Abstract:
Adding a new tag name to a collection of tag names includes receiving, in a computer system, a new tag name that is to be added to a collection of existing tag names that conform to a standardized protocol for defining semantics of contents in electronic communications, the new tag name including at least first and second terms. It is determined whether the collection already includes any of the first and second terms, wherein each term included in the existing tag names is associated with one of several unique identifiers. The method further includes selecting at least first and second unique identifiers for the new tag name, wherein, for any of the first and second terms that is already included in the collection, a corresponding one of the several unique identifiers associated therewith is selected. A data structure includes tag names and unique identifier codes for the several tag names.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The description relates to adding a tag name to a collection of tag names. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Electronic communication can be streamlined using data elements to identify specific information portions in the electronic message. The elements are to be used as components of the electronic communication in that they are individually associated with the different categories of information included therein. Using a commonly accepted form of such elements, such as a form adopted by standard or agreed upon between business partners, eliminates some problems or inconsistencies that may otherwise occur. For example, the standard UN/CEFACT Core Components Technical Specification (CCTS) defines Core Components as context-independent data elements to be used as building blocks in such an endeavor. Similarly, the CCTS defines Business Information Entities as context-specific elements. 
     The CCTS also defines the concept of Dictionary Entry Names (DENs) to be used for Core Components, Business Information Entities, or the data types upon which either of these elements is based. The DENs are based on a natural language—primarily English—such that humans and machines can understand the meaning and logic thereof. The DENs are examples of the semantic information that specify the definition and intended use of data elements. The Universal Data Element Framework (UDEF) is an existing approach at organizing the Core Components, or their corresponding DENs. UDEF involves assigning numbers or letters at each level of the tree hierarchy. 
     SUMMARY 
     The invention relates to adding a tag name to a collection. In general, it is described that the new tag name is provided with a unique identifier code. As an example, for any term in the tag name that already exists in the collection, the existing unique identifier is used in the code. 
     In a first general aspect, a method to be performed when a new tag name is to be added to a collection of tag names includes receiving, in a computer system, a new tag name that is to be added to a collection of existing tag names that conform to a standardized protocol for defining semantics of contents in electronic communications, the new tag name including at least first and second terms. It is determined whether the collection already includes any of the first and second terms, wherein each term included in the existing tag names is associated with one of several unique identifiers. The method further includes selecting at least first and second unique identifiers for the new tag name, wherein, for any of the first and second terms that is already included in the collection, a corresponding one of the several unique identifiers associated therewith is selected. 
     Implementations may include any or all of the following features. The collection may already include the first term but not the second term, and the method may further include determining, in a synonym repository associated with the collection, whether the second term has been previously associated with any of the terms in the existing tag names. The second term may be determined to have previously been associated with a third term of the existing tag names in the synonym repository, and the method may further include: substituting the third term for the second term in the new tag name; associating the first unique identifier with the first term, the first unique identifier having been associated with the first term in the collection before the new tag name was received; and associating the second unique identifier with the third term, the second unique identifier having been associated with the third term in the collection before the new tag name was received. The second term may be determined not to have previously been associated with any of the existing tag names in the synonym repository, and the method may further include attempting to obtain at least one synonym for the second term from at least one dictionary. The at least one synonym for the second term may not be obtained from the at least one dictionary, and the method may further include attempting to identify a word portion of the second term and, if successful, determining whether the collection already includes the word portion, and if so using the word portion for the new tag name. The word portion of the second term may not be identified, and the method may further include generating an output to a user to verify whether the second term is correct and, if the user so verifies, prompting the user to enter the at least one synonym for the second term. The at least one synonym for the second term may be obtained from the at least one dictionary, and the method may further include: substituting the synonym for