[topicmapmail] Generating TMs out of relational Databases / How To?

[Murray Altheim]

Andreas Fleck wrote:
> Hi Murray,
> 
> The Database schema i currently have in that MySQL Database is capturing the
> Software Tools somebody uses within the process of solving a specific
> problem.[...]
> hmmm, sorry if this is a little bit too long and íf i have told you stuff
> that you aren´t interested in,  but i hope this describes what i want to do.
> 
> Please ask if i wasn´t all that clear.

Andreas,

No, I think that is much clearer, and provides a starting point
from which one could begin to design what would show up in the
XTM document, and perhaps which tools would be most suitable for
processing the result. Even knowing the volume of information
helps decide which tool is appropriate for visualization, as
some are suited for small numbers of Topics (as in elucidating
a model), whereas others are for showing trends. You might want
to check out some of the chapters in the 'XML Topic Maps' book,
edited by Jack Park, for ideas. There's chapters providing a lot
of background on the Topic Map model, one on visualization by
certainly the most glamorous of the Topic Map community, Benedicte
Le Grand (though Steve Newcomb's pate comes in a close second),
and several with good use case-style examples.

Murray

......................................................................
Murray Altheim                          http://www.altheim.com/murray/
Strategic and Services Development
The Open University Library
The Open University, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK7 6AA, UK               .

    The home stretch of the Leopard Challenge involves dragging a
    175-pound dummy about 30 yards to the finish line. "We're trying
    to get as real as we can, but we still fall short," said Keith
    Barret, a company manager, noting that the average American now
    weighs 188 pounds and that the average policeman with gear weighs
    more than 200.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/29/weekinreview/29eckholm.html