Is there a Metadata class in iiRDS?

No. iiRDS 1.3 has no class called Metadata. Metadata is organized in the abstract classes iirds:DocumentationMetadata and iirds:AdministrativeMetadata plus the classification branch iirds:InformationType.

Where is the metadata stored in an iiRDS package?

In the file metadata.rdf in the META-INF directory of the package, serialized in RDF 1.1 XML syntax. A metadata.jsonld file may be added and is mandatory for iiRDS/H packages.

What is the difference between documentation metadata and administrative metadata?

Documentation metadata describes the context content applies to, such as product variant, component or task. Administrative metadata describes how content is managed, such as identities from other systems, lifecycle status and responsible parties.

Is information type part of documentation metadata in iiRDS?

Not in the schema. iirds:InformationType is a separate branch under iirds:iirdsDomainEntity, next to the two metadata groups, although it is classification metadata in the everyday sense.

Which iiRDS metadata is mandatory?

Very little. A Document must have at least one document type, and a package must contain metadata.rdf; most other metadata is optional and added as far as it is useful.

Can I add my own metadata values to iiRDS?

Yes. Company-specific values such as product variants, components or roles are declared as instances of the matching iiRDS classes in a proprietary extension under your own namespace.

Wiki · iiRDS core concepts · Metadata and classification

iiRDS metadata: how documentation, administrative and information type metadata fit together

Metadata is what makes an iiRDS package more than a ZIP file of manuals. Yet iiRDS, the intelligent information Request and Delivery Standard, has no single class called Metadata. The vocabulary splits metadata into groups: documentation metadata (product and functional metadata) says what content applies to, administrative metadata says how it is managed, and information types say what kind of content it is and what it is about. A few plain properties such as title, language and revision sit directly on the information unit. All of it is written as RDF into one file, META-INF/metadata.rdf. This guide maps the groups as defined in iiRDS 1.3, shows how they connect to information units, and explains how delivery portals and AI retrieval use them.

Valid for iiRDS 1.3Last reviewed September 25, 2026Level: Introductory

Technical documentation
Machinery
MedTech
AI retrieval

Definition

In iiRDS (intelligent information Request and Delivery Standard), metadata is not a single class: it is the set of RDF statements about information units and related entities, organized in the schema as documentation metadata (iirds:ProductMetadata and iirds:FunctionalMetadata), administrative metadata (iirds:AdministrativeMetadata) and information types (iirds:InformationType), plus direct properties such as iirds:title, and stored in META-INF/metadata.rdf.
Based on iiRDS Specification 1.3, iiRDS Consortium

The iiRDS schema has no class named Metadata. Under the root class iirds:iirdsDomainEntity it defines two abstract metadata groups and a separate classification branch. iirds:DocumentationMetadata describes the context content applies to; its subclasses are product metadata (variants, components, features, lifecycle phases) and functional metadata (actions, events, planning times, qualifications, supplies). iirds:AdministrativeMetadata covers identities, content lifecycle status, parties and external classifications.

Information types are a sibling branch, not a subclass of documentation metadata: document types, topic types, information subjects and directory node types. None of the group classes is used directly; you use their subclasses and instances.

Every statement ends up in META-INF/metadata.rdf inside the container, serialized in RDF 1.1 XML syntax.

In one sentence

iiRDS metadata is the machine-readable description of a package's content, grouped by what content applies to, how it is managed and what kind of content it is, all written as RDF into one metadata file.

Example

A pump manufacturer exports the topic "Replacing the shaft seal" as part of an iiRDS package. The topic carries a title and language, the topic type task, the information subject safety instruction for its embedded warning, the product variant P-200 and the lifecycle phase maintenance. Functional metadata adds the supply "seal kit" and the role "service technician". Administrative metadata adds the module ID from the CCMS and the status released. A service portal uses the first groups to show the topic on the right machine at the right time, and the administrative metadata to prove which approved version was delivered.

How it applies

Technical documentation

Start from the questions users ask. Which product? Product metadata. Which task, tools and qualification? Functional metadata. What kind of content? Information type. Administrative metadata answers editorial and audit questions. Mapping each existing CMS field to one of these groups keeps the export clean and avoids stuffing everything into labels.

Migration

PDF manuals carry metadata only in cover pages and running headers, so values must be extracted and assigned per unit. DITA prolog metadata and controlled values from a subject scheme map map well to iiRDS classes. When upgrading packages from iiRDS 1.0, check the release notes: iirds:Action and iirds:IdentityType were added in later 1.x releases.

