TickingClockSchema

TickingClockSchema is a theoretical data schema used to model timekeeping in distributed systems that rely on discrete clock ticks. It provides a formal representation of a clock that advances in uniform steps and tracks drift, resolution, and synchronization state. The schema is designed to support reasoning about event ordering, time intervals, and clock reliability across heterogeneous components.

Core concepts include Clock, Tick, and TickRate. A Clock represents an individual time source and has an identifier, current tick count, last updated timestamp, and a measured drift relative to a reference. A Tick records a single advancement, with fields for tick number, origin, and optional real-world timestamp. Additional attributes capture resolution, accuracy, source, and mode (synchronous, asynchronous, or hybrid).

Ticks are intended to provide a total order of events within a clock domain, while cross-clock comparisons use drift and calibration data to align tick domains. The schema supports recording leap events, clock resets, and drift corrections, enabling reconstruction of a timeline when aggregating logs from multiple clocks.

Typical uses include event sourcing, time-series storage, and distributed tracing, where precise tick-based ordering is important but wall-clock time may be unreliable. It complements logical clocks such as Lamport clocks and vector clocks by providing a physical or semi-physical time axis tied to discrete increments.

Variants may extend the schema with hierarchical clocks, per-source resolution, and uncertainty intervals. Limitations include the inherent challenges of drift and leap seconds, and the need for external synchronization to maintain cross-clock comparability.