View source for A computable framework for accountable data assets

=Synopsis=
This article argues for the fact that complex web services can '''always''' be  composed of rather simple data types, such as [[key-value pair]]s. By methodically exploiting the nature of the '''[[universal]]''' properties of [[key-value pair]]s, it will significantly reduce the costs and development effort of ever more functionally-rich web-based services. This systematic approach improves the following three areas of web service development and operations:
# [[Universal Abstraction]] ([[Sound and Complete]]): Represent domain-neutral knowledge content in a [[key-value pair]]-based [[programming model]] ([[functional and declarative model]]) that allows flexible composition of data assets to create new instances of data assets, such as web [[page]]s, digital [[file]]s, and web [[service]]s. 
# [[Accountability]] ([[Terminable]] responsibility tracing): Enforce a formalized web service maintenance workflow by assigning accountability of changes to three account types. The accountability of content changes goes with [[Externally Owned Account]]s. The business logic of workflows specified in formalized workflow description languages, each version of the workflow specification is uniquely bound to a [[Contract Account]]. Each initiation of a workflow is reflected in the creation of a [[Project Account]], which captures all relevant information content related to the execution effects of the workflow. The definition of [[Project Account]] extends the technical specification of [[Smart Contract]] as specified in the design of [[Ethereum]]<ref>{{:Paper/Ethereum: A Next-Generation Smart Contract and Decentralized Application Platform}}</ref><ref>{{:Paper/ETHEREUM: A SECURE DECENTRALISED GENERALISED TRANSACTION LEDGER}}</ref><ref>{{:Book/Political Numeracy}}</ref>.
# [[Self-documenting]] ([[Semantic precision]]): [[PKC]] is a documentation-driven [[DevOps]] practice. It integrates human-readable documents using [[MediaWiki]]'s [[hyperlink]]s and [[mw:Manual:Special_pages|Special pages]] to represent the knowledge or state of the microservice at work. [[Self-documenting]] is achieved by relating [[Semantic MediaWiki|semantic labeling technology]] to industry-standard [[Application Programming Interface]]s([[API]]s) of [[Git]] and [[Docker]]/[[Kubernetes]] to reflect and report the status and historical trail of the [[PKC]] system at work. The real-time aspect of this software architecture is accomplished by managing time-stamp information of the system using [[blockchain]]-based public timing services so that data content changes will be witnessed by globally shared clocks. 

The novelty of this [[key-value pair]]-centric approach to data asset management is to achieve the simplest possible system representation without oversimplification <ref>{{Blockquote|text=Everything Should Be Made as Simple as Possible, But Not Simpler.|sign=Albert Einstein|source='[https://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/05/13/einstein-simple/ Quote investigator]}}</ref>. It allows arbitrary functions, data content, and potential causal relations to be represented uniformly in terms of [[key-value pair]]s, therefore, they became composable/decomposable based on the rules of [[key-value pair]] manipulation. This [[key-value pair]] data primitive can also be used as a generic measuring metric to enables [[sound]], [[precise]], and [[terminable]] framework for modeling complex web services.

=Background and Introduction=
This article shows that the complexity of web service [[development and maintenance operation]]s can be significantly reduced by adopting a different data modeling mindset. The novelty of this approach is to manipulate data assets in a concrete data type ([[key-value pair]]), while abstractly treating them as algebraic entities<ref name=AoS>{{:Paper/Algebra of Systems}}</ref><ref name=AOIS>{{:Thesis/The Algebra of Open and Interconnected Systems}}</ref>, so that system complexity and data integrity concerns can be always reasoned about by a set of [[computable|computable/decidable]] operations<ref>{{:Video/The Man Who Revolutionized Computer Science With Math}}</ref><ref>{{:Book/Specifying Systems}}</ref>. To deal with growth in functionality and data volume methodically, the accountability of system changes is delegated to three types of accounts, [[Externally Owned Account]], [[Contract Account]], and [[Project Account]]. These three account types map accountability to human participants, behavioral specification, and project-specific operational anecdotal evidence, respectively. In other words, this data management framework represents system evolution possibilities in exact terms of human identities, version-controlled source code, and project-specific execution traces, and nothing else, therefore making use of technical means to guarantee [[non-repudiation]], [[transparency]], and [[context awareness]]. Finally, this article is written using a proto-typical data management tool, namely the [[PKC]] web service package, so that as readers browse through this article using [[PKC]] web service, the reader and potential editors will directly experience the algebraic properties and data-centric nature is being realized in an operational tool that can derive data-driven improvements in a self-referential way.