the second term in the new tag name; associating the first unique identifier with the first term; and associating the second unique identifier with the synonym. Several synonyms for the second term may be obtained from the dictionary, and the method further include selecting, among the several synonyms, the synonym that is to be substituted for the second term, the synonym being selected based on a usage frequency determined for the several synonyms. The method may further include updating the synonym repository to indicate that the second term is associated with the synonym. The first unique identifier may be associated with the first term and the second unique identifier may be associated with the second term, and the new tag name may signify that the second term is a qualifier for the first term in accordance with the standardized protocol. The collection may further include a third term that is currently not qualified by the second term, and the method may further include updating the collection so that the second term qualifies also the third term, the second unique identifier being associated with the second term both for qualifying the first term and the third term. The collection may further includes fourth and fifth terms that are subqualifier terms for the second term, the fourth and fifth terms having associated therewith fourth and fifth unique identifiers, respectively, wherein the fourth and fifth unique identifiers are associated with the fourth and fifth terms both when the second term qualifies the first term and when the second term qualifies the third term. Each of the several unique identifiers and the first and second identifiers may be assigned according to at least one rule selected from the group consisting of: nouns are to be represented by number identifiers; verbs are to be represented by capital letter identifiers; and adjectives are to be represented by lowercase letter identifiers. The method may further include using the new tag name to define the semantics of an electronic communication. Using the new tag name may comprise including the first and second unique identifiers in a tag to be associated with a portion of the contents of the electronic communication. Using the new tag name may comprise including the first and second terms in a tag to be associated with a portion of the contents of the electronic communication. The new tag name may signify that the second term is a qualifier for the first term in accordance with the standardized protocol, and using the new tag name may comprise including the first term in a tag to be associated with a portion of the contents of the electronic communication, and including the second unique identifier as an attribute for the first term. 
     In a second general aspect, a data structure includes several tag names that each includes at least one term, the tag names conforming to a standardized protocol for defining semantics of contents in electronic communications, and several unique identifier codes, each associated with one of the several tag names and including a unique identifier for each term of the several tag names, wherein the semantics of any portion of the contents can be defined using either one of the several tag names or a corresponding one of the unique identifier codes. 
     Implementations may include any or all of the following features. Each of the unique identifiers may be assigned according to at least one rule selected from the group consisting of: nouns are to be represented by number identifiers; verbs are to be represented by capital letter identifiers; and adjectives are to be represented by lowercase letter identifiers. Those of the several unique identifier codes whose tag name includes more than one of the terms may include the unique identifiers corresponding to the terms, the unique identifiers being concatenated. 
     The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows an example of a system that can generate and use unique identifiers for data components in electronic communication. 
         FIGS. 2A-B  show examples of managing names and unique identifiers a data structure to be used. 
         FIGS. 3A-D  show an exemplary method to associate a received name to a code that is a concatenation of unique identifiers. 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a computer system. 
         FIG. 5  shows an example of a data type structure to be used in run time. 
     
    
    
     Like reference numerals in the various drawings indicate like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows an exemplary system  100  that is capable of generating and using unique identifiers for tag names that are to be associated with information portions to indicate their semantic meaning. A tag name can be included as a component of an electronic communication, such as in a formatted electronic document, to identify a specific information category or information portion therein. Based on a semantic meaning that is to be attributed to the information portion, a unique tag name may be generated to reflect the semantic meaning of the data element. For example, a tag name may be a uniquely generated dictionary entry name. In the system  100 , each term included in each of the tag names is associated with a unique identifier. The system  100  can assign unique tag names, unique identifiers, or a combination of both, to specify information portions in an electronic communication. Particularly, the exemplary system  100  includes a tool for managing a collection of the unique identifiers for terms in the unique tag names and for flexibly assigning unique identifiers to new tag names and extending the use of existing unique identifiers. 
