Overview
ISO/IEC 15476-4:2005 - Information technology - CDIF semantic metamodel - Part 4: Data models - defines the Data models subject area of the CDIF semantic metamodel. Its purpose is to ensure that information exchanged between tools using CDIF (CASE/Design Interchange Format) is transferred with an agreed semantic meaning, covering the vocabulary and structure needed to express Entity‑Relationship‑Attribute modelling and logical database design concepts.
Key topics and technical requirements
This part of the CDIF semantic metamodel describes the building blocks and rules needed for interoperable data-model exchange. Key technical topics include:
- Meta‑entities and meta‑relationships: Formal definitions for objects such as Entity, Attribute, Relationship, Role, CandidateKey, ForeignKey, AccessPath, DataModel, Cluster, Projection, and related constructs.
- Diagrams and notation: Conventions for diagramming data models and representing keys, roles and relationships.
- Cardinalities and roles: Definition of outer/inner cardinalities, multi‑player roles, role constraints and how roles participate in relationships.
- Supertypes/subtypes and inheritance: Coverage, exclusivity, orthogonality and inheritance semantics for subtype sets, including refinement of inherited characteristics.
- Integrity and access: Referential integrity, keys and access paths, candidate keys, foreign keys and access mechanisms.
- Subsets, clusters and projections: Mechanisms to express subsets, logical clusters and projections of attributes and entities.
- Conformance requirements: Clauses for input conformance, output conformance and round‑trip conformance to guide implementers of importers/exporters and validators.
Applications and who should use it
ISO/IEC 15476-4:2005 is practical for organizations and professionals that need reliable model interchange and semantic consistency:
- Tool vendors and integrators building CDIF importers, exporters and conversion tools.
- Data architects and database designers needing a standard representation for ER/A modelling and logical database design.
- Systems integrators and software engineers coordinating model-driven workflows across heterogeneous CASE tools.
- Evaluators and standards teams assessing CDIF support and interoperability requirements.
Practical uses include exchanging logical data models between modeling tools, documenting database design semantics for migration, and automating model transformations while preserving meaning.
Related standards
- Part of the CDIF family (see ISO/IEC CDIF series). Normative references in this document include ISO/IEC 15474‑1 and ISO/IEC 13238‑1. Implementers should consult the broader CDIF standards set for end‑to‑end tool interoperability.
Keywords: ISO/IEC 15476-4:2005, CDIF semantic metamodel, data models, Entity-Relationship-Attribute, logical database design, CDIF interchange, model conformance, importers and exporters.