=Universality: an Axiomatic Assumption in Data Science=
It is necessary to axiomatically assume that all information content can be approximately represented using a finite set of pre-defined symbols. The [[universe]] of symbols simply means the complete collection of all admissible symbols. The notion of logical [[universality]]<ref>{{:Book/Discrete Mathematics with Applications}}</ref> or rules that exhaustively apply to all admissible symbols in the symbol '''universe''' is the intellectual foundation of logical [[proof]]s, and therefore provides the scientific foundation of data integrity. Without this integrity assumption, data cannot have rigorous meanings. 

In this article, we will treat [[key-value pair]]s as the [[universal component]] to serve as the unifying data and function representation device, so that we can reduce the learning curve and system maintenance complexity. Based on the axiomatic assumption, it is well known that a special kind of [[key-value pair]]s, also known as the [[Lambda calculus]] (a.k.a. [[S-expression]]) may approximate any computational tasks. The following sections will provide the primer 

==Lambda Calculus: A recursive data structures that can represent all decision procedures==
According to the universality assumption, all finite-length decision procedures can be represented as some [[Lambda Calculus]]<ref>To understand the intricate mechanisms of [[Lambda calculus]], and why and how this simple language can be universal, please read this page:[[Dana Scott on Lambda Calculus]].</ref><ref>{{:Paper/Outline of a Mathematical Theory of Computation}}</ref> programs. We know this statement is true because [[Lambda calculus]] is known to be '''Turing complete'''<ref>{{:Paper/mov is Turing-complete}}</ref> meaning that it can model all possible computing/decision procedures. More technically, '''Turing completeness''' reveals the following insight:
 All decision procedures can be recursively mapped onto a nested structure of switching(If-Then-Else) statements.
To test this idea, one may observe that [[Lambda calculus]] is a three-branch switching statement that represents three types (<math>\alpha</math>, <math>\beta</math>, and <math>\eta</math>) of computational abstractions. We consider each type of the abstractions computational, because the variable values and expressions' interpretation results are to be determined dynamically.
{{:Table/Lambda Calculus abstractions}}

As shown in the table above, all three admissible data types can be symbolic represented as some textual expressions, occasionally annotated by dedicated symbols, such as <code>λ</code>. In any case, all three data types are considered as admissible forms of functional expressions. In compiler literature, this representational form of functions is called [[S-expression]], short for [[symbolic expression]]. It is well-established that [[S-expression]] (often denoted in [[Backus-Naur form]]) can be used to represent any computing procedure, and can also encode any digitized data content. To maximize representational efficiency, different kinds of data content should be encoded using different formats. Based on the [[universality]] assumption, all data content can all be thought of as some sequentially composed symbols.

==Decision Procedure represented in a Switch Statement==
To illustrate that all decision procedures can be represented in nothing but [[key-value pair]]s. We first start with the notion of control structure in terms of '''switching''' statements. A switching statement is simply a look up table. Once given a certain value, it will '''switch''' to a defined procedure labeled with the matched value.

Using the built-in magic word<ref>This article: [[mw:Lua/Scripting#Deep_dive_on_Lua#Why Lua Scripting|Why Lua Scripting]], explains how to turn wikitext into a functional programming language using <code>#swithc</code> and <code>#if</code> magic words.</ref> of [[MediaWiki]], the code and the MediaWiki displayed result can be shown in the following table:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! [[Demo:SwitchStatement7|Wiki Source Code]] !! Rendered Result
|-
| 
{{#invoke:CodeWrapper| returnDecodedText |{{:Demo:SwitchStatement7}} }}
|| 
{{#invoke:CodeWrapper| unstrip | {{:Demo:SwitchStatement7}}  }}
|}

Based on the example shown above, it should be evident that <code>[[mw:Help:Extension:ParserFunctions##switch|#switch]]</code> as a function takes in an input expression <code><nowiki>{{#expr: 4+2+1}}</nowiki></code>, which should be evaluated to the numerical value <code>7</code>, and the <code>[[mw:Help:Extension:ParserFunctions##switch|#switch]]</code> function uses the following [[key-value pair]]s to find the matching '''key'''<code>7</code>, and return the assigned '''value'''.

==The If-Then Control Structures as the minimal switch statement==
Given the examples above, it should be obvious that the possible behavior of a switching statement can only have a total of 6 outputs, since the admissible cases has a total of 6 alternative branches (in this case, 3, 4, 5 are considered to be one branch). In other words, <code>#switch</code> is a generalized function that allow programmers to define an arbitrary number of branches. In contrast, the <code>[[mw:Help:Extension:ParserFunctions##ifexpr|#ifexpr]]</code> function is a hard-wired branching statements with exactly two possible branches, where two branches are the minimal number required to be a switch statement. Since there are only two options, the relative sequential positions of the two branches become the implicit keys (position indices). For the function <code>#ifexpr</code>, the first branch is selected if the input expression evaluates to <code>1</code> for being true, and the second branch, <code>0</code> for being false.

