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<h1>XML Query Working Group Charter</h1>

<h3>[June 2004]</h3>
<address>
  Paul Cotton, Microsoft, co-Chair,<br />
  Andrew Eisenberg, IBM, co-Chair,<br />
  Jim Melton, Oracle, co-Chair,<br />
  Massimo Marchiori and Liam Quin, Team Contacts
</address>

<p>This Working Group follows the rules and requirements of the latest
operative version of the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process/">World Wide Web Consortium
Process Document</a>. Except as outlined elsewhere in this charter, the
Working Group follows the <a href="xml-common-proc.html">Common Procedures
for XML Working Groups</a>. The <a
href="http://www.w3.org/2001/12/xmlbp/xml-query-wg-charter.html">previous
charter</a> for this Working Group is also available.</p>

<p>Note: this document was edited on 27 August 2004 to add "XML Path
Language (XPath) 2.0" in the set of deliverables, and on 11th october
2006  to update the group's duration through 31st January 2007.</p>

<hr class="html_compat" />
<ol>
  <li><a href="#scope">Scope</a></li>
  <li><a href="#deliverables">Deliverables and duration</a></li>
  <li><a href="#milestones">Expected milestones</a></li>
  <li><a href="#coordination">Coordination with other Working Groups</a></li>
  <li><a href="#WGmembership">Working Group participation</a></li>
  <li><a href="#meetings">Meetings</a></li>
  <li><a href="#communication">Communication</a></li>
  <li><a href="#confidentiality">Confidentiality</a></li>
  <li><a href="#IP">Patent Policy</a></li>
</ol>
<hr />

<h2>1. <a name="scope" id="scope">Scope</a></h2>

<p>The mission of the XML Query working group is to provide flexible query
facilities to extract data from real and virtual documents on the Web. Real
documents are documents authored in XML. Virtual documents are the contents
of databases or other persistent storage that are viewed as XML via a mapping
mechanism.</p>

<p>The functionality of the XML Query language encompasses selecting whole
documents or components of documents based on specified selection criteria,
as well as constructing XML documents from selected components.</p>

<p>The goal of the XML Query Working Group is to produce a formal data model
for XML documents with namespaces (based on the XML Information Set), a set
of query operators on that data model (a so-called <i>algebra</i>), and then
a query language with a concrete canonical syntax based on the proposed
operators. <!-- According to <a href=
            "http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/Architecture">W3C
            guidelines</a>, such syntax should be expressed in XML. -->
 The queries allowed by the query language must be computable and
terminating. Such queries will act on fixed collections of XML documents.</p>

<p>In building such an XML data model, operators, and query language, the
working group will take into account the papers and proposals presented at
the <a href="http://www.w3.org/TandS/QL/QL98">W3C Query Languages Workshop
(QL'98)</a>.</p>

<p>The XML Query Working Group is part of the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/XML/Activity">W3C XML Activity</a>.</p>

<h2>2. <a name="deliverables" id="deliverables">Deliverables and
duration</a></h2>

