Page 183 - Data Architecture

Chapter 4.7: Taxonomies
free-form text is very useful for understanding the text.

However, suppose you have a boilerplate contract. Suppose the contract is for the
purchase of apples. The term “apples” appears in every contract as part of the
boilerplate. Certainly, an apple is a fruit. But the fact the apple is classified as a fruit
appears in every instance of a contract. And there are many instances of the contract.
Therefore, using a taxonomy to classify apple is not terribly useful in boilerplate data

because the classification occurs repeatedly and adds very little to the understanding of
the text.

For this reason, taxonomies are not very useful or applicable to boilerplate contracts and
other places where there is repetitive narrative text.

The previous discussion is very difficult to explain. It is hoped that the examples make it
clear what is being said.

What Is a Taxonomy?

So what is a taxonomy? In its simplest form, a taxonomy is simply a list of words that
provides a classification of some larger topic. Fig. 4.7.3 shows some simple taxonomies.

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