Data Format Description Language (DFDL) v1.0 Specification
OGF Proposed Recommendation GFD-P-R.174, January 31, 2011


6. DFDL Syntax Basics

Using DFDL, a data format is described by placing special annotations at various positions within an XML schema. This XML schema conveys the basic structure of the data format, while the annotations fill in the detail. Annotations are used to describe aspects such as the file encoding and byte ordering, as well as declaring variables for reference elsewhere, and specifying properties that govern the capabilities of the DFDL processor. A DFDL processor requires these annotations, along with the structural information of the enclosing XML schema, to make sense of the physical data model.

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