The document selector key identifies the XML document to be retrieved by a Diameter interface, and uses the format protocol://uri/reference_type[/access_key]. Servlets that manage profile data can explicitly obtain an Sh XML document from a factory using a key, and then work with the document using DOM.

The protocol portion of the selector identifies the Diameter interface provider to use for retrieving the document. Sh XML documents require the sh:// protocol designation.

With Sh document selectors, the next element, uri, generally corresponds to the User-Identity or Public-Identity of the user whose profile data is being retrieved. If you are requesting an Sh data reference of type LocationInformation or UserState, the URI value can be the User-Identity or MSISDN for the user.

Table 2-1 summarizes the possible URI values that can be supplied depending on the Sh data reference you are requesting. 3GPP TS 29.328 describes the possible data references and associated reference types in more detail.

The final element of the document selector key, reference_type, specifies the data reference type being requested. For some data reference requests, only the uri and reference_type are required. Other Sh requests use an access key, which requires a third element in the document selector key corresponding to the value of the Attribute-Value Pair (AVP) defined in the document selector key.

Table 2-2 summarizes the required document selector key elements for each type of Sh data reference request.