The first '''If''' example:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! [[Demo:IfExpr1|Wiki Source Code]] !! Rendered Result
|-
| 
{{#invoke:CodeWrapper| returnDecodedText |{{:Demo:IfExpr1}} }}
|| 
{{#invoke:CodeWrapper| unstrip |{{:Demo:IfExpr1}} }}
|}

The second '''If''' example:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! [[Demo:IfExpr2|Wiki Source Code]] !! Rendered Result
|-
| 
{{#invoke:CodeWrapper| returnDecodedText |{{:Demo:IfExpr2}} }}
|| 
{{#invoke:CodeWrapper| unstrip |{{:Demo:IfExpr2}} }}
|}
This pair of <code>#ifexpr</code> examples shown above intentionally demonstrate the notion of selecting execution paths. The first example shows that not only the expression <code>3<5</code> is evaluated to be false, it also chose to rewrite the string, from the original form:<code><nowiki>This expression is {{#expr: 0=0}}</nowiki></code> to <code>This expression is {{#expr: 0=0}}</code>. This demonstration reveals the basic behavior of expression rewrite process, which is how [[Lambda calculus]] works. (For interested readers, transcluding these code samples and determine how and which one of the transcluded code is to be rendered can find examples on page [[Demo:CodeWrapper]].)

==Lambda Calculus as a three branch recursive switching statement==
Given the general case of switching:(<code>#switch</code>) and the special case of switching:(<code>#ifexpr</code>), it can now be revealed that [[Lambda calculus]] is nothing but a three-branch switching structure:

<syntaxhighlight lang=moin>
<λexp> ::= <var> | λ <var> . <λexp>|( <λexp> <λexp> )
</syntaxhighlight>

Seeing the [[Backus-Naur form]] implementation of [[Lambda calculus]], it should be obvious that this Turing-complete language is completely implemented in [[key-value pair]]s. One may reflect on the argument presented so far:
 Key-value pair is the foundational building block for constructing decision procedures (computational processes).
 
===Example: Wiki code as annotated Lambda expression===
[[Lambda calculus]] expression: <code><nowiki><λexp></nowiki></code> can be encoded in MediaWiki as <code><nowiki>{{#expr: computable expression}}</nowiki></code>. In this wiki's syntactical structure, <code>#expr:</code> is equivalent to the marker:<code>λ</code> in [[Lambda calculus]]. In other words, the entire wiki page that you are reading and editing is effectively an annotated [[Lambda calculus]] expression. Whenever a segment of the text shows the pattern of <code><nowiki>{{#expr: computable expression}}</nowiki></code>, the string rewrite system on the web server will start interpreting and following the switching structure denoted by the changeable content of <code><nowiki><var></nowiki></code> and <code><nowiki><λexp></nowiki></code>. The possible values of these three types of <code><nowiki><λexp></nowiki></code> can be as large as one's database can hold. This is basically where database technologies and [[PKC]] come to play a role.

=Applying key-value paris for composing web-based computational services=
Knowing that all decision procedures are composed of switching statements, one may apply this simple principle to the composition of web services. The following table should help relate concepts developed in [[Lambda calculus]] to web services:
{{:Table/Lambda calculus and Web Services}}

==Managing Functions as Catalogs of Names==
When mapping structural information of an arbitrary system to a [[set]], a [[morphism]] (a generalized kind of [[function]]) that conducts this mapping is called a [[representable functor]]. This mapping can also be represented using [[S-expression]], and syntactically, it is denoted as a pair of data element called [[Key-value pair]]. In the web-based environment, every [[hyperlink]] is a [[key–value pair]], where '''key''' represents an [[Universal Resource Locator]] ([[URL]]) string, '''value''' is the page or data element referenced by the [[URL]]. A collection of [[key-value pair]]s can be considered as a dictionary of [[hashtable]], where keys are unique values of the hashes.

