AXIS Glossary

Purpose

This glossary is the canonical reference for AXIS terminology in this repository.

Normative behavior source of truth is docs/model/AXIS_NORMATIVE.md. This glossary defines terminology used across AXIS planning, schema, and document-definition material.

Terms

AXIS

Appraisal Exchange and Interoperability Standard. The public semantic foundation for shared appraisal data and associated document-definition planning work.

AXIS Shared Semantic Schema

The governed semantic model that defines shared appraisal data meaning for AXIS.

Canonical identifier: axis.schema.core.

AXIS.DD

Convenient shorthand for AXIS document-definition work and artifacts built on top of AXIS shared semantics.

Notation clarification:

• AXIS.DD refers to document-definition work collectively,
• AXISDD is used in file/document names,
• AXIS/<type> notation (for example AXIS/AR) refers to document-family identifiers in discussion.

See also: Form DD, Report DD, Review DD.

AXIS Appraisal Report Document Definition

The planned standard AXIS document definition for appraisal reporting.

Canonical identifier: axis.document.appraisal-report.

AXIS Appraisal Review Document Definition

The planned standard AXIS document definition for appraisal review.

Canonical identifier: axis.document.appraisal-review.

Bridge Schema

The AXIS posture of bridging appraisal semantics to adjacent ecosystems while remaining semantically self-defined.

Primitive Schema Definition

A foundational data definition that establishes meaning, type, and minimal constraints before composition into higher-level structures.

Component Definition

A reusable grouped structure built from primitive schema definitions and common field associations.

Form DD

A reusable form-level document definition used as a sub-assembly within report DDs.

This term replaces legacy usage of concrete form definition.

Report DD

A report-level document definition that composes form DDs and report metadata into a governed report contract.

Review DD

A review-level document definition that carries review-specific structure plus required report identity anchoring.

Document Definition

A governed AXIS specification that defines how semantically valid data is organized into a workflow-facing contract.

AXIS currently uses the DD level terms form DD, report DD, and review DD.

Standard Document Definition

A centrally governed and versioned AXIS document definition intended for broad use.

Custom Document Definition

A document definition created for organization-specific workflow needs while preserving declared compatibility with AXIS semantics.

Compatibility Posture

The declared relationship between an artifact and the schema or document-definition version it targets.

Delivery Profile

A subordinate, optional AXIS artifact that defines implementation-facing delivery constraints (for example packaging, transport, and partner checks) for a specific exchange context.

A Delivery Profile may add constraints but may not weaken, redefine, or override AXIS normative behavior.

Supplemental Guidance

Non-core guidance artifacts (including Delivery Profiles and implementation guides) that remain subordinate to AXIS normative behavior and accepted decisions.

Precedence Language

An explicit statement in supplemental guidance that AXIS normative behavior controls in case of conflict.

Conformance

The degree to which an artifact satisfies its governed structure, rules, and compatibility declarations.

Core AXIS Conformance

The baseline AXIS conformance boundary for core contracts.

In v0.1, this covers structural and declarative checks (shape, types, requiredness, and declared constraints) and excludes repeated-field or cross-field consistency checks unless elevated by accepted decision.

JSON-First Core Conformance

The AXIS v0.1 posture that canonical core conformance is defined against JSON artifacts.

Transforming AXIS data to other representations is implementer-managed and does not alter AXIS conformance semantics.

Document-Definition Conformance

The condition in which a document contract is satisfied in a clear, versioned, and portable way.

Unknown-Field Rejection

A required conformance check where undeclared fields in a governed payload are treated as non-conformant.

Contract-Claim Parity

A required conformance check where a processor that claims conformance to a contract must enforce all requirements of that claimed contract.

Conformance Suite Delta

The required update set to conformance tests and expected outcomes that must accompany compatibility-affecting or breaking changes.

Schema Version

The explicit semantic-schema version targeted by an artifact.

Schema and DD artifact versions follow semantic versioning (Major.Minor.Patch).

Source decision: docs/decisions/2026-04-23-versioning-scheme.md.

Document-Definition Version

The explicit version carried by a document definition for compatibility and evolution control.

Instance Version

The version value of a specific report or review instance within workflow progression.

Instance versions follow integer-style progression (v1, v2, v3).

Source decision: docs/decisions/2026-04-23-versioning-scheme.md.

Identifier

A unique identity token for a governed entity, component, DD, or instance.

UUID v4 format is the base identifier format.

