Wiki source code of 14 ANNEX Semantic Versioning

Version 3.7 by Helena on 2025/05/16 11:01

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2.1	4
	5	== 14.1 Introduction to Semantic Versioning ==
	6
	7	In the world of versioned data modelling exists a dreaded place called "dependency hell." The bigger your data model through organisational, national or international harmonisation grows and the more artefacts you integrate into your modelling, the more likely you are to find yourself, one day, in this pit of despair.
	8
	9	In systems with many dependencies, releasing new artefact versions can quickly become a nightmare. If the dependency specifications are too tight, you are in danger of version lock (the inability to upgrade an artefact without having to release new versions of every dependent artefact). If dependencies are specified too loosely, you will inevitably be bitten by version promiscuity (assuming compatibility with more future versions than is reasonable). Dependency hell is where you are when version lock and/or version promiscuity prevent you from easily and safely moving your data modelling forward.
	10
2.3	11	As a very successful solution to the similar problem in software development, "Semantic Versioning" [[__semver.org__>>https://semver.org/]] proposes a simple set of rules and requirements that dictate how version numbers are assigned and incremented. These rules make also perfect sense in the world of versioned data modelling and help to solve the "dependency hell" encountered with previous versions of SDMX. SDMX 3.0 applies thus the Semantic Versioning rules on all versioned SDMX artefacts. Once you release a versioned SDMX artefact, you communicate changes to it with specific increments to your version number.
2.1	12
2.3	13	This SDMX 3.0(.0) specification inherits the original [[__semver.org__>>https://xwiki:semver.org]] 2.0.0 wording (license: [[__Creative Commons - CC BY 3.0__>>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/]]) and applies it to versioned SDMX structural artefacts. Under this scheme, version numbers and the way they change convey meaning about the underlying data structures and what has been modified from one version to the next.
2.1	14
	15	== 14.2 Semantic Versioning Specification for SDMX 3.0(.0) ==
	16
	17	The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119.
	18
	19	In the following, "versioned" artefacts are understood to be semantically versioned SDMX structural artefacts, and X, Y, Z and EXT are understood as placeholders for the version parts MAJOR, MINOR, PATCH, and EXTENSION, as defined in chapter 4.3.
	20
	21	The following rules apply to versioned artefacts:
	22
	23	* All versioned SDMX artefacts MUST specify a version number.
3.3	24	* The version number of immutable versioned SDMX artefacts MUST take the form X.Y.Z where X, Y, and Z are non-negative integers and MUST NOT contain leading zeroes. X is the MAJOR version, Y is the MINOR version, and Z is the PATCH version. Each element MUST increase numerically. For instance: 1.9.0 -> 1.10.0 -> 1.11.0.
2.1	25	* Once an SDMX artefact with an X.Y.Z version has been shared externally or publicly released, the contents of that version MUST NOT be modified. That artefact version is considered stable. Any modifications MUST be released as a new version.
	26	* MAJOR version zero (0.y.z) is for initial modelling. Anything MAY change at any time. The externally released or public artefact SHOULD NOT be considered stable.
	27	* Version 1.0.0 defines the first stable artefact. The way in which the version number is incremented after this release is dependent on how this externally released or public artefact changes.
	28	* PATCH version Z (x.y.Z \| x > 0) MUST be incremented if only backwards compatible property changes are introduced. A property change is defined as an internal change that does not affect the relationship to other artefacts. These are changes in the artefact's or artefact element's names, descriptions and annotations that MUST NOT alter their meaning.
	29	* MINOR version Y (x.Y.z \| x > 0) MUST be incremented if a new, backwards compatible element is introduced to a stable artefact. These are additional items in ItemScheme artefacts. It MAY be incremented if substantial new information is introduced within the artefact's properties. It MAY include PATCH level changes. PATCH version MUST be reset to 0 when MINOR version is incremented.
	30	* MAJOR version X (X.y.z \| X > 0) MUST be incremented if any backwards incompatible changes are introduced to a stable artefact. These often relate to deletions of items in ItemSchemes or to backwards incompatibility introduced due to changes in references to other artefacts. A MAJOR version change MAY also include MINOR and PATCH level changes. PATCH and MINOR version MUST be reset to 0 when MAJOR version is incremented.
