DTCS Editorial Baseline¶

Version: 1.0

Status¶

Normative for all DTCS specifications and companion standards unless superseded by a later editorial baseline.

1. Purpose¶

The DTCS Editorial Baseline establishes the mandatory editorial conventions for authoring normative DTCS specifications. Its purpose is to ensure consistency, clarity, interoperability, and publication-quality documentation across the DTCS ecosystem.

2. Scope¶

This baseline applies to:

DTCS Specification
DPCS (Data Pipeline Contract Standard)
DEL (Data Expression Language)
Companion specifications
Registry specifications
Conformance specifications
Reference implementation documentation (where applicable)

3. Editorial Principles¶

Every specification SHALL:

Use a consistent standards-document structure.
Separate normative and informative content.
Use canonical DTCS terminology.
Preserve architectural consistency.
Use deterministic, testable language.
Avoid implementation-specific normative requirements.

4. Canonical Chapter Structure¶

Normative chapters SHOULD follow this structure:

Purpose
Design Goals
Core Concepts
Normative Requirements
Conformance (when applicable)
Summary

5. Normative Language¶

Normative requirements SHALL use RFC 2119 / RFC 8174 terminology.

Approved keywords:

MUST
MUST NOT
SHALL
SHALL NOT
SHOULD
SHOULD NOT
MAY
OPTIONAL
RECOMMENDED

6. Canonical Architecture¶

Every specification SHALL preserve the conceptual architecture:

Transformation Contract
        │
        ▼
Canonical Object Model
        │
        ▼
Transformation Plan
        │
        ▼
Execution Plan
        │
        ▼
Runtime

7. Canonical Terminology¶

Reserved DTCS terms include:

Transformation Contract
Canonical Object Model
Transformation Plan
Execution Plan
Semantic Action
Expression
Function
Rule
Validator
Analyzer
Planner
Optimizer
Compiler
Runtime
Engine
Diagnostic

Normative text SHOULD avoid synonyms for these concepts.

8. Object Model First¶

The Canonical Object Model is the authoritative representation of a DTCS specification.

YAML, JSON, TOML, XML, and other encodings are representations of that model.

9. Semantic First¶

Normative requirements SHALL define semantic behavior rather than implementation strategy.

10. Editorial Review¶

Every chapter SHALL satisfy the DTCS Editorial Review Checklist before publication.

11. Quality Goals¶

Published specifications SHOULD:

Read as a single cohesive work.
Maintain consistent terminology.
Avoid duplicate definitions.
Clearly distinguish normative and informative content.
Preserve long-term editorial consistency.

12. Baseline Evolution¶

Editorial baselines SHALL be versioned independently of the DTCS specification.

Future revisions SHOULD preserve compatibility whenever practical and document all editorial changes.