Re: Newbie trying to assess current XML capabilities

Paul:

Thank you.

What I imagine as a possible XML support is to be able to send the XML 
directly to the browser with a META tag or so stating the URL of the 
appropriate XSL file somewhere in the 'net so the browser does the merge 
of both files, generating the HTML it consumes.

As of the server, I use IBM's DB2 as my preferred database motor. DB2 
has the ability, since a couple years ago, to SELECT relational data and 
render it in XML format, or to store XML text in a single relational 
column and being able to process the individual finds defined there.

I have read that XML is a nasty data storage method,, but it shines when 
communicating between disparate or similar systems.

In my opinion XML is good to store small amounts of data. For example, I 
see a growing breed of programs that store their configuration in XML 
files (and not in the infamous fragile Windows registry).

Saludos!
-- 
Juan Lanus
TECNOSOL


Paul Adelson wrote:

> I've probably come at this from an unusual angle, since the the first time I spoke
> with someone about XML they were trying to figure out how to use XML on the client
> side -- I no longer recall the details.
> 
> However, as the name implies, XML documents can be thought of as documents as well as
> XML. MSIE 5, for instance, supports viewing XML on the client.
> 
> http://www.microsoft.com/technet/intranet/xmlcomp.asp?a=printable
> 
>  -- Paul
> 
> Juan Lanus wrote:
> 
> 
>> Hi, Paul:
>> When you write that XML "isn't well supported by browsers at this
>> point", what do you mean?
>> As I think of XML as a server-side tool, I can't imagine how can a
>> browser support it. I'd like very much if you can describe such support,
>> or enumarate it's posibilities.
>> As I see it, I don't send XML to browser but transformed into HTML.
>> TIA
>> --
>> Juan Lanus
>> TECNOSOL
>> 
>> Paul Adelson wrote:
>> 
>> 
>>> Keith,
>>> 
>>> Keeping XML on the server side (as you do with Coldfusion and ASP) can enable
>>> you to get around one of XML's key limits: the fact that it isn't well
>>> supported by browsers at this point.
>>> 
>>> The company I work for is using XML to provide web-based real-time financial
>>> info to customers. XML provides the common back-end data language.
>>> 
>>> For instance, the data usually comes from our primary service provider's
>>> Informix database (via a secure internet connection). But when there's a
>>> problem accessing that server we get backup data from a Sybase database on a
>>> different server. At the presentation end (HTML generation via Coldfusion, JSP,
>>> or whatever), there is no need to worry about differences between Sybase and
>>> Informix (or Oracle or SQL Server or flat file), etc. as long as everyone
>>> structures their data consistently in their XML output.
>>> 
>>> hth,
>>>  -- Paul
>>> 
>>> Keith Purtell wrote:
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> Our company has been using HTML, CSS, ColdFusion and ASP to manipulate and
>>>> deliver information to and from databases. I'm exploring XML's possible
>>>> applications in our industry (healthcare information systems). However the
>>>> documentation seems to imply XML can't really do much yet (I have several
>>>> general XML textbooks). On the other hand I'm hearing that some major
>>>> companies are already using XML. What can XML do right now that I should be
>>>> studying? If I purchase an XML project book, are the examples going to be
>>>> theoretical or practical? What might be a good project book? TIA.
>>>> 
>>>> Keith Purtell, Web/Network Administrator
>>>> VantageMed Operations (Kansas City)
>>>> 
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