary (?): analyze, store, interface (seeking help)

Refine definitions into fact types (Sharp’s method). Generate data model from the fact types. Stocking X3.285 based registry with

the IPP data definitions & data model Economic Concepts Model Statistical Concepts Model OSRM taxonomy

Creating a component (DCOM) based middleware interface based on the proposed ANSI O-O interface standards Sharp's process analysis of the fact type matrix Ron Ross' business rules

Demonstrate how other tools and components can use the registry's DCOM interface.

7Carl Lowe’s project

– Requirements specification: his long time interest

8

Sharp’s method

• Produce “requirements for database”

• Based on Natural Language Modeling

• Provide quality data & metadata

9Sharp’s Method:

What’s in scope?

• Persistent data: facts in a database– Called facts because we wish them to be, or they are

“close enough ...”– (Column 1 in Zachman Framework)

• “Little processes”: clusters of CRUD operations– CRUD: Create, Read, Update, Delete– Cluster: should be performed together as a group– The interface to the facts– (Column 2 in Zachman Framework)

10Sharp’s Method:

What’s not in scope?• How you use

– the persistent data– the little processes (but keep the interface)

• Specifically… “big process” stuff, like– Workflow — Security– Components — Communications

• Unless… … you are building a database for managing

• the metadata and

• the “big processes”

11Key Concept: Fact Type

• Fact– an assertion that something plays a role

• generalization of attribute & relationship from ER

• Fact type– an assertion that instances of a class play a role

12Fact Types: describing facts.

• Fact 1: Jack gave the red ball to Jill.• Fact 2: John gave the red ball to Jill.• Fact type: A boy gave the red toy to Jill.• Fact 3: Jack gave the red ball to Jane.• Fact type: A boy gave the red ball to a girl.• Fact 4: Jane gave the red ball to Jack.• Fact type: A child gave the red ball to a child.• Fact 5: Jane gave the white ball to Jack.• Fact type: A child gave a ball of a certain color to a child• Fact 6: Jane gave the green truck to Jack.• Fact type: A child gave a toy of a certain color to a child.

13

Trivia: an isolated fact

Fact 1: Jack gave the red ball to Jill

• What to do with a single fact?

• Can’t generalize.

• Why store it?

14

Generalizing with more facts• Fact 1: Jack gave the red ball to Jill.

• Fact 2: John gave the red ball to Jill.

• Fact type: A boy gave the red toy to Jill.– Object: a boy (with a name)– Role: giver of the red ball to Jill

15More objects & roles in a fact type

Fact 1: Jack gave the red ball to Jill.Fact 2: John gave the red ball to Jill.

• Fact 3: Jack gave the red ball to Jane.

• Fact type: A boy gave the red ball to a girl.

boy girlgive... receive...

A boy gave the red ball to/received the red ball from a girl

Object 1 Role 1 Role 2 Object 2

16Generalize the objects

Fact 1: Jack gave the red ball to Jill.Fact 2: John gave the red ball to Jill.Fact 3: Jack gave the red ball to Jane.

• Fact 4: Jane gave the red ball to Jack.

• Fact type: A child gave the red ball to a child.

17Modeling: Create vs. Validate.

• John will be showing how to validate a model

• Result: locate errors & correct model

• Other sources for creation input