Taxonomy Types
Recommendation, 2007 April 15
Editor:
Kim Bartkus, HR-XML Consortium, Inc.
Kathi Dolan, Manpower
Contributors:
Members of the following workgroups: SIDES, R&S, Screening, CPO.
Copyright © 2007 HR-XML Consortium, Inc.
Abstract
A growing number of approved HR-XML specifications use a set of agreed-upon XML schema types to represent commonly used elements. The purpose of this recommendation is to document the use of these types and to formalize their adoption as Cross-Process Objects.
Table of Contents
3.1.3 Schema Elements Explained
3.1.4 Uses/Implementation Considerations
5 Appendix A - Document Version History
1 Overview
Taxonomy is defined as a structure for classifying or categorizing information into a hierarchy. Within the Human Resources environment there are several kinds of information that use this structured categorization. This specification will address three types of taxonomies that are common within the context of Recruiting, Staffing and Hiring processes. The first of these to be included is industry coding, which is used to identify the type of industry (or industries) an organizational entity belongs to. This is used many ways, including allowing a candidate to indicate their preference for working within a particular industry or for business analytics, such as customer segmentation.
The IndustryCode schema is used in several approved specifications, thus precluding changes to the structure. In the future, a more generic structure, such as the OAGI Core Component ‘CodeType’, will be reviewed as a possible replacement.
Additional common TaxonomyTypes that have been identified are Occupational coding (categorizing groups of jobs or occupations) and Competency coding (structured classification of skills, abilities, etc). There are other taxonomies that occur later in the overall employment lifecycle that will be considered for inclusion in future versions of TaxonomyTypes.
It is important to note that HR-XML does not create the taxonomies themselves. There are many organizations that produce taxonomy content. HR-XML only provides the structure for this type of hierarchical data to be exchanged, regardless of the content’s origin.
2 Design Approach
The document provides XML schema types that HR-XML workgroups SHOULD incorporate within their schemas to support conformance of common taxonomy types. Values may be controlled by a pattern or an enumeration list. When enumerations are included, an extension mechanism is available to allow trading partners to add values.
Taxonomy schemas SHOULD be defined as a complex type, which may be referenced in other HR-XML Consortium schemas. When appropriate, an element name may also be defined using the complex type.
3 DTD/Schema Design
3.1 IndustryCodeType
The industry code schema is generally used to define the industry/industries a particular entity does business in. It may also be used in a more general context such as a job seeker expressing an interest in working within a particular industry.
3.1.1 Schema Diagram
3.1.2 Supporting Schema
<!-- industry code -->
<xsd:element name="IndustryCode" type="IndustryCodeType"/>
<xsd:complexType name="IndustryCodeType">
<xsd:simpleContent>
<xsd:extension base="xsd:string">
<xsd:attribute name="primaryIndicator" type="xsd:boolean" use="optional"/>
<xsd:attribute name="classificationName" type="xsd:string" use="optional"/>
</xsd:extension>
</xsd:simpleContent>
</xsd:complexType>
3.1.3 Schema Elements Explained
|
Component Name [Global types listed at the end of the table.] |
ContentModel* |
Definition |
|
/ |
- IndustryCodeType - (1/1) |
A code that specifies the type of industry to which the entity belongs. |
|
Global complexTypes: |
|
|
|
/ |
xsd:extension base: xsd:string |
Globally scoped data type. See element or attribute declaration for definition. |
|
/
[IndustryCodeType] / |
- xsd:boolean - |
True/False. When multiple items are listed, this indicator specifies which one is primary within the context of the transaction. |
|
/
[IndustryCodeType] / |
- xsd:string - |
The name of the agency that issued the industry code. e.g. NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) code is widely used in North America. (Such use requires a prior agreement with business partners about how the field will be interpreted). |
3.1.4 Uses/Implementation Considerations
If more than one industry codes exists, the ‘primary’ attribute specifies which one is the primary industry. Since the schema is designed for international use and classifications tend to change, the classificationName was defined as a string, rather than an enumeration. A few examples of classification names are SIC, NAICS, and UNSPSC.
An HR-XML schema may define it’s own element name and use the complex type. For example:
<xsd:element name="EmployerIndustry" type="IndustryCodeType" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
Or a schema may use both the element name and the complex type. For example:
<xsd:element name="IndustryCode" type="IndustryCodeType" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded"/>
4 Data Privacy
Human resources data, by its very nature, is personal data. The laws of many jurisdictions as well as codes of fair information practice require organizations to handle personal data in a way that protects individuals from loss of privacy.
The data exchange specifications developed by the HR-XML Consortium are designed to be useful across many jurisdictions and within a variety of business contexts. It is not feasible for the HR-XML Consortium to develop specific privacy guidance for every jurisdiction or business context in which the Consortium's specifications might be implemented. When implementing data exchanges using the HR-XML Consortium's data definitions (or, for that matter, any data exchange mechanism), organizations are advised to examine the privacy protections that may be required under applicable law or codes of fair information practice.
For information on protecting personal data, general references include: European Union Data Protection Directive (95/46/EC); the Association Computing Machinery Code of Ethics (1992); Canadian Standards Association Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information (1995 -- PIPEDA); U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Principles and FAQs (2000).
5 Appendix A - Document Version History
|
Date |
Description |
|
2003-01-10 |
Draft |
|
2003-Feb-26 |
Approved recommendation by HR-XML Consortium. The default and targetNamespaces of all HR-XML schemas have been standardized. This recommendation is available as part of the HR-XML 2_0 architecture. |
|
2006-Feb-28 |
Approved by Consortium |
|
2007-Apr-15 |
Approved by Consortium |