IVOATheorySimDBTAP < IVOA


By design, SimDB "is a" TAP service. 
It _is a_ TAP service in that it presumes that metadata is stored in a relational database and ADQL queries can be sent to it to query about its contents. It _specialises_ TAP in that it defines what the data models is according to which the database is designed. I.e. all tables/columns etc are fully specified and all SimDB implementations must folow that data model.

We use TAP in full generality rather than a predefined parameterised query language because it offers greatest flexibility. Targeted clients can always wrap the ADQL interface with parametrised forms if they so desire.

In a later stages/versions we may consider allowing other query langugages, for example XQuery. In version 1.0 we want to apply the existing IVOA query language.

The SimDB/TAP_SCHEMA is derived form the SimDB data model described [[][elsewhere]]. It is derived following a prescribed set of object-relational mapping rules. 








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This topic: IVOA > IvoaTheory > IVOATheorySimDBTAP
Topic revision: r1 - 2009-04-25 - GerardLemson