3.4	31	* A mutable version, e.g. used for externally released or public drafts or as prerelease, MUST be denoted by appending an EXTENSION that consists of a hyphen and a series of dot separated identifiers immediately following the PATCH version (x.y.z-EXT). Identifiers MUST comprise only ASCII alphanumerics and hyphen [0-9A-Za-z-]. Identifiers MUST NOT be empty. Numeric identifiers MUST NOT include leading zeroes. However, to foster harmonisation and general comprehension it is generally recommended to use the standard EXTENSION "-draft". Extended versions have a lower precedence than the associated stable version. An extended version indicates that the version is unstable and it might not satisfy the intended compatibility requirements as denoted by its associated stable version. When making changes to an SDMX artefact with an extended version number then one is not required to increment the version if those changes are kept within the allowed scope of the version increment from the previous version (if that existed), otherwise also here the before mentioned version increment rules for X.Y.Z apply. Concretely, a version X.0.0-EXT will allow for any changes, a version X.Y.0-EXT will allow only for MINOR changes and a version X.Y.Z-EXT will allow only for any PATCH changes, as defined above. EXTENSION examples: 1.0.0-draft, 1.0.0-draft.1, 1.0.0-0.3.7, 1.0.0-x.7.z.92.
3.5	32	* Precedence refers to how versions are compared to each other when ordered. Precedence MUST be calculated by separating the version into MAJOR, MINOR, PATCH and EXTENSION identifiers in that order. Precedence is determined by the first difference when comparing each of these identifiers from left to right as follows: MAJOR, MINOR, and PATCH versions are always compared numerically. Example: 1.0.0 < 2.0.0 < 2.1.0 < 2.1.1. When MAJOR, MINOR, and PATCH are equal, an extended version has lower precedence than a stable version. Example: 1.0.0-draft < 1.0.0. Precedence for two extended versions with the same MAJOR, MINOR, and PATCH version MUST be determined by comparing each dot separated identifier from left to right until a difference is found as follows: identifiers consisting of only digits are compared numerically and identifiers with letters or hyphens are compared lexically in ASCII sort order. Numeric identifiers always have lower precedence than non-numeric identifiers. A larger set of EXTENSION fields has a higher precedence than a smaller set, if all of the preceding identifiers are equal. Example: 1.0.0-draft < 1.0.0-draft.1 < 1.0.0-draft.prerelease < 1.0.0-prerelease < 1.0.0-prerelease.2 < 1.0.0-prerelease.11 < 1.0.0-rc.1 < 1.0.0.
2.1	33	* The reasons for version changes MAY be documented in brief form in an artefact's annotation of type "CHANGELOG".
	34
	35	== 14.3 Backus–Naur Form Grammar for Valid SDMX 3.0(.0) Semantic Versions ==
	36
3.6	37	[[image:1747382317063-468.png]]
	38	[[image:1747382367401-937.png\|\|height="321" width="637"]]
2.1	39
	40	== 14.4 Dependency Management in SDMX 3.0(.0): ==
	41
	42	MAJOR, MINOR or PATCH version parts in SDMX 3.0 artefact references CAN be wildcarded using "+" as extension:
	43
3.7	44	* X+.Y.Z means the currently latest available version >= X.Y.Z
	45	** Example: "2+.3.1" means the currently latest available version >="2.3.1" (even if not backwards compatible)
	46	** Typical use case: references in SDMX Categorisations
	47	* X.Y+.Z means the currently latest available backwards compatible version >=X.Y.Z
	48	** Example: "2.3+.1" means the currently latest available version >= "2.3.1" and < "3.0.0" (all backwards compatible versions >="2.3.1")
	49	** Typical use case: references in SDMX DSD
	50	* X.Y.Z+ means the currently latest available forwards and backwards compatible version >= X.Y.Z
	51	** Example: "2.3.1+" means the currently latest available version >= "2.3.1" and < "2.4.0" (all forwards and backwards compatible versions >= "2.3.1")
2.1	52	* Non-versioned and 2-digit version SDMX structural artefacts CAN reference any other non-versioned or versioned (whether SemVer or not) SDMX structural artefacts.
	53	* Semantically versioned artefacts MUST only reference other semantically versioned artefacts.
	54	* Wildcarded references in a stable artefact implicitly target only future stable versions of the referenced artefacts within the defined wildcard scope.
3.7	55	** Example: The reference to "AGENCY_ID:CODELIST_ID(2.3+.1)" in an artefact "AGENCY_ID:DSD_ID(2.2.1)" resolves to artefact "AGENCY_ID:CODELIST_ID(2.4.3)" if that was currently the latest available stable version.
	56	* Wildcarded references in a version-extended artefact implicitly target future stable and version-extended versions of the referenced artefacts within the defined wildcard scope.
