Transcript Examples for descriptive schema assignment

Descriptive schema assignment
Mission:
Create a structure to describe a certain category of
objects for a defined audience and purpose.
This structure will consist of attributes (properties
or characteristics) and associated values.
Out of the infinite universe of potential attributes,
you will define a set of 10-15 that interpret the class
of objects you’ve chosen in a way that facilitates the
purpose you’ve identified.
Descriptive schema example
Object: Recipes, by which I mean a set of written
instructions for preparing a specific dish. The
preparation must be non-obvious (e.g.,
putting cereal into a bowl is not a recipe).
Audience and purpose: To help fledgling cooks
make dishes appropriate for their level of skill
Attributes and values #1
• Knife skills required basic chopping, dicing, fine chopping,
slicing, advanced cuts, butchering
• Number of ingredients
• Number of pots
• Prep time
• Labor-intensive activities garlic crushing, ginger grating,
herb chopping
• Cooking time
• Level of attention required
• Instruction style
Sketchy, basic, detailed
• Leftover potential
(in number of meals)
Descriptive schema example
Object: Recipes
Audience and purpose: To help experienced
cooks create a menu for entertaining
Attributes and values # 2
• Meal
potluck, picnic, dinner party, cookout, cocktails,
tea, brunch
• Event
birthday, holiday, romance,
• Guests
Colleagues, kids, family, chums, powers that be
• Sophistication trashy, rustic, comfort, flashy, nuanced, quaint,
difficult
• Cuisine
Italian, Mediterranean, Chinese, Thai, Indian,
Mexican, just food
• Beverage red, white, pink, beer, soft
• Expense
• Kitchen managementOven, one burner, two burners, three
burners, four burners, none
Rules of thumb
Avoid binary attributes (with values of Yes or No).
See if these can be represented as a range of values. For a hiking
trail, instead of an attribute of Paved, with values of Yes and No, use
a value of Surface, with values of Dirt, Paved, Gravel, and so on.
Don’t make this harder than it is.
Yes, because you need to explain how your schema is used, you need
some precision in defining the scope of your set of entities,
attributes, values, and so on. But don’t get hung up on a quest for
comprehensiveness, or have too much fun with convoluted
structures. Don’t miss the forest for the trees!