     The system  100  includes a computer system  102 . In the exemplary system  100 , the computer system  102  includes a software application  104 , an electronic communication module  106 , and a tag name management tool  108 . The software application  104  may be a software editor that presents electronic documents. In this example, the software application  104  is capable of preparing and displaying electronic business information, such as an electronic invoice  110 , an electronic order, or an address book with business contact information. The software application  104  creates electronic documents using information available in the computer system  102  and following a specific format. The computer system  102  can prepare an electronic document and can store it as a communication document  112  for electronic communication. 
     The computer system  102  may communicate with other computer systems using the electronic communication module  106  through a network  114 . Through the network  114  the computer system  102  may communicate with another computer system  116 . The computer system  116  further includes a software application  118  that is capable of displaying formatted electronic documents, and an electronic communication module  120  for engaging in communication over the network  114 . 
     The electronic communication module  120  currently contains a communication document  122 , which the electronic communication module  120  can exchange over the network  114 . In one embodiment, the electronic communication module may be a Local Area Network (LAN) interface and the network  114  may be the Internet. For example, the communication document  122  may be a document that the computer system  116  receives from the computer system  102 , or it may be a document that the computer system  116  generates for sending to the computer system  102 . Different software applications may use different formats to construct electronic documents. For example, in electronic business communication, there are a wide variety of formats such as EDIFACT, X12, CIDX, PIDX, RosettaNet, a CCTS-based schema, or SAP IDoc. In the exemplary system  100 , the software application  118  may be configured to display an invoice  124  to a user based on the communication document  122 . The computer systems  102  and  116  can exchange messages whose contents are defined according to their semantics using unique tag names or unique identifiers. 
     For example, software application  118  may be configured to use a naming convention for tag names that follows the rules of proper English in diagramming sentences, and in which each modifier word precedes the word being modified. In some embodiments, the system  100  may have defined therein a taxonomy compliant with the naming convention and format by concatenating the terms in a tag name. In the system  100 , the unique identifier used for a specific term is the same in each instance that term is used. The software applications  104  and  118  can then use the taxonomy to identify the semantics of information portions included in the communication documents  112  and  122 . 
     For example, the communication document  112  and the communication document  122  may include unique tag names, unique identifiers, or a combination of both to represent the semantics of information portions. Exemplary usages of the unique tag names during run time will be described below with reference to  FIG. 5 . Referring again to  FIG. 1 , the software application  104  and the software application  116  have access to a repository  126 . As shown, the repository  126  stores multiple tag names  128 . Each of the tag names  128  includes one or more terms  130 . The repository  126  also stores a unique identifier  132  that is associated with a term  130 . For tag names that include several terms, the corresponding unique identifiers can be concatenated. Because the terms  130  and the unique identifiers  132  are accessible in the repository  126 , the software applications  104 ,  116  may then identify message contents using the terms  130  and the unique identifiers  132  before sending the message, or for interpretation upon receiving it, as the case may be. 
     The tag name management module  108  generates identifiers for new tag names. For example, when a new tag name is received, the tag name management module  108  may check whether the term(s) included therein already exists in the repository  126 . In some embodiments, the tag name management module  108  may use a synonyms term or generate a new identifier for a previously unidentified term. For example, the tag name management module  108  may check a synonyms database and use the unique identifier  132  that is a synonyms term of an unidentified term in the received tag name. As another example, when no synonyms term can be found for an unidentified term, the tag name management module  108  may also access dictionary databases, such as online dictionaries, to identify grammatical word type and generate a unique identifier for a new term according to some predefined rules. Some examples of the predefined rules will be described. 
       FIGS. 2A-B  show an exemplary data structure to be used in managing tag names and unique identifiers for electronic communication. The tree structure shown in this example associates unique identifiers with terms and qualifiers. As shown in  FIG. 2A , a tree  200  has a root  202  that represents a base term, “Quantity”. Modifiers for the base term are shown as nodes below the root. Some nodes in the tree  200  can have one or more children. For example, the root  202  has children  204 ,  206 , and  208  that, when combined, define a more restricted semantic meaning of the base term “Quantity”, such as “Coefficient Quantity”, “Acceleration Quantity”, and “Activity Quantity”. As another example, the child  206  also has a child  210  that qualifies the qualifier represented by the child  206  to form the tag name “Angular Acceleration Quantity”. 