	57	** Example: The reference to "AGENCY_ID:CODELIST_ID(2.3+.1)" in an artefact "AGENCY_ID:DSD_ID(2.2.1-draft)" resolves to artefact "AGENCY_ID:CODELIST_ID(2.5.0-draft)" if that was currently the latest available version.
2.1	58	* References to specific version-extended artefacts MAY be used, but those cannot be combined with a wildcard.
	59	** Example: The reference to "AGENCY_ID:CODELIST_ID(2.5.0draft)" in an artefact "AGENCY_ID:DSD_ID(2.2.1)" resolves to artefact "AGENCY_ID:CODELIST_ID(2.5.0-draft)", which might be subject to continued backwards compatible changes.
	60
	61	Because both, wildcarded references and references to version-extended artefacts, allow for changes in the referenced artefacts, care needs to be taken when choosing the appropriate references in order to achieve the required limitation in the allowed scope of changes.
	62
	63	For references to non-dependent artefacts, MAJOR, MINOR or PATCH version parts in SDMX 3.0 artefact references CAN alternatively be wildcarded using "*" as replacement:
	64
	65	~* means all available versions
	66
	67	== 14.5 Upgrade and conversions of artefacts defined with previous SDMX standard versions to Semantic Versioning ==
	68
	69	Because SDMX standardises the interactions between statistical systems, which cannot all be upgraded at the same time, the new versioning rules cannot be applied to existing artefacts in EDIFACT, SDMX 1.0, 2.0 or 2.1. SemVer can only be applied to structural artefacts that are newly modelled with the SDMX 3.0 Information Model. Migrating to SemVer means migrating to the SDMX 3.0 Information Model, to its new API version and new versions of its exchange message formats.
	70
	71	To migrate SDMX structural artefacts created previously to SDMX 3.0.0:
	72
	73	If the artefacts do not need versioning, then the new artefacts based on the SDMX 3.0 Information Model SHOULD remain as-is, e.g., a previous artefact with the non-final version 1.0 and that doesn't need versioning becomes non-versioned, i.e., keeps version 1.0. This will be the case for all AgencyScheme artefacts.
	74
	75	If artefact versioning is required and SDMX 3.0.0 Semantic Versioning is available within the tools and processes used, then it is recommended to switch to Semantic Versioning with the following steps:
	76
	77	1. Complement the missing version parts with 0s to make the version number SemVer-compliant using the MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH-EXTENSION syntax:
	78
	79	Example: Version 2 becomes version 2.0.0 and version 3.1 becomes version 3.1.0.
	80
	81	1. Replace the "isFinal=false" property by the version extensions "-draft" (or alternatively "-unstable" or "-nonfinal" depending on the use case).
	82
	83	Example: Version 1.3 with isFinal=true becomes version 1.3.0 and version 1.3 with isFinal=false becomes version 1.3.0-draft.
	84
	85	If artefact versioning is required but semantic versioning cannot be applied, then version strings used in previous versions of the Standard (e.g., version=1.2) may continue to be used.
	86
	87	Note: Like for other not fully backwards compatible SDMX 3.0 features, also some cases of semantically versioned SDMX 3.0 artefacts cannot be converted back to earlier SDMX versions. This is the case when one or more extensions have been created in parallel to the corresponding stable version. In this case, only the stable version SHOULD be converted to a final version (e.g., 3.2.1 becomes 3.2.1 final, and 3.2.1-draft cannot be converted back).
	88
	89	== 14.6 FAQ for Semantic Versioning ==
	90
	91	My organisation is new to SDMX and starts to implement 3.0 or starts to implement a new process fully based on SDMX 3.0. Which versioning scheme should be used?
	92
	93	If all counterparts involved in the process and all tools used for its implementation are SDMX 3.0-ready, then it is recommended to:
	94
	95	* in general, use semantic versioning;
	96	* exceptionally, do not use versioning for artefacts that do not require it, e.g. artefacts that never change, that are only used internally or for which communication on changes with external parties or systems is not required.
	97
	98	How should I deal with revisions in the 0.y.z initial modelling phase?
	99
	100	The simplest thing to do is start your initial modelling release at 0.1.0 and then increment the minor version for each subsequent release.
	101
	102	How do I know when to release 1.0.0?
	103
	104	If your data model is being used in production, it should probably already be 1.0.0. If you have a stable artefact on which users have come to depend, you should be 1.0.0. If you're worrying a lot about backwards compatibility, you should probably already be 1.0.0.
