Meaning of a WSDL document

In completion of my action item (2004-11-18: DBooth to propose text to
clarify that a service must implement everything in its description),
here is proposed text to add to Part 1.  I suggest adding this as a new
section 1.2, before the existing section 1.2.

[[
The Meaning of a WSDL Document

Conceptually, a WSDL document is a description, of a Web service, that
indicates how potential clients are intended to interact with that
service.  Thus, a WSDL document that describes a particular Web service
represents an assertion that the described service fully implements and
conforms to what the WSDL document describes.  For example, as further
explained in section 6.1.1, if the WSDL document specifies a particular
optional extension, the functionality implied by that extension is only
optional to the *client*.  It MUST be supported by the Web service.

Furthermore, it should be understood that a WSDL document describes
*potential* interaction with the service -- not *required* interaction. 
The declaration of an operation in a WSDL interface is *not* an
assertion that the interaction described by the operation *will*
actually occur.  Rather it is an assertion that *if* such an interaction
is initiated, then the declared operation in the WSDL document describes
*how* it is intended to occur.
]]

For many, this may seem like stating the obvious.  But it's amazing how
often something that seems obvious to one person will not be obvious to
another person who looks at it with different assumptions.  


-- 

David Booth
W3C Fellow / Hewlett-Packard

Received on Thursday, 16 December 2004 20:51:58 UTC