4. Z39.50: tag paths and search attributes

A primer to Z

• A Z39.50 server does best when handling RLOs
• It can deliver result sets in different formats, Generic Record Syntax (GRS) and XML are two of those
• GRS is like XML without support for XML attributes.
• A standardized Z application (a profile) provide standardized tags and tag-paths.
• A Z application may be based on generic Z39.50 tags only, and may use local extensions. This is what Laurentius does.
• Z makes a distinction between fields in records and "fields" for searching, socalled search attributes.
  • Applications can use a standardized set of search attributes, but my also define local ones
  • There is no need a one to one relation between record fields and search attributes
• While a Z39.50 profile/application may impose constraints on field obligation and repeatability, there are no such restrictions in Z itself.

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