<h3>Deliverables</h3>

<p>The XML Query Working Group has prepared distinct working drafts for a)
XQuery 1.0, b) XPath 2.0, c) XQuery and XPath Data Model, d) XQuery and XPath
Formal Semantics, e) XQueryX, f) XQuery and XPath Functions and Operators,
and g) XSLT and XQuery Serialization. It is now clear that these seven
Working Drafts should form seven distinct Recommendations. The Working Group
will produce the following documents:</p>
<ul>
  <li>jointly with the XSL Working Group, a set of <a
    href="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/Process-20040205/tr.html#RecsW3C">W3C
    Recommendations</a> for:
    <ul>
      <li>XQuery 1.0 and XPath 2.0 Data Model</li>
      <li>XQuery 1.0 and XPath 2.0 Functions and Operators</li>
      <li>XML Query 1.0 and XPath 2.0 Full-Text</li>
      <li>XQuery 1.0 and XPath 2.0 Formal Semantics</li>
      <li>XSLT 2.0 and XQuery 1.0 Serialization</li>
      <li>XML Path Language (XPath) 2.0</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>A set of <a
    href="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/Process-20040205/tr.html#RecsW3C">W3C
    Recommendations</a> for:
    <ul>
      <li>XML Syntax for XQuery 1.0 (XQueryX)</li>
      <li>XQuery 1.0: An XML Query Language</li>
      <li>XQuery Update Language</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>A <a
    href="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/Process-20040205/tr.html#RecsWD">Working
    Draft</a> for XQuery 1.1 and associated documents. This document is also
    intended to become a <a
    href="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/Process-20040205/tr.html#RecsW3C">W3C
    Recommendation</a>.</li>
  <li>A set of <a
    href="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/Process-20040205/tr.html#WGNote">Working
    Group Notes</a> for:
    <ul>
      <li>XML Query 1.0 Requirements</li>
      <li>XML Query 1.0 Use Cases</li>
      <li>XML Query 1.0 and XPath 2.0 Full-Text Requirements</li>
      <li>XML Query 1.0 and XPath 2.0 Full-Text Use Cases</li>
      <li>XML Query 1.1 Requirements</li>
      <li>XQuery Update Language Requirements</li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>An interoperability test suite for XQuery 1.0: intended to assess the
    accuracy of the Candidate Recommendations, and to promote
    interoperability. The Working Group is expected to demonstrate
    interoperable implementations during the <a
    href="http://www.w3.org/2004/02/Process-20040205/tr.html#cfi">Call for
    Implementations</a> phase.</li>
</ul>

<p>After making significant progress on XML Query 1.0, the XML Query Working
Group is supposed to develop XQuery 1.1 with additional features not
delivered during the XQuery 1.0 period, which might include: a) an update
language, b) a grouping facility, etc. This work might involve publishing a
subsequent version of XQuery.</p>

<h3>Duration</h3>

<p>The expiration date of this charter is 30 June 2006.</p>

<h2>3. <a name="milestones" id="milestones">Expected milestones</a></h2>

<p>These are subject to revision due to editorial needs and external
scheduling issues; updates will be negotiated with the related groups and
recorded on the XML Query Working Group home page.</p>
<dl>
  <dt>August 2004</dt>
    <dd><ul>
        <li>F2F meeting, West Coast, North America</li>
        <li>XQuery and XPath Full-Text Working Draft</li>
        <li>XQuery Update Language Working Draft</li>
      </ul>
    </dd>
  <dt>November 2004</dt>
    <dd><ul>
        <li>F2F meeting, East Coast, North America</li>
        <li>2nd Last Call Working Drafts</li>
      </ul>
    </dd>
  <dt>January 2005</dt>
    <dd><ul>
        <li>F2F meeting at a location to be determined.</li>
        <li>XQuery and XPath Full-Text Last Call Working Draft</li>
        <li>XQuery Update Language Last Call Working Draft</li>
      </ul>
    </dd>
  <dt>March 2005</dt>
    <dd><ul>
        <li>F2F meeting at a location to be determined.</li>
        <li>Candidate Recommendation Working Drafts</li>
      </ul>
    </dd>
  <dt>June 2005</dt>
    <dd><ul>
        <li>F2F meeting at a location to be determined.</li>
        <li>XQuery and XPath Full-Text Last Call Working Draft</li>
        <li>XQuery Update Language Last Call Working Draft</li>
      </ul>
    </dd>
  <dt>August 2005</dt>
    <dd><ul>
        <li>F2F meeting at a location to be determined.</li>
      </ul>
    </dd>
  <dt>November 2005</dt>
    <dd><ul>
        <li>F2F meeting at a location to be determined.</li>
      </ul>
    </dd>
  <dt>December 2005</dt>
    <dd><ul>
        <li>Publication of XML Query 1.0 Recommendation</li>
        <li>XML Query 1.1 Requirements Working Draft</li>
        <li>XQuery and XPath Full-Text CR Working Draft</li>
        <li>XQuery Update Language CR Working Draft</li>
      </ul>
    </dd>
  <dt>January 2006</dt>
    <dd><ul>
        <li>F2F meeting at a location to be determined</li>
      </ul>
    </dd>
  <dt>March 2006</dt>
    <dd><ul>
        <li>F2F meeting at a location to be determined</li>
        <li>XQuery 1.1 Working Draft</li>
      </ul>
    </dd>
  <dt>June 2006</dt>
    <dd><ul>
        <li>F2F meeting at a location to be determined.</li>
        <li>XQuery and XPath Full-Text Recommendation</li>
        <li>XQuery Update Language Recommendation</li>
      </ul>
    </dd>
</dl>

