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Frequently Asked Questions about XML Why
is XML so important? Why is XML so important?XML is poised to become the future of computing. As a technology its effects will permeate every aspect of programming, from embedded systems to graphical interfaces, to distributed systems and database management. It has become the de facto standard for data communication among the software industry, and is rapidly replacing EDI systems as the primary medium for business interchange in almost every industry on the planet. It will likely become the language in which most documents are created and stored, both on and off the Internet, and could well become the foundation for Internet application servers that some believe will replace many of the shrink-wrapped products currently produced. Back to List Not if you want you want to compete in an Internet-based world. XML is a language that is causing a paradigm shift in the way that we think about programming itself. The traditional dedicated client/server application is giving way to "access anytime, anywhere" Internet services, and XML is a logical medium to handle everything from data access to form processing to presentation in this new environment. Back to List What XML products does Microsoft provide?Microsoft has worked hard to develop XML resources in a number of areas:
XML offers more flexibility than HTML, but it's not likely that it will replace HTML any time soon. In fact, XML and HTML work quite nicely together. Microsoft expects many authors and developers to use XML and HTML in tandem, for example, by using XSLT to generate HTML. Back to List What are the benefits of adding XML to HTML? Here are some benefits of using XML on the Web:
What do I need to get started with XML? To use XML, you need an XML parser that reads an XML document and makes its contents available for processing. Microsoft provides a parser that you can download from the MSDN XML Developer Centre. To create XML documents, you can use a text editor, such as Notepad, or any other editor you use for creating HTML pages. To create full-fledged XML applications, use a programming environment such as Microsoft® Visual Studio®. Back to List What are some real examples of how XML can be used? XML is being used in a surprisingly wide number of applications, from Web site creation and documentation to database integration and distributed programming. Just a few areas where XML has found its niche include:
MSXML is the Microsoft software component that provides core XML services. Back to List What does the Microsoft XML Parser do? The latest version of Microsoft's core XML services provides the following four distinct features.
All four features are contained in the same MSXML library package, which is available at no cost from the Microsoft MSDN XML Developer Centre. Back to List What's the difference between MSXML, MSXML2, and MSXML3? XML has undergone a number of iterations in the past three years, and it's perhaps not surprising that there are different versions of the Microsoft XML parser in existence. Internet Explorer 4.0 contained an early version of the XML parser, one that predates the existence of XSL, XML data, or most other XML technologies (and that has a completely different DOM model). This early version of the parser is contained in the MSXML.dll library. You can upgrade your parser to a more current one from the MSDN XML Developer Centre. It is highly recommended that you upgrade to the new parser because it is far superior. Internet Explorer 5.0 includes the MSXML 2.0 parser, which contained preliminary versions of XSL and XML Schema. MSXML2 is the version of the parser that ships with SQL Server 2000. MSXML2 contains many performance-enhancing features and, in general, has improved performance and scalability. MSXML3 is the version that is currently shipping as a Technology Preview. MSXML3 includes XSLT and XPath support as well as SAX interfaces. Back to List Is XML just for hard-core developers? No. Just like HTML documents, XML documents can be created by just about anybody—even someone without any programming experience. XML is just a standard way of describing information. Moreover, it is a language that can be written without the use of any specialized software. You can author an XML document in a text editor and drop it directly into your Web site without ever needing to write a line of code in the traditional sense. Back to List Does Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 support XML?Yes, Internet Explorer 4.0 supports XML with the following features:
What is the level of XML support in Internet Explorer 5.0?Internet Explorer 5 provides the following XML support:
How are HTML, Dynamic HTML, and XML related?HTML is used in conjunction with CSS to format and present hyperlinked pages. Dynamic HTML, through the DOM, makes all elements in HTML accessible through language-independent scripting and other programming languages, thus dramatically increasing client-side interactivity without additional requests to the server. The page's object model allows any aspect of its content (including additions, deletions, and movement) to be changed dynamically. By adding XML for structured data, developers have the technologies they need to build the next generation of rich, flexible Web applications. With XML, they can deliver structured data to the desktop and compute on the data with the XML Object Model. Today developers can display XML-based data in a browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5, or in other applications through scripting. In addition, they can also apply formatting rules to the