     As shown, each node in the tree  200  includes a unique identifier, such as the identifier “18” for the root  202  and the identifier “u” for the child  210 . The tag name management module  108  may use the tree  200  to translate between tag names and unique identifiers. For example, the tag name management module  108  can search the tree  200  for a path that represents a received tag name and obtain the unique identifier associated therewith. As another example, the tree  200  can be searched using a specific unique identifier. In electronic communications, a user may use terms or existing unique identifiers, or a combination thereof, to define a semantic meaning of an information portion, so maintaining this information in the tree  200  is useful. 
     For example, a user may use the following code to define an information portion as being an “Angular Acceleration Quantity”: 
     &lt;AngularAccelerationQuantity&gt; 100 &lt;/AngularAccelerationQuantity&gt; 
     The system that receives the message with these contents will interpret the code to mean that the semantics of the number “100” is that it is a quantity of angular acceleration, measured in a certain unit. Equivalently, the user may also use the following code to define the information portion as being an “Angular Acceleration Quantity”: 
     &lt;Quantity typeCode=“u.102”&gt;100&lt;/Quantity&gt; 
     Here, the typeCode value “u.102” will be interpreted as a qualification of the base term Quantity. Particularly, the qualification is made up of the terms Angular (u) and Acceleration ( 102 ), hence the typeCode “u.102”. By concatenating the identifiers included in the path, the tag name management module  108  may then generate a unique identifier for the received tag name. For example, if a received tag name is “Angular Acceleration Quantity”, then the tag name management module  108  may identify a path that includes the nodes  202 ,  206 , and  210  to be associated with the received tag name. By concatenating the identifiers included in the nodes  202 ,  206 , and  210 , the tag name management module  108  may generate the unique identifier “u.102.18” to be associated with the received tag name This representation may be used in aspects of the processing that are not configured to use expressions like “Angular Acceleration Quantity”. 
     The tag name management module  108  may also generate tag name from a received unique identifier. For example, the tag name management module  108  may receive a unique identifier “135.18”. Then the tag name management module  108  may identify a path that includes the nodes  202  and  204  to be associated with the received unique identifier. By converting each unique identifier to an associated term, the tag name management module  108  can generate a tag name “Coefficient Quantity” that is associated with the received unique identifier. 
     In some embodiments, the tag name management module  108  may receive a new tag name that is to be incorporated into the tree  200 . If the tag name includes several terms, it will be determined whether any of the terms already exists in the tree  200 . If so, the same unique identifier will be used for the existing term in the new name. For example, the tag name management module  108  may receive a new tag name “Absolute Activity Coefficient Quantity”. The tag name management module  108  cannot find an existing path that represents the received tag name, but the terms “Activity Coefficient Quantity” do exist in the data structure. Then, the tag name management module  108  may find that the qualifier “Absolute” exists in a node  212  and has the unique identifier “cw”. The tag name management module  108  may then reuse the node  212  and the unique identifier associated with the qualifier in the node  212 . The tag name management module  108  can update the tree  200  and determine that the unique identifier for the received tag name should be “cw.103.135.18”. 
     The tag name management module  108  can automatically extend the tree  200  to include the newly formed term “Absolute Activity Coefficient Quantity” by adding the node  212  as a child of a node  214  “Activity” as shown in  FIG. 2B . Particularly, the term Absolute has the same unique identifier “cw” as it already had elsewhere in the tree. In some embodiments, the tag name management module  108  may add the entire subtree  216  under the activity node. Accordingly, the tree  200  is updated that the term “Activity Coefficient Quantity” is to be qualified by the subtree  216 . Also, the subqualifiers for Absolute have the same unique identifiers as they already had elsewhere in the tree. 