MedTech

Device documentation is often variant-specific and tightly controlled. Product metadata keeps instructions tied to the right device model; content lifecycle status and parties show who released which version. The metadata records these facts; it does not by itself demonstrate regulatory conformity.

AI and retrieval

Metadata turns a package into a filterable index. A retrieval pipeline can restrict candidates by product variant and lifecycle phase before any semantic search runs, prefer task topics for how-to questions, and cite the identity and status of the source. That filtering removes the most common error: correct instructions for the wrong product.

Documentation vs. administrative metadata vs. information type

	Documentation metadata	Administrative metadata	Information type
Question	What does the content apply to?	How is it managed?	What kind of content is it, what is it about?
Classes	`iirds:ProductMetadata`, `iirds:FunctionalMetadata`	`iirds:Identity`, `iirds:ContentLifeCycleStatus`, `iirds:Party`, `iirds:ExternalClassification`	`iirds:DocumentType`, `iirds:TopicType`, `iirds:InformationSubject`, `iirds:DirectoryNodeType`
Main user	Readers, filters	Systems, editors, auditors	Search and navigation

In RDF

One topic carrying metadata from each group. Shown in Turtle for readability; inside a package, metadata.rdf is written in RDF/XML.

@prefix iirds: <http://iirds.tekom.de/iirds#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .

<https://example.com/iirds/variants/p-200> a iirds:ProductVariant ;
    rdfs:label "P-200"@en .

<https://example.com/iirds/replace-shaft-seal> a iirds:Topic ;
    iirds:title "Replacing the shaft seal"@en ;
    iirds:language "en" ;
    iirds:has-topic-type iirds:GenericTask ;
    iirds:has-subject iirds:SafetyInstruction ;
    iirds:relates-to-product-variant <https://example.com/iirds/variants/p-200> ;
    iirds:relates-to-product-lifecycle-phase iirds:Maintenance ;
    iirds:has-content-lifecycle-status [
        a iirds:ContentLifeCycleStatus ;
        iirds:has-content-lifecycle-status-value iirds:Released
    ] .

In topic-based authoring and modular architectures

In topic-based authoring, metadata belongs on the smallest unit it is true for. A warning fragment gets its subject, a task topic its role and supplies, a document its document type. Values that many units share, such as variants and components, are declared once and referenced by IRI. In a modular delivery architecture, metadata.rdf becomes the contract between the generator and every consumer: the portal, the service app and the retrieval index all read the same statements, so no system needs its own mapping to find the right content.

Concept cluster

How this concept connects to the other iiRDS core concepts.

Also searched as

iiRDS metadata
metadata.rdf
iiRDS documentation metadata
iiRDS administrative metadata
iirds:DocumentationMetadata
iiRDS metadata model
technical documentation metadata

Questions this article answers:

what metadata does iiRDS define
where is metadata stored in an iiRDS package
iiRDS documentation metadata vs administrative metadata
is there a Metadata class in iiRDS
how to structure metadata for technical documentation with iiRDS

Explore further

In the glossary

Related domains

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Metadata class in iiRDS?: No. iiRDS 1.3 has no class called Metadata. Metadata is organized in the abstract classes iirds:DocumentationMetadata and iirds:AdministrativeMetadata plus the classification branch iirds:InformationType.
Where is the metadata stored in an iiRDS package?: In the file metadata.rdf in the META-INF directory of the package, serialized in RDF 1.1 XML syntax. A metadata.jsonld file may be added and is mandatory for iiRDS/H packages.
What is the difference between documentation metadata and administrative metadata?: Documentation metadata describes the context content applies to, such as product variant, component or task. Administrative metadata describes how content is managed, such as identities from other systems, lifecycle status and responsible parties.
Is information type part of documentation metadata in iiRDS?: Not in the schema. iirds:InformationType is a separate branch under iirds:iirdsDomainEntity, next to the two metadata groups, although it is classification metadata in the everyday sense.
Which iiRDS metadata is mandatory?: Very little. A Document must have at least one document type, and a package must contain metadata.rdf; most other metadata is optional and added as far as it is useful.
Can I add my own metadata values to iiRDS?: Yes. Company-specific values such as product variants, components or roles are declared as instances of the matching iiRDS classes in a proprietary extension under your own namespace.

Conclusion

iiRDS metadata is a small set of groups rather than one class: what content applies to, how it is managed and what kind of content it is. Knowing which group a value belongs to tells you which class to instantiate and which property to use. Keep all of it consistent in metadata.rdf, and every consumer can filter and assemble the package without guessing.