data without complex scripting using XSLT stylesheets, which essentially transform the XML-based data into display. These two methods of displaying XML-based data make it possible to generate multiple views of complex data. Back to List Will it be necessary to compress XML for transmission over the Web?In general, the need to compress XML data is application dependent and largely a function of the amount of data being moved between the server and the client. XML compresses extremely well due to the repetitive nature of the tags used to describe the structure of the data. It is worth noting that compression is standard for HTTP 1.1 servers and clients, and XML automatically benefits from this. Back to List How secure is XML as a data format? Are there plans to add security to XML?XML is as secure as HTML. Just as secure HTTP (HTTPS) can be used to add encryption to HTTP, thereby protecting HTML, it can also be used to protect XML. XML is a text-based format for representing structured data. This maximizes simplicity and interoperability with the data. A number of steps can be taken to add security and authentication to the XML format. First, XML can be encrypted on the server before transmission to the client, and then decrypted on the client. Digital signatures applied to the data itself can also authenticate XML. Back to List How compliant is Microsoft with the XML standards?Microsoft has been at the forefront of XML practically since the inception of the language, and significantly, most of the XML recommendations and working drafts that the W3C has produced in the last several years have included input and participation from at least one, and in some cases, several Microsoft employees. Microsoft has been very much committed to working with the W3C standards bodies to insure that XML develops in a way that benefits all users, and has had critical input in the development of a number of different areas, including the XML Specification, DOM, XSLT, and Schema Definition Languages. Microsoft is committed to staying compliant with emerging specifications and standards. Back to List What is the relationship between XML and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)?The W3C has an active XML Working Group. Microsoft was one of the cofounders of this group in June 1996, and since then numerous industry players have joined, including Netscape Communications Corp., IBM, and Oracle. For more information on the XML standards process, got to the W3C Web site. Back to List Do SQL Server and ADO Support XML?Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) technology provides a number of ways to convert database record sets (collections of data records) into an XML format, as well as tools to take XML in a given structure and revert it back into any database that ADO supports (including SQL Server and Oracle databases). In addition, through the XML Data Source Object in MSXML2 and MSXML3, you can load arbitrary XML directly into ADO to generate recordsets. SQL Server 2000 also lets you set and retrieve XML directly through a URL in much the same way that you would call up a Web page. This is a powerful mechanism for working with data, because it essentially means that you can integrate your SQL Server data into XSL filters, into Web pages, basically anywhere that an XML document can go. Furthermore, you can set up custom templates for controlling how the XML gets produced from the SQL Server data, making the database a powerful tool for generating XHTML pages. Finally, applications such as BizTalk Server let you map between any number of different data sources (from XML documents to databases to Excel and Word documents), create complex data pipelines for your Web architecture, and build effective schemas for your XML database needs. Back to List Are there any Microsoft tools at the moment that can help me leverage XML quickly?Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000, an XML-based server for data interchange, provides the infrastructure and tools to enable e-commerce business communities. The foundation for BizTalk Server is its rules-based business document routing, transformation, and tracking infrastructure. This infrastructure enables companies to integrate, manage, and automate business processes by exchanging business documents (for example, purchase orders and invoices) among applications within or across organizational boundaries. For more information, see Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000. Back to List How does XML fit into the Microsoft Windows® Distributed InterNet Applications (Windows DNA) strategy for building three-tier, Web-enabled applications?XML is quickly becoming the vehicle for delivering structured data from the middle tier to the desktop. XML-based data can be integrated from multiple back-end (database) sources, using agents on the middle tier. Schemas (see the XML-Data section) can improve this process, as developers can describe and exchange data more precisely. Back to List Recommended sources for Microsoft Visual Studio FAQ's http://msdn.microsoft.com/xml/default.asp (for FAQ and Highlights relating to XML) http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/xml/general/xmlfaq.asp http://www.xml-zone.com/xmlfaq.asp http://www.xml-zone.com/default1.asp?Area=XML General ms newsgroups
source using web instead of newsgroup server http://communities.microsoft.com/newsgroups/default.asp?icp=msdn&slcid=us
The public newsgroups starting microsoft.public.xml are also useful sources for
help with individual problems.
For more technical FAQ's and solutions to problems, go here |
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