<h2>4. <a name="coordination" id="coordination">Coordinations with Other
Groups</a></h2>

<h3><a name="w3cgroups" id="w3cgroups">W3C Groups</a></h3>

<p>XML has become a strategic technology in W3C and in the global Web market.
The deliverables of the XML Query Working Group must satisfy the dependencies
from the following Working Groups before they can advance to Proposed
Recommendation.</p>

<p>Some dependencies to and from the following W3C Working Groups will
require close cooperation during the development process; the requirements
posed for the Query work by these Working Groups may change during the
development process, which means the interdependency of the Query work with
these Working Groups must be managed actively:</p>
<dl>
  <dt>XSL</dt>
    <dd>The <a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath">XPath 1.0</a> language was
      jointly developed by the <a href="http://www.w3.org/Style/XSL">XSL</a>
      Working Group and the (now defunct) XML Linking Working Group. The XML
      Query Working Group will collaborate with the XSL Working Group to
      extend XPath 1.0 to an XPath 2.0 that covers the functionality that is
      common to both XML Query and XSL.</dd>
  <dt>XML Schema</dt>
    <dd>It is a goal of the XML Query work to be compatible with the work of
      the <a href="/XML/Schema">XML Schema Working Group</a> on XML Schema
      Part 2: Datatypes (<a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-2/">XML
      Schema Part 2</a>) and XML Schema Part 1: Structures (<a
      href="http://www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-1/">XML Schema Part 1</a>). For
      example, it should be possible to base query predicates on the existing
      DTD or XML Schema Part 1 definition of the content of an XML document
      and on the data types defined as part of W3C XML Schema Part 2.</dd>
  <dt>XML Core</dt>
    <dd>The XML Query work will define a formal data model of XML documents.
      This model must be based on the model of the XML Infoset (<a
      href="http://www.w3.org/XML/Group/Infoset.html">XML Information
      Set</a>). In case incompatibilities arise, requirements must be posed
      to the <a href="/XML/Core">XML Core</a> Working Group. In any case, the
      final model used by the XML Query working group will have to be based
      on, and totally compatible with, the model of the XML Infoset. In
      addition any XML Query definition of an XML fragment will take into
      consideration the XML Fragment Interchange specification (<a
      href="http://www.w3.org/TR/xml-fragment">XML Fragment
    Interchange</a>)</dd>
  <dt>Device Independence Working Group (DIWG)</dt>
    <dd>The <a href="http://www.w3.org/2001/di/Group/">DI Working Group</a>
      develops a Content Selection for Device Independence that is based on
      XPath. Proper review of the Content Selection document will be
      necessary.</dd>
  <dt>DOM Interest Group</dt>
    <dd>The XML Query work must take into account the <i>iterators and
      filters</i> component of the DOM, and wherever possible try to
      encompass those functionalities into the query language. Alignment of
      the DOM and XQuery data models will also continue to be investigated
      with the <a href="http://www.w3.org/DOM/Group/IG">DOM Interest
      Group</a>.</dd>
  <dt>Internationalization Working Group</dt>
    <dd>It is a goal of the XML Query work to ensure proper
      internationalization of the XML Query technology. The mission and scope
      of the <a
      href="http://www.w3.org/International/Group/">Internationalization
      Working Group</a> is to propose and coordinate any techniques,
      conventions, guidelines and activities within the W3C that help to make
      and keep the Web international. The XML Query Working Group and the
      Internationalization Working Group will work together to agree on
      specific I18N requirements and find solutions.</dd>
</dl>