     The system  100  may also reuse existing terms that have the same or similar semantic meaning as the received new terms (i.e., are synonymous thereto). An exemplary method of generating a unique identifier is described with reference to  FIGS. 3A-D . 
       FIG. 3  shows a flow chart that illustrates an exemplary method  300  of operations for associating a received name (e.g., a dictionary entry name (DEN)) to a code formed by unique identifiers. The method  300  includes operations that may be performed by the tag name management module  108 . In an example, the operations may be performed under the control, supervision, and/or monitoring of the computer systems  102 . Some or all of the operations may be performed by one or more processors executing instructions tangibly embodied in a signal. The processing may be implemented using analog and/or digital hardware or techniques, either alone or in cooperation with one or more processors executing instructions. 
     The method  300  begins in step  302  when the there is received terms or qualifiers of a business information entity (BIE) DEN. For example, the DEN may have one term and a qualifier for that term. This new DEN may be an entry that a user makes. Then, the method  300  comprises of getting, in step  304 , unique codes for terms or qualifiers from a code database  306 . The code database  306  may be a database stored in the computer system  102 , or publicly accessible in a repository (e.g., the repository  126 ). The code database  306  may store unique identifiers for terms and qualifiers of DEN. For example, the code database  306  may store a data structure (e.g., the tree  200 ) that associates each term with a unique identifier. The purpose of this step is to determine whether any received term or qualifier already exists. 
     In step  308 , the method  300  includes determining whether a code is available for the received terms. For example, if the code database  306  stores the tree  200  and the received terms are “Angular Acceleration Quantity”, then the tag name management module  108  may obtain a code “u”, “102”, and “18” and determine that a code is available for the received terms. If it is determined that a code is available for the received terms, then the method  300  comprises, in step  310  ( FIG. 3B ), to concatenate, in step  312 , the available identifiers to complete a coded DEN of BIE or data type. For example, the tag name management module may concatenate “u”, “102”, and “18” to be “u.102.18” to complete the code of the received DEN “Angular Acceleration Quantity”. Next, in step  312 , the coded DEN is stored with association to DEN into a repository, such as a DEN repository  314  and the method  300  ends. The DEN repository  314  may store a list of accepted DENs and their unique codes. As an example, the software application  104  or  118  may access the DEN repository  314  to get a semantic meaning of a received DEN. 
     In step  308  ( FIG. 3A ), if the method  300  comprises determining that a code is not available for the received terms, (e.g., for one or more of the received terms that are not found in the code database  306 ) then method  300  uses, in step  316 , using a synonyms database  318  to check for synonyms of the unavailable terms or qualifiers. For example, the synonyms database  318  may store a collection of primary terms and lists of synonyms associated with the primary terms. As an example, the tag name management module may receive terms “Free Drop” and the received term “Drop” is not found in the code database  306 . Then the method  300  may, in step  316 , check the synonyms database  318  for synonyms of “Drop”. The synonyms database  318  may store that a synonym of “Drop” is, for example, “Fall”, which may also be a primary term. 
     In step  320 , it is determined whether one or more synonyms are available for the unavailable terms or qualifiers. If it is determined that one or more synonyms are available for the unavailable terms or qualifiers, then the method  300  gets, in step  322 , the primary terms of the synonyms for the unavailable terms and changes the unavailable terms in the user&#39;s entry to the primary terms. For example, the tag name management module may find that the primary term “Fall” is a synonym of an unavailable term “Drop”. Then, the tag name management module may change “Free Drop” to “Free Fall”. 
