Data Format Description Language (DFDL) is a modeling language
from the Open Grid Forum that is used to define the structure of general
text and binary formatted data in a way that is independent of the
data format. It is based on XML Schema 1.0.
DFDL is a way of describing the data. It is not a data format.
DFDL can describe any data format, including:
- Textual and binary
- Commercial record-oriented
- Scientific and numeric
- Modern and legacy
- Industry standards
DFDL schema files use XML Schema objects, and annotations on those
objects to define the data.
- The XML Schema objects define the logical format of the data.
You cannot use XML attributes in the data model.
- DFDL schema annotations describe the physical format of the data.
- XPath expressions are used to reference fields within the data.
DFDL is not intended to be used to model XML documents.
Use normal XML Schema files to model XML.
Support for DFDL
Support for DFDL in this
product includes:
Not all features of DFDL are supported; see Unsupported features for a list.
Further information about DFDL
For more
information about DFDL, including tutorials, see the Open Grid Forum web site. The Data
Format Description Language (DFDL) v1.0 Specification contains errata;
see Errata for details.