Provider configuration records can recur with changed values or repeat after intervening changes. This ontology preserves separately captured representations and their selected interpretations so consumers can inspect those facts without inferring a complete or current configuration history.
This is an unofficial specification of version 0.1.0 of this Inferal ontology module. The vocabulary remains a draft.
A capture is a supplied local handle for a selected captured representation. Its identity MUST remain independent of retrieval time, payload content, provider object identity and native revision identity.
Retrieval time identifies when a representation was captured. It MUST NOT establish a configuration transition, effective window, latest state, currentness or complete change history.
Consumers MUST select the explicit source and projection graphs associated with a capture and derivation. Original configuration graphs MUST NOT be flattened into a legacy default union or inference graph.
A configuration observation refers to an original producer representation in one projection graph. Its record, account and entity handles MUST NOT establish canonical cross-record, cross-account, tier, merchant or refund identity.
A capture with no projected specifications remains inspectable. Zero projection MUST NOT establish absent native data, unchanged configuration, absence of spend or provider invalidity.
Capture reuse MUST preserve its complete source, provider, context, account and retrieval descriptor. A changed interpretation package is a separately identified derivation; replacing or isolating derived graphs MUST prevent stale accumulation.
Anonymous source nodes MUST remain distinct across separately declared captures while preserving source graph structure and source-to-projection provenance. Identical anonymous labels MUST NOT establish identity.
Contradictory or incomplete native evidence remains available with separate evidence-quality results. Envelope integrity, syntax and source pins govern generation acceptance; a legacy client validation failure MUST NOT erase the capture.
Selected asserted sources, older schema axioms and derived identity claims require separate adoption review. Key withdrawal MUST NOT delete legitimate asserted identity claims or claim to reconstruct merged records without retained originals.
Native revision identity, history completeness, currentness, identifier reconciliation and persistent client adoption require separate qualification. This contract authorizes no provider mutation or stored-data migration.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Capture | A caller-declared local handle for a selected captured provider representation, independent of retrieval time, payload identity and native revision identity. |
| SourceArtifact | Selected source bytes identified by a relative path and SHA-256 digest; reuse of the same bytes does not identify separate captures. |
| Derivation | One interpretation of a capture by a completely identified source package, with explicit source and projection graphs. |
| ConfigurationObservation | A reference to one original producer configuration representation in a selected derivation and projection graph; it does not establish canonical entity identity. |
| sourceArtifact | The selected source-byte artifact described by this capture. |
| providerSchema | The pinned provider JSON-LD context selected for expansion; this reference does not establish provider validity. |
| sourceContextSha256 | SHA-256 of the selected vendored JSON-LD context bytes. |
| capturedAt | Supplied retrieval time; it does not establish an effective transition, latest state or complete history. |
| declaredAccountContext | Optional caller-supplied account context, retained as unverified context rather than canonical account identity. |
| sourcePath | Relative source-byte path interpreted within the authored capture envelope directory. |
| sha256 | SHA-256 of the selected source-byte artifact. |
| captureDescriptorHash | SHA-256 of the complete immutable capture descriptor, including source, provider, context, account and retrieval metadata. |
| capture | The independently declared capture interpreted by this derivation. |
| sourceGraph | The explicit named graph containing retained native RDF for this capture and derivation. |
| projectionGraph | The explicit named graph containing this derivation’s original provider projection; consumers must select this graph. |
| derivation | The interpretation bundle that qualifies this configuration observation. |
| representedRecord | Original producer record referenced within the selected projection graph, without canonical identity or cloning. |
| representationKind | Explicit producer representation kind, such as Budget or SpendCap, in the selected graph. |
| projectedCount | Number of distinct Budget or SpendCap representations projected in this derivation; zero does not establish native absence or provider invalidity. |
| projectionStanding | Whether this derivation contains projected specifications, independently of source presence, currentness or provider validity. |
| derivationPackage | SHA-256 identity of the complete source package used for this derivation. |
A ten-unit configuration, a twenty-unit configuration and a later ten-unit configuration remain three separate observations when captured under three distinct handles. Equal retrieval times or represented values do not collapse those observations. Selecting one observation graph exposes its values and provenance without selecting a current provider state.