=Data Integrity Concerns and Accountability(TBD)=
This section will talk about the implementation of [[PKC]] and its software engineering related concerns.
==Representational Closure==
{{:Table/Representable Closure}}

==Extensibility, Scalability, and Learnability==
Based on results presented in [[Algebra of Systems]], this computational framework specifies an algebraically-formulated accounting system for transacting data assets on the web. Operationally, this article defines the data capture and data verification procedure in terms of the above-mentioned [[data asset classes]] so that it can leverage the mathematical rigor to reason about data integrity. Moreover, this article prescribes an implementation roadmap to construct an [[open source]] and [[self-owned]] [[cloud computing]] (network-based data processing) service utilizing decentralized security system, so that small and large organizations can utilize the same data processing infrastructure to conduct business activities. This will significantly reduce the cost and accelerate business transaction cycles, therefore enabling more people to leverage the technical potentials in the supply network of data, products, and services on the Internet. Most importantly, it will enable a much larger crowd to utilize data processing technologies, such as [[cloud computing]] services without having to become a full-stack software developer, but by browsing through catalogs of [[PKC]]-packaged publicly tested data assets.

==Decision-making agents represented as Accounts==
[[Account]] is a type of data structure that defines conditional rights based on ownership. This can be accomplished technically using cryptographically guaranteed algorithms. Inspired by [[Ethereum]], for the right to assign ownership to resources, only two kinds of accounts are possible:
# [[Externally Owned Account]]: This class of accounts are controlled by agents or agencies that must authenticate their identity and they can exercise their rights via an access control list.
# [[Programmable Account]](a.k.a. [[Contract Account]]): This class of accounts are controlled by a set of source code that are published and executed based on a code base that is implicitly trusted by all participants, who controls the [[Externally Owned Account]].

==Broadest Possible User Base==
This framework should provide intuitive user interfaces for entry-level users through [[popular web browsers|popularly-available]] [[web browser]]-based interfaces. in a features offered freely on the Web-enabled Internet, operate their  possible to create an open source turn-key solution, that allow almost every person on the web, a [[self-sovereign]] [[cloud computing]] service,  This revolutionary software artifact presented many business opportunities and inspired many new technologies, however methods and tools to ensure their system integrity have not yet caught up with these changes.
# Complex software applications and business processes that have been serving a large portion of the society are searching for systematic ways to migrate to modern technical infrastructures.
 these algebraic formulation of accounting systems has

=Deployment and Interoperability in real world System=
According to [[Book/Algebraic Models for Accounting Systems|Rambaud and Pérez]]<ref>{{:Book/Algebraic Models for Accounting Systems}}</ref><ref>{{:Paper/The Accounting System as an Algebraic Automaton}}</ref>, an algebraically-defined accounting (data capture and verification) practice may systematically automate the decision procedures for the following activities:
# Decide how to classify the data collected and send the collected data to relevant data processing workflows.
# Whether a given data set is considered admissible or not. This is judged in terms of its data formats and legal value ranges.
# Whether a transaction process is allowable, or not. This include whether a given transaction is feasible, in relevant operational/business logics.

==Deployment Process==
==Physical Meaning of Data==

==Interoperability of [[PKC]]==

=Conclusion=
This article proposes a system composition/decomposition strategy with an algebraic programming model. It also presented a sample implementation, namely [[PKC]] as a self-sufficient building block of an inter-organizational data transaction system. It also borrowed the notion of [[accounting]] practice and its formal mathemtical framework to ensure the accountabiity and data consistency. The proposed framework differs from existing [[blockchain]]s or [[Web3]] systems in the following way:
# A [[hyperlink|hyperlinked]] data asset management framework that uses [[key-value pair]]s to link content data, source code, executable binary data images in one consistently abstracted workflow. This workflow model allows anyone to reuse the content knowledge, source code, and operational experience of the [[PKC]] community. It allow organizations of any size to operate their own data asset management infrastructure using a chosen branch of this open sourced framework of data asset management.
# A data-driven (declarative) programming model that integrates content, executable functions, and networked data services as nothing but just [[key-value pair]]s, so that it will simply grow and refine its own logical integrity as more [[key-value pair]]s are being accumulated. In other words, [[PKC]] is a scale-free and domain-neutral learning system will naturally evolve its own structure and content as these [[key-value pair]]s are being added to its data asset repository. Both good and bad results can be transparently reused by all other parties.
# A web-browser oriented data abstraction, that present all data assets in terms of [[page]] abstraction, so one universal namespace and data presentation mechanism covers all usage scenarios, while remain compatible to other universal data abstractions, such as [[file]] and [[service]] abstractions. This [[page]], [[file]], [[service]] abstraction combo is defined and programmed into the web the [[key-value pair]] programming model, and therefore offers the maximum reach in terms of participants and data consumption parties.