For v0.1 report/review instance IDs, conformance uses type-prefixed forms:

• report_<uuid-v4>
• review_<uuid-v4>

Source decision: docs/decisions/2026-04-23-identifier-format.md.

Canonical Machine-Readable Identifier

A stable identifier used to name a governed AXIS artifact in an implementation-independent way.

Canonical identifiers are valid in identity-bearing metadata fields and are not valid as runtime business field values, filenames, or directory names.

Canonical Payload

The authoritative machine-readable structured representation preserved independently of any visible rendering.

Representation Contract

Implementation-neutral requirements that define how governed content is represented for portability, validation, and traceability.

This term replaces prior broad usage of document representation requirements.

Fieldset

A governed grouping of related fields treated as a coherent unit in a DD or review context.

Available Flags

Flags declared by a DD that may activate additional requiredness or behavior when used by an instance.

Active Flags

The subset of available flags activated by an instance.

Effect Type

The typed behavior invoked by a flag effect declaration.

activate_required is the currently defined initial effect type per docs/decisions/2026-04-23-flag-definition-structure.md.

Full Field Coverage

A review mode activated by full_field_coverage where fieldsets are generated for all fields present in the referenced report instance.

Selective Review Mode

Default review mode where fieldsets are generated only for fields considered material in that review instance.

Outcome

The governed review result state, currently satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

Review Disposition

The workflow disposition applied to a review result, currently terminal or new_version.

Root Anchor

The report version anchor that defines the chain context for a set of related reviews.

Review Chain

A sequence of review artifacts anchored to the same report version root.

Review Finding

A targeted review item associated with a governed field or fieldset and optional commentary.

Field Reference

A locator used by review findings to point to a report field.

Current format: JSON Pointer (RFC 6901).

Known limitation: pointer stability across DD structural changes is deferred for future design refinement.

Severity Category

Reviewer-assigned categorical severity marker used in review findings.

Canonical values are a, b, and c.

Semantic definitions for these values are deferred to a future version.

Missing-Data Semantics

The governed meaning of absence, omission, and explicit missing-value states so downstream interpretation remains consistent.

Rule Inheritance

How constraints and behavioral rules flow from shared semantics into more specific DD layers.

Semantic Invariant

A meaning rule expected to remain stable across implementations and document variations.

Semantic Layer

Machine-readable meaning attached to content independent of visible layout.

Structured Data

Data represented in machine-readable form with explicit entities, fields, relationships, and rules.

Structured Consumer

A downstream system or workflow that consumes AXIS-governed structured data.

Narrative

The reusable base text object in AXIS for governed narrative content.

Narrative Slot

A governed location in a DD where narrative content is expected or allowed.

Review Extension Layer

The layer that extends AXIS core where appraisal review adds semantics beyond the shared foundation.

ReviewComment

A review-specific object derived from Narrative and used for targeted review commentary semantics.

Extension

An additional field or structure not in shared core that can be carried without redefining core semantics.

Alias Mapping Artifact

An external mapping artifact that links local or source-system terminology to canonical AXIS names. This is the responsibility of implementer middleware.

Alias mappings are not part of canonical AXIS schema definitions.

EPM (Embedded Payload Manifest)

An implementation-facing envelope standard that can carry AXIS payload content inside host documents (for example PDF) without sidecar files (https://epmstandard.org).

EPM usage is optional and does not change AXIS conformance semantics.

External Validation Engine

A downstream validation system that evaluates AXIS-structured content without defining AXIS meaning.

JSON Representation

A JSON-based expression of AXIS-governed semantics.

XML Representation

An XML-based expression of AXIS-governed semantics.

YAML Representation

A YAML-based expression of AXIS-governed semantics.

Round-Trip Retrieval

Recovery of authoritative structured payload from communicated artifacts for downstream reuse.

Data Fidelity

The degree to which structured meaning remains accurate as data moves through representation and processing.

Compiled Schema Artifact

Execution-ready schema output after identity, provenance, inheritance, and effective constraints are resolved.

Compiled Validation Plan

Execution-ready validation output after applicable rule sources, precedence, and sequencing are resolved.

Deprecated Terms

• Concrete Form Definition: replaced by form DD.
• Report-Assembly Definition: replaced by report DD terminology.
• Review Target: use field reference for review finding targeting.
• Document Representation Requirements: replaced by representation contract.

Open Glossary Questions

• Whether compiled-artifact terms should remain canonical glossary terms or move to implementation-focused documentation.
• Whether additional representation-contract detail should remain in the glossary or move to a dedicated implementation guidance file.