     If, in step  320 , it is determined that one or more synonyms are not available for the unavailable terms or qualifiers, then the method  300 , in step  324  ( FIG. 3C ), uses online dictionaries  326  (e.g., www.thefreedicitionary.com, or www.webster.com) to check if the unavailable terms or qualifiers exist in the online dictionaries  326 . Then, in step  328 , the method  300  comprises determining whether the unavailable terms or qualifiers exist in the online dictionaries  326 . If the method  300  determines that the unavailable terms or qualifiers do not exist in the online dictionaries  326 , then the method  300  determines whether the terms or qualifiers are separable in step  330 . For example, the root or stem of a word (e.g., fall is the root of “falling”) can be identified in this step. If the method  300  determines that the terms or qualifiers are separable in step  330 , then the method  300 , in step  332 , separates a term or a qualifier from the original entry. After that, the step  304  ( FIG. 3A ) is repeated. 
     If it is determined that the terms or qualifiers are not separable in step  330 , then, in step  334  ( FIG. 3B ), the method  300  may include asking a user for correctness of the received terms. As an example, the tag name management module may display a message to ask the user to confirm that the received terms are correct. Next, the method  300  determines whether the received terms or qualifiers are correct in step  336 . If the user responds that the received terms or qualifiers are correct, then, in step  338 , the method  300  may include asking the user for synonyms of the unavailable terms or qualifiers. If the user responds that the received terms or qualifiers are not correct, then the method  300  may include asking the user for correct terms or qualifiers in step  340 . As an example, the tag name management module may prompt the user to enter the terms. Next, the step  338  is performed. 
     After the step  338 , the method  300  may comprise, in step  341  ( FIG. 3D ), determining whether any synonym is available. If it is determined that one or more synonyms are available, then a primary term for each unavailable term may be built based on a usage frequency of the synonyms. The tag name management module may use some online search engines (e.g., www.google.com) to determine a usage frequency of each of the synonyms. For example, the tag name management module can search a particular synonym in the search engines  344  and use a number of hits returned for the synonym as the usage frequency. To build a primary term, the tag name management module may, for example, use a synonym that has the highest number of hits returned in the search engine  344 . 
     In step  346 , a primary term and associations of the synonyms are built based on the result in steps  341  and  342 . Next, the method  300  includes checking, in step  350 , if this constellation is in the synonyms database  318 . If this constellation is in the synonyms database  318 , then the step  322  ( FIG. 3A ) is repeated. If this constellation is not in the synonyms database  318 , then, in step  352 , the method  300  includes revising the user&#39;s entry with the primary term or qualifier based on the results in the step  342 . The synonyms in synonyms database  318  are stored in step  354 . Then, the method  300 , in step  356 , gets a grammatical word type (e.g., noun, verb, or adjective) for each of the synonyms using the online dictionaries  326 . Based on the grammatical word type, in step  358 , the method  300  increments and stores code in the code database  306 . For example, the tag name management module may follow rules that a noun gets a numerical identifier, a verb gets an identifier of capital letters, and an adjective gets an identifier of lower case letters. In any implementation, the unique identifiers may include one or more characters each. Then, the step  310  is repeated. 
     In step  328  ( FIG. 3C ), if it is determined that the unavailable terms or qualifiers exist in the online dictionaries  326 , then the step  341  is repeated. 
     The method  300  may be performed for each new DEN that is received. When the DEN contains several terms, one or more steps of the method  300  may be performed for each of the terms. 
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a computer system  400  that can be used in the operations described above, according to one embodiment. For example, the system  400  may be included in either or all of the computer systems  102  and  116 , and the repository  126 . 
     The system  400  includes a processor  410 , a memory  420 , a storage device  430 , and an input/output device  440 . Each of the components  410 ,  420 ,  430 , and  440  are interconnected using a system bus  450 . The processor  410  is capable of processing instructions for execution within the system  400 . In one embodiment, the processor  410  is a single-threaded processor. In another embodiment, the processor  410  is a multi-threaded processor. The processor  410  is capable of processing instructions stored in the memory  420  or on the storage device  430  to display graphical information for a user interface on the input/output device  440 . 
     The memory  420  stores information within the system  400 . In one embodiment, the memory  420  is a computer-readable medium. In one embodiment, the memory  420  is a volatile memory unit. In another embodiment, the memory  420  is a non-volatile memory unit. 