==TBD==
Since the appearance of [[World Wide Web]] in 1995, world affairs have been transformed by ever-faster electronic data transaction activities. This data-driven phenomenon created an unprecedented global supply network that can be considered as a singular inter-connected web of data transaction activities. Up to year 2022<ref>This document is revised on {{REVISIONMONTH1}} {{REVISIONDAY}}, {{REVISIONYEAR}}</ref>, this data-driven supply network favors organizations or persons who have deep pockets and access to more advanced Information Technologies. The competitive edge distinguished by wealth and technology literacy induced many unfair practices and even un-ethical and/or illegal transaction activities at a global scale. To resolve this issue, this article presents [[Personal Knowledge Container]] ([[PKC]]) as a [[self-owned]] [[cloud computing]] service which reduces the unfair competitive edges and reduces the cost of system participation or system operation would be necessary to address many fundamental issues caused by [[information asymmetry]]. 

Recent development in [[blockchain]] and [[Decentralized identifier]] technologies coupled with web-based applications and 4G/5G connected devices created a technical infrastructure that could significantly reduce the degree of unfairness/[[information asymmetry]] in the global marketplace. Anyone with access to an Internet-connected web-browsing device have been able to not just participate in the global supply network, but also learn and operate their own business with minimal entry barrier. To continuously introduce late-breaking Information Technologies to the broadest possible range of users, the world needs to present a user experience through [[popular web browsers|popularly-available]] [[web browser]]s that will present a wide range of data formats, includes natural language annotations and timely workflow instructions, and most importantly, have a "fair" data security model that protect the interests of all participants in a transparent<ref>Transparency of security rules can be encoded in published [[Smart contract]]s, so that participants can decide to participate or not based on reading the explicitly specified contracts.</ref> way.

==Why and How does this framework differs from existing approaches==
Existing web application frameworks are often developed and operated by highly skilled software development and operational teams that serves a specific set of profit attaining objectives. Each instance of web service will have a highly localized and protected set of operational data. This operational data, and software configuration knowledge is a piece of privately owned asset that is usually protected and not shared to the public. In contact, [[PKC]] differs from existing data transaction systems, often known as [[Infrastructure as Code]]([[IaC]]) in the following way:
===Most people simply cannot believe it can be this simple===
[[Key-value pair]]s, or [[hyperlink|hyperlinked]] data content is the simplest, yet universal data type that connects our world and minds. When this universal instrument is made explicit and integrated with self-documented technical arguments to continuously explore and explain the opportunities for improvement, this data management management framework, and its derived data management tools, such as [[PKC]] can continuously improve its system correctness while accelerating all activities supported by [[PKC]].
===Simplicity enables massive and decentralized/distributed adoption, and generate trust-worthy data===
Because [[PKC]] is super simple, so that it is possible for everyone to own and to operate their own instance of [[PKC]], therefore creating a larger base of egalitarian data processing and data verification/authentication/authorization agencies. Giving data a much more distributed/decentralized trust-worthiness (it is witnessed by more independent agents and agents, so that it is more trust worthy.)

===Trust-worthiness allows PKC-managed data asset to be used for error-correction===
Given the trust-worthiness of data, the data can be used to correct mistakes in content, source code, and binary executable images, so that it becomes a platform of [[DevSecOps]] workflow.
===Self-reflective error correction enables systematic learning===
When [[PKC]] can be deployed to a broad base of practices, it will enable a kind of self-reflective error correction feature, where many different kinds of applications and use cases can mutually verify and validate the quality of [[key-value pair]]-encoded knowledge base. This goes back to the mythical story of [[Tower of Babel]], where a unified language will enable participants to build a structure that can scale up to unprecedented height. 

# [[PKC]] as the e-Catalog of cloud-enabled data assets
[[PKC]] is a general-purpose framework that uses an encyclopedic approach to categorize and publish all existing data resources in terms of data content, source code, executable binary, and real world software operational data. This publicized framework of data asset management approach allows all participants to operate their own instances of [[PKC]] by leveraging the operational experience of the entire [[PKC]] community.
#Automate the composition and decomposition of software components
Participant can choose to incorporate parts or all of [[PKC]]'s functionalities based on the algebraic approach to compose and decompose the functionalities of an otherwise proprietary software infrastructure.
#Reuse source code and operational data derived from the entire [[PKC]] community
#Inter-organizational Workflows amongst a common code base
All code that needs to be written can become a portion of the data asset to be kept in [[PKC]].

==Stop Reinventing the Wheel==
#[[PKC]] as a Meta Protocol for Data Assets

#Disseminate the most-recent-possible data that reflect verifiable truth

#Published data as a public Natural Resource<ref>[[Slide/Fab City Full Stack]]</ref>

<noinclude>

=References=
<references/>
=Related Pages=
[[Content relating to::PKC]]
[[Category:AoS]]
[[Category:Accounting]]
</noinclude>