This document provides informal requirements and feature lists for the upcoming ISO standard TMQL (Topic Map Query Language, ISO/IEC 18048). It reflects the intentions of the Topic Map community regarding a Topic Map retrieval and manipulation language and contains the consolidated view of the standards editors. Herein are defined the requirements for the TMQL standard as a whole, and for the query aspect of TMQL in particular. Additional requirements for the update part of TMQL will be detailed at a later stage.

The purpose of this document is to be as explicit as possible about the form and functionality of a Topic Map query language without preempting the discussion process on how particular objectives, goals, and requirements can be achieved. This is regarded as the most effective way to solicit more specific comments from the community.