     The storage device  430  is capable of providing mass storage for the system  400 . In one embodiment, the storage device  430  is a computer-readable medium. In various different embodiments, the storage device  430  may be a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device. 
     The input/output device  440  provides input/output operations for the system  400 . In one embodiment, the input/output device  440  includes a keyboard and/or pointing device. In one embodiment, the input/output device  440  includes a display unit for displaying graphical user interfaces. 
     The invention can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations of them. Apparatus of the invention can be implemented in a computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, e.g., in a machine-readable storage device, for execution by a programmable processor; and method steps of the invention can be performed by a programmable processor executing a program of instructions to perform functions of the invention by operating on input data and generating output. The invention can be implemented advantageously in one or more computer programs that are executable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. A computer program is a set of instructions that can be used, directly or indirectly, in a computer to perform a certain activity or bring about a certain result. A computer program can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. 
     Suitable processors for the execution of a program of instructions include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and the sole processor or one of multiple processors of any kind of computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memories for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to communicate with, one or more mass storage devices for storing data files; such devices include magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and optical disks. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits). 
     To provide for interaction with a user, the invention can be implemented on a computer having a display device such as a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball by which the user can provide input to the computer. 
     The invention can be implemented in a computer system that includes a back-end component, such as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, such as an application server or an Internet server, or that includes a front-end component, such as a client computer having a graphical user interface or an Internet browser, or any combination of them. The components of the system can be connected by any form or medium of digital data communication such as a communication network. Examples of communication networks include, e.g., a LAN, a WAN, and the computers and networks forming the Internet. 
     The computer system can include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a network, such as the described one. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other. 
       FIG. 5  shows an exemplary structure  500  that includes a quantity data type  502 . The quantity data type  502  may represent a result of one or more numerical evaluations of the number, amount, or size of a given item. Depending on the item or attribute to be qualified and the business context, such evaluations can be made by physically measuring or counting. The quantity  502  includes a typeCode attribute  504  and a unitCode attribute  506 . The typeCode attribute  504  qualifies the type of the quantity  502 , for example as shown in the above example where the typeCode attribute had the value “u.102”. The unitCode attribute  506  may define measurement units for the specified quantity, such as cartons or pallets. In some implementations, this attribute uses values in accordance with a common standard (e.g. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Recommendation #20 or X12 355). 
     In some embodiments, the quantity  502  may be used to specify the amount of a product. In each given context (e.g., raw material, semi-finished product, or finished product, liquid product, solid product, etc.), a measurement unit for the quantity  502  may be determined and specified. Such physical units may be specified to qualify the quantity  502 . 
     During runtime, a user may use type codes to form a tag name. In one embodiment, a user of the structure  500  may use either a semantically precise element tag name, or a semantically more generic element tag name together with a typeCode, to define the semantic meaning of a specific piece of information. For example, the user may use a semantically precise element tag name to specify a precise type of quantity. When a user wants to specify an instance of the quantity to be a “MassQuantity” using a semantic precise element tag name, the user can use a tag 
     &lt;MassQuantity unitCode=“KGM”&gt;322.21&lt;/MassQuantity&gt; 
     Here, the quantity is explicitly qualified by the term “Mass”, to exclude other types of quantities. In the tag, “KGM” means kilogram according to the UNECE Recommendation #20. 
     As another example, the user may use unique identifiers to define a semantic generic element tag name for a precise type of quantity. When a user wants to specify an instance of the quantity to be a “MassQuantity” using semantic generic element tag name, the user can use a tag 
     &lt;Quantity typeCode=“266.18” unitCode=“KGM”&gt;322.21&lt;/Quantity&gt; 
     Here, the quantity is qualified by providing a value to the typeCode attribute  504 . The typeCode “266.18” is a unique identifier meaning “MassQuantity.” 
     A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.