	105
	106	Doesn't this discourage rapid modelling and fast iteration?
	107
	108	Major version zero is all about rapid modelling. If you're changing the artefact every day you should either still be in version 0.y.z or on the next (minor or) major version for a separate modelling.
	109
	110	If even the tiniest backwards incompatible changes to the public artefact require a major version bump, won't I end up at version 42.0.0 very rapidly?
	111
	112	This is a question of responsible modelling and foresight. Incompatible changes should not be introduced lightly to a data model that has a lot of dependencies. The cost that must be incurred to upgrade can be significant. Having to bump major versions to release incompatible changes means you will think through the impact of your changes, and evaluate the cost/benefit ratio involved.
	113
	114	Documenting the version changes in an artefact's annotation of type "CHANGELOG" is too much work!
	115
	116	It is your responsibility as a professional modeller to properly document the artefacts that are intended for use by others. Managing data model complexity is a hugely important part of keeping a project efficient, and that's hard to do if nobody knows how to use your data model, or what artefacts are safe to reuse. In the long run, SDMX 3.0 Semantic Versioning can keep everyone and everything running smoothly.
	117
	118	However, refrain from overdoing. Nobody can and will read too long lists of changes. Thus, keep it to the absolute essence, and mainly use it for short announcements. You can even skip the changelog if the change is impact-less. For all complete reports, a new API feature could be more useful to automatically generate a log of differences between two versions.
	119
	120	What do I do if I accidentally release a backwards incompatible change as a minor version?
	121
	122	As soon as you realise that you've broken the SDMX 3.0 Semantic Versioning specification, fix the problem and release a new minor version that corrects the problem and restores backwards compatibility. Even under this circumstance, it is unacceptable to modify versioned releases. If it's appropriate, document the offending version and inform your users of the problem so that they are aware of the offending version.
	123
	124	What if I inadvertently alter the public artefact in a way that is not compliant with the version number change (i.e. the modification incorrectly introduces a major breaking change in a patch release)?
	125
	126	Use your best judgement. If you have a huge audience that will be drastically impacted by changing the behaviour back to what the public artefact intended, then it may be best to perform a major version release, even though the property change could strictly be considered a patch release. Remember, SDMX 3.0.0 Semantic Versioning is all about conveying meaning by how the version number changes. If these changes are important to your users, use the version number to inform them.
	127
	128	How should I handle deprecating elements?
	129
	130	Deprecating existing elements is a normal part of data modelling and is often required to make forward progress or follow history (changing classifications, evolving reference areas). When you deprecate part of your stable artefact, you should issue a new minor version with the deprecation in place (e.g. add the new country code but still keep the old country code) and with a "CHANGELOG" annotation announcing the deprecation (e.g. the intention to remove the old country code in a future version) . Before you completely remove the functionality in a new major release there should be at least one minor release that contains the deprecation so that users can smoothly transition to the new artefact.
	131
	132	Does SDMX 3.0.0 Semantic Versioning have a size limit on the version string?
	133
	134	No, but use good judgement. A 255 character version string is probably overkill, for example. In addition, specific SDMX implementations may impose their own limits on the size of the string. Remember, it is generally recommended to use the standard extension "-draft".
	135
	136	Is "v1.2.3" a semantic version?
	137
	138	No, "v1.2.3" is not a semantic version. The semantic version is "1.2.3".
	139
	140	Is there a suggested regular expression (RegEx) to check an SDMX 3.0.0 Semantic Versioning string?
	141
	142	There are two:
	143
	144	One with named groups for those systems that support them (PCRE [Perl Compatible Regular Expressions, i.e. Perl, PHP and R], Python and Go).
	145
2.4	146	Reduced version (without original SemVer "build metadata") from: [[__https:~~/~~/regex101.com/r/Ly7O1x/3/__https:~~/~~/regex101.com/r/Ly7O1x/3/>>https://https:regex101.comrLy7O1x3https:regex101.comrLy7O1x3]]
2.1	147
3.1	148	^(?P<major>0\|[1-9]\d)\.(?P<minor>0\|[1-9]\d)\.(?P<patch>0\|[1-9]\d)(?:-(?P<extension>(?:0\|[1-9]\d\|\d[a-zA-Z-][0-9a-zA-Z-])(?:\.(?:0\|[1-9]\d\|\d[a-zA-Z-][0-9a-zA-Z-]))))?$
2.1	149
	150	And one with numbered capture groups instead (so cg1 = major, cg2 = minor, cg3 = patch and cg4 = extension) that is compatible with ECMA Script (JavaScript), PCRE (Perl Compatible Regular Expressions, i.e. Perl, PHP and R), Python and Go.
