SGML Database Special Interest Group (DSIG or DBSIG)

Note: this entry has not been updated substantially since 1992.

The SGML DBSIG is an international effort loosely organized under the SGML Users' Group and its national chapters for the development of SGML (document) database strategies.

Contacts: Mr. Hans Mabelis; SGML DBSIG, Secretary; c/o Matrices Software; Westeinde 14; 1017 ZP Amsterdam; THE NETHERLANDS; TEL: +31-20-255-006; FAX: +31-20-247-948; Han Schouten, SGML DSIG; Research Center for Technical and Physical Engineering in Agriculture (TFDL); Mansholtlaan 12; 6700 AJ Wageningen; THE NETHERLANDS; TEL: +31-8370-19143; FAX: +31-8370-11312.

See: (1) Han Schouten, "SGML*CASE: The Storage of Documents in Databases," SGML Users' Group Bulletin 4/1 (1989) 1-14; (2) Han Schouten, "Draft Tender re: Documents in Databases," SGML Users' Group Newsletter 15 (January 1990) 12-14. A major draft proposal for SGML DSIG sponsored development of a prototype document processing environment in which documents are stored as databases. The environment would support SGML, but also other SGML-related standards like DSSSL -- "as an alternative for the sequential access strategy characteristic of standard SGML." Details on the objectives, tasks, funding, deliverables, rights and duties of participants, project management, (etc.) are described. Proposed tasks include specification of a gross system architecture, definition of modelling techniques, building and verifying semantic equivalence of all models with SGML and DSSSL, facilities for loading SGML DTDs, facilities to unload DTDs without loss of information, creation of a DTD editor, creation of a structured document editor, building of retrieval facilities, building a document formatter.