TAP/QL Draft published

I have just uploaded the first version of the TAP/QL Draft Specification to the DAL Wiki page:

http://www.ivoa.net/internal/IVOA/TableAccess/TAP-QL-0.1.pdf

I would like to thank Doug for uploading his version to the same page. I need to make one small correction to his email: the specification he references is the TAP/Param Draft even though it goes some way beyond merely specifying parametrised querying (see below).

Subscribers to this distribution list will remember that a while back I initiated a twin track process with the goal of first producing TAP specifications that met the needs of *all* VO projects and then merging those specifications once the full implementation intricacies had been explored. This resulted in the TAP/Param and TAP/QL definition efforts, a somewhat artificial separation based upon calling mechanisms but which was the cleanest division I could devise given the varying Use Case Suites of the different VO projects.

In the case of TAP/QL, the emphasis is to evolve a standard built upon the experience of those VO projects which have created and are running prototype table access services. TAP/QL particularly focuses on the need for early, robust support for asynchronous processing, full integration with other IVOA services and metadata provision using VOSI mechanisms.

It is my firm belief that the needs of all VO projects can be equitably serviced using this "twin track and merge" process.

-- 
Keith Noddle                    Phone:  +44 (0)116 223 1894
AstroGrid Project manager       Fax:    +44 (0)116 252 3311
Dept of Physics & Astronomy     Mobile: +44 (0)7721 926 461
University of Leicester         Skype:  keithnoddle
Leicester                       Email:  ktn-at-star.le.ac.uk
LE1 7RH, UK                     Web:    http://www.astrogrid.org