<p>There are no requirements for co-development of features with the
following Working Groups, but there are points of contact between their work
and that of this Working Group, and thus logical dependency between their
deliverables and those of this Working Group. Requirements from these Working
Groups are expected to be well suited for communication via documents:</p>
<dl>
  <dt><a href="http://www.w3.org/WAI/PF/Group/">WAI Protocols &amp; Formats
  Working Group</a></dt>
    <dd>Reuse of common constructs greatly facilitates accessibility; the WAI
      PF Working Group will review work on the XML query facilities to be
      sure cost/benefit design decisions are informed of the benefits of
      accessibility.</dd>
  <dt><a href="http://www.w3.org/2001/sw/DataAccess/">RDF Data Access Working
  Group</a></dt>
    <dd>The <a
      href="http://www.w3.org/2003/12/swa/dawg-charter#XQueryBinding">relationship
      with XQuery</a> section mentions that the RDF DAWG should aim to
      maximize W3C technology re-use, such as using the <a
      href="http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath-functions/">XQuery 1.0 and XPath 2.0
      Functions and Operators</a> specification. The RDF Data Access Working
      Group and the XML Query Working Group will coordinate to ensure the
      reusability of the XQuery/XPath technologies.</dd>
</dl>

<p>Formal liaison between the XML Query Working Group and other W3C working
groups, including the other XML working groups and the WAI (Web Accessibility
Initiative) group, as well as organizations outside of the W3C, shall
normally be accomplished by the exchange of documents (requirements, reviews,
etc.) transmitted through the XML Coordination Group.</p>

<p>When approved by the XML Coordination Group, liaison with other W3C
Working Groups can be accomplished through joint task forces. It is expected
that this be required for liaison with at least the XML Schema, XSL and
Internationalization Working Groups.</p>

<h2>5. <a name="WGmembership" id="WGmembership">Working Group
participation</a></h2>

<p>The rules for the participation and decision process in the XML Query
Working Group are regulated by the <a href="xml-common-proc.html">Common
Procedures for XML Working Groups</a>.</p>

<p>Participation in the XML Query Working Group is expected to consume at
least half-day per week of each Working Group member's time, though the time
commitment for the Chair and editors may require up to two full days per
week.</p>

<p>To be successful, we expect the XML Query Working Group to have
approximately 15 to 20 active principal participants for its duration.</p>

<h3>Chair</h3>

<p>The initial Chairs of this Working Group are Paul Cotton, (Microsoft),
Andrew Eisenberg (IBM), and Jim Melton (Oracle).</p>

<h3><a name="W3CResources" id="W3CResources">W3C Team resources</a></h3>

<p>The initial W3C Team contacts are Massimo Marchiori and Liam Quin. It is
expected that this Working Group would consume about 0.85 FTE, including
administrative logistics.</p>

<h2>6. <a name="meetings" id="meetings">Meetings</a></h2>

<p>The Working Group will have distributed and face-to-face meetings.</p>

<p>It is expected that face-to-face meetings will be held about every two to
three months.</p>

<h2>7. <a name="communication" id="communication">Communication</a></h2>

<p>The XML Query Working Group shall communicate among its participants using
the Working Group mailing list <a
href="mailto:w3c-xml-query-wg@w3.org"><code>w3c-xml-query-wg@w3.org</code></a>
(<a href="http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-xml-query-wg">archive</a>)
and with the participants of other XML Working Groups through the <a
href="mailto:w3c-xml-plenary@w3.org"><code>w3c-xml-plenary@w3.org</code></a>
mailing list. Both lists are visible to all W3C Members. Other Member-only
lists may also be used for internal convenience.</p>

<p>Communications resources for press and media relations and speaking
appearances or meeting planning resources are amortized across the working
groups in the XML Activity, and concentrated in the XML Coordination
Group.</p>

<h2>8. <a name="confidentiality" id="confidentiality">Confidentiality</a></h2>

<p>The proceedings of this Working Group are Member-confidential, subject to
exceptions made by the Chair with the Working Group's agreement.</p>

<p>In support of public accountability, the Working Group will periodically
make public a summary of all technical decisions made since the last public
summary, and the rationales for these decisions.</p>

<h2>9. <a name="IP" id="IP">Patent Policy</a></h2>

<p>This Working Group operates under the <a
href="http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy-20040205/">W3C Patent
Policy</a> (5 February 2004 Version). To promote the widest adoption of Web
standards, W3C seeks to issue Recommendations that can be implemented,
according to this policy, on a Royalty-Free basis.</p>
<hr class="html_compat" />
<address>
  Massimo Marchiori, Liam Quin, Team Contacts
</address>
<br />
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