Getting Started

The title block of each schema page looks like

Schema Form16.xsd

The schema location is a hyperlink pointing to the actual schema file. Note that all of the XML schema for the E-Filing project belong to the above namespace.

Simple Element

An element is a part of the form. A simple element usually relates to one "blank" (field) on a form. Each element has an assigned data type that is either a standard XML schema type or one of the data types defined in Globals.xsd.

In this example, GivenNames for NameOfTrustee is a new element being defined in the http://www.osb.gc.ca/eFiling namespace which is of the type "string" in the "xs:" namespace (where "xs:" is an abbreviation).

element Form16/NameOfTrustee/GivenNames

diagram
namespace	http://www.osb.gc.ca/eFiling
type	xs:string
annotation	documentation    Trustee Given Names

Complex Element (Sequence)

A complex element contains other elements (simple or complex) and relates to one or more "blanks" (fields) on a form.

The following element is a complex element that contains a sequence of two simple elements (children) that are both strings.

Items in a sequence must occur in the order shown. You can tell this is a sequence by the [•••] symbol in the diagram. In this example all children are mandatory.

element Form16/NameOfTrustee

diagram
namespace	http://www.osb.gc.ca/eFiling
children	GivenNames FamilyName
annotation	documentation  Name of Trustee

 

Complex Element (Choice)

Another type of complex element contains choices. In this example, a legal entity can be either a natural person or a corporation.

element Form88/Bankrupt

diagram
namespace	http://www.osb.gc.ca/eFiling
type	osb:LegalEntity
children	Company  Individual
annotation	documentation  Name of Bankrupt

Enumerated Values

Certain element can contain a finite list of valid values. Enumerations are listed in the element details where they have been defined.

element Form1/District

diagram
namespace	http://www.osb.gc.ca/eFiling
type	osb:Province
facets	enumeration   BC enumeration   AB enumeration   SK enumeration   MB enumeration   ON enumeration   QC enumeration   NB enumeration   NS enumeration   PE enumeration   NL enumeration   YT enumeration   NT enumeration   NU
annotation	documentation  District Code

Bankruptcy Forms as a Complex Element

Each bankruptcy form is defined as a complex element containing complex and simple elements.

More About Elements

An element can be optional or mandatory. Optional elements may be skipped for certain filings, but development MUST have the ability to include these elements if required whereas mandatory elements must be included every time. Optional elements are displayed in the diagrams as a light grey box, as shown below. Mandatory elements have a black box as shown in the examples under Enumerated Values, Complex Element (Choice), Complex Element (Sequence), and Simple Element.

If an element can occur more than once, the range of allowable occurrences appears below the elements. In the example below, the asset element can appear zero or many times.

Form and Schema

Each prescribed form has a corresponding schema file defined. A schema is a formal design of a package of information.

Navigating the documentation

Many of the diagram elements are hyperlinks to more detailed information. The detailed element and type information is comprehensively hyperlinked and cross-referenced to ease navigation.

References

You can find a description of XML schema in "Using W3C XML Schema" by Eric van der Vlist which is also available online on the O'Reilly xml.com site.

An excellent high-level description of XML and its strategic impact and importance is "XML: A Manager's Guide" by Kevin Dick.