CompuServe Thread

#IEEE SFQL Standards Mtg

8 messages in this thread
#50798From: Neil R. ShapiroJun 18, 1993 1:25 AM
SFQL is a CD-ROM database interchangeability solution based on SQL which has been adopted by the Air Transport Association for aircraft maintenance manuals on CD-ROM. IEEE is currently working on a formal SFQL standard. I will be uploading some more notes and minutes about this to the industry new library. The ATA SFQL 2.3 specification is already available in the CD-ROM Production library Section (or search on Keyword SFQL). Also, zipped together with the SFQL specification is an article explaining the ATA standards approach to CD-ROM interchangeability in the context of CALS. The next working group announcement follows. ——————————- IEEE SCODMP SFQL Working Group July Meeting Vancouver, B.C. July 20-21, 1993 1. Where The meeting will take place at: Granville Island Hotel and Marina 1253 Johnston Street Granville Island Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6H 3R9 Tel: 604-683-7373, toll-free 1-800-663-1840 (Maybe Canada only) FAX: 604-683-3061 When you make the reservation, give the meeting name: I told them “IEEE SCODMP SFQL Working Group'', but cautioned them to accept permuted subsets of this. I have been warned that there are some rooms that are bit close to the nightclub and can get loud, so it might pay to ask for a quiet room when you register. 2. Getting Here In the following discussion, it will be helpful to remember that the Canadian Dollar is worth about US$0.79 these days; turning it around, your greenback is worth C$1.27. Fly into Vancouver; there are lots of flights from all over. If it's dramatically easier or cheaper, you can come into Seattle, but then you're looking at a 4-hour drive with bad rush hours around Seattle and the border. Take a taxi from the airport; shouldn't be much more than C$25.00. There's a downtown shuttle bus, but I don't believe it works very well for this hotel. I wouldn't recommend renting a car, unless you want to do some vacationing before or after – the hotel is very central and convenient. 3. Special Travel Note For those of you who haven't been to Canada before, it's a really easy country to get into and do business in, but the following is helpful to know: 1. Bring some good ID, ideally a passport or birth certificate. If you only have a driver's license, they'll grumble and delay but eventually let you in anyhow. 2. When the guy asks you the purpose of your visit, say “committee meetings''. If you accidentally give him the impression that you are here to do some paid work on a job, Canadian-employment rules can swing into action (we Canucks have the same problem crossing the U.S. border). Obviously, this meeting is not affected by those rules, so don't confuse the poor guy. 3. Do not, whatever you do, bring a handgun or other firearm. There is no
#50806From: The One-Off CD ShopsJun 18, 1993 6:57 AM
Neil, Thanks for this valuable information. I'm going to pass it along to our people in Vancouver and Calgary and hope at least one of them can attend. Will proceedings be published afterwards? Kathy Cochrane [GO ONEOFF]
#50843From: Neil R. ShapiroJun 18, 1993 4:06 PM
Kathy: I am glad to here you are interested. The meetings are open to both IEEE members and nonmembers. The minutes of each meeting are published, if that's what you mean by "proceedings". (I would normally associate proceedings with a conference–this is a working group meeting, to develop an IEEE SFQL Draft Standard based on the ATA document which you can find in the "Production" library. I will be uploading some of the working papers here as well. Regards–Neil
#50849From: The One-Off CD ShopsJun 18, 1993 6:55 PM
Wonderful! You could probably answer a question that arose when I mentioned this meeting to our western Canadian offices — is this standard what is being used to develop the CDROM documentation for the Aerobus A320? BTW, I'm a member of IEEE/CS, but don't know if any of our other shops have IEEE members among them. Thanks! Kathy
#50936From: Neil R. ShapiroJun 19, 1993 8:46 PM
The current Airbus disc is made by Jouve, and it is not ATA (SFQL) compliant. Jouve, has won the Boeing contract and is indeed producing an SFQL server for them, and for the US/Japanese/European patent office. Version 2.0 of their engine will thus be SFQL, and Airbus will also be SFQL based if they choose to upgrade (I don't know about their contract–but I presume they will want to be ATA compliant.) Neil By the way, Aerospatiale, part of the French aerospace family along with Airbus (they make some of Airbus's planes and helicopters) was one of the early supporters of SFQL–they built one of the first proof-of-concept prototypes to demonstration that vendors retrieval engines could be interchangeable via SFQL.
#50939From: The One-Off CD ShopsJun 19, 1993 10:09 PM
Neil, Thanks for the info about the Airbus system, and the additional update on SFQL. I'll pass it along. I'm going to have to dig out some more info about the language. I'm reasonably fluent in SQL, but haven't done anything with SFQL yet. Do some of the IEEE transactions (perhaps Database Transactions?) or other publications have much on it? Thanks, Kathy
#50983From: Neil R. ShapiroJun 20, 1993 9:27 PM
I'm afraid not, as it is not an "accepted" data/textbase language yet. We (in ATA/AIA) have published most of our articles in the trade magazines in the CD-ROM and publishing arenas–EPSIG news, DISC magazine, CALS Journal, and CD-ROM Librarian. An IEEE journal article sounds been a good idea, however. As the IEEE SFQL effort progresses, I am sure you will see some. And I will upload some of the aforementioned ones to this forum in the next few days. Regards–Neil
#50992From: The One-Off CD ShopsJun 20, 1993 11:07 PM
Neil, Thanks for saving me a rummage through back issues <smile>. I'll try the sources you named and try to get educated, and await your uploads. Thanks! Ciao, Kathy