	151
2.4	152	Reduced version (without original SemVer "build metadata") from: [[__https:~~/~~/regex101.com/r/vkijKf/1/__https:~~/~~/regex101.com/r/vkijKf/1/>>https://https:regex101.comrvkijKf1https:regex101.comrvkijKf1]]
2.1	153
3.1	154	^(0\|[1-9]\d)\.(0\|[1-9]\d)\.(0\|[1-9]\d)(?:-((?:0\|[1-9]\d\|\d[a-zA-Z-][0-9a-zA-Z-])(?:\.(?:0\|[1-9]\d\|\d[a-zA-Z-][0-9a-zA-Z-]))))?$
2.1	155
	156	Must I adopt semantic versioning rules when switching to SDMX 3.0?
	157
	158	No. If backwards compatibility with pre-existing tools and processes is required, then it is possible to continue using the previous versioning scheme (with up to two version parts MAJOR.MINOR). Semantic versioning is indicated only for those use cases where a proper artefact versioning is required. If versioning does not apply to some or all of your artefacts, then rather migrate to non-versioned SDMX 3.0 artefacts.
	159
	160	May I mix artefacts that follow semantic versioning with artefacts that don't?
	161
	162	Artefacts that are not (semantically) versioned may reference artefacts that are semantically versioned, but those are fully safe to use only when not extended. However, the reverse is not true: non-semantically-versioned artefacts do not offer change guarantees, and, therefore, should not be referenced by semantically versioned artefacts.
	163
	164	I have plenty of artefacts. I'm happy with my current versioning policy and I don't want to use SemVer! Can I still migrate to SDMX 3.0, and if so, what do I need to do?
	165
	166	Yes, of course, you can. The introduction of semantic versioning is done in a way which is largely backward compatible with previous versions of the standard, so you can keep your existing 2-digit version numbers (1.0, 1.1, 2.0, etc.) if that is required by your current tools and processes. However, if not using SemVer then pre-SDMX 3.0 final artefacts will be migrated as non-final and mutable in SDMX 3.0. There are also many good reasons to move to SemVer, and the migration is encouraged. Be assured that there will be tools out there that will assist you doing this in an efficient and convenient way.
	167
	168	I have plenty of artefacts versioned 'X.Y'. I want to make some of them immutable, and enjoy the benefits provided by semantic versioning. Some other artefacts however must remain mutable (i.e. non final). However, in both cases, I'd like adopt the semantic versioning. What do I need to do?
	169
	170	For artefacts that will be made immutable and are therefore safe to use, simply append a '.0' to the current version (use X.Y.0) when migrating to Semantic Versioning. E.g., if the version of your artefact is currently 1.10, then migrate to 1.10.0.
	171
	172	For artefacts that remain mutable, and therefore do not bring the guarantees of semantic versioning, if you want to benefit from the advantages of semantic versioning, then simply append '.0-notfinal' to the version string. So, if the version of your artefact is currently 1.10, use 1.10.0-notfinal instead. Indeed, other extensions can be used depending on your use case.
	173
	174	I have adopted SDMX 3.0 with the semantic versioning conventions for the version strings of all my artefacts, regardless of whether these are stable (e.g. 1.0.0) or unstable (e.g. 1.0.0-notfinal, 1.0.0-draft, etc.). However, I still receive artefacts from organizations that have not yet adopted SemVer conventions for the version strings. How should I treat these?
	175
	176	The only artefacts that are safe to use, are those that are semantically versioned. Starting with SDMX 3.0, these artefacts MUST use the SEMVER version string to indicate this fact and the version string of these artefacts MUST be expressed as X.Y.Z (e.g. 2.1.0). Extended versions bring some limited guarantees for changes.
	177
	178	All other artefacts are in principle unsafe. They might be safe in practice but the SDMX standard does not bring any guarantees in that respect, and these artefacts may change in unpredictable ways.
	179
	180	In practice, the migration approach will often mirror the way in which organisations have migrated between earlier SDMX versions. Rarely, the new data models used mixed SDMX standard versions in their dependencies, and if they did then standard conversions were put in place. A typical method is to first migrate the re-used artefacts from the previous SDMX version to SDMX 3.0 and while doing so to apply the appropriate new semantic version string. From that point onwards, you can enjoy the advantages of the new SDMX versioning features for all those artefacts that require appropriate versioning.
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3.2	182