This article was published on Ken North’s SQL Summit Site, Jan 18, 2008. It identifies the advantages that are gained from navigationless XML access and processing for XML databases. XML was designed for markup with its hierarchical relationships that exceed standard database hierarchical relationships and principles. Standard database processing with its more limited standard hierarchical relationships and rigid hierarchical principles can be processed without manual user navigationl allowing it to support more complex full multi-leg hierarchical processing. This article explains these powerful additional capabilities.

This article points out the important query characteristics missing from XQuery. It does this by comparing XQuery to SQLfX®, an ANSI SQL transparent hierarchical XML query processor. It was published in the Data Administration Newsletter (TDAN) on July 1, 2008.

SQL Server 2005 includes deep XML integration, including a native, indexed XML datatype along with commands that accept or return XML. Tim Anderson interviews Dr Michael Rys about the thinking behind the new features along with guidance on when to use them.

Search XML open content with an edge table. Edge tables can help you find data that's hidden in XML open content.

Inserting hierarchical data from an XML document into relational tables that have primary key/foreign key relationships can be difficult. Read on to see how you can use OpenXML's @mp:id meta-property to overcome the challenge.

An introduction to SQL/XML, an extension of SQL that is part of ANSI/ISO SQL 2003. It lets SQL queries create XML structures with a few powerful XML publishing functions. For a SQL programmer, SQL/XML easy to learn because it involves only a few small additions to the existing SQL language. Since SQL is a mature language, there are a lot of tools and infrastructure for SQL. For instance, SQL/XML uses JDBC to return results, and there is currently no equivalent standard API for XQuery. SQL also has functionality not yet found in XQuery, such as updates or stored procedures.

One of the excellent features of the next release of SQL Server, known as SQL Server 2005, is its deep XML integration with the SQL Server database engine. This integration goes well beyond the simple relational-to-XML mapping layer that SQL Server 2000 provided. SQL Server 2005 will feature a native XML data type that will allow you to store native XML data in SQL Server itself.

If you have problems with SQL Server 2000 XML, review this troubleshooting checklist to find potential solutions.

Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2000 (codenamed Shiloh) first introduced native support for XML and HTTP. Since then, to keep up with XML, Web services and .NET advancements, Microsoft has made available add-ons to SQL Server 2000 in the form of SQLXML Web releases. This article begins with explaining the built-in XML and HTTP support in SQL Server 2000 and then it describes the features available in the recent SQLXML Web release (version 3.0, service pack 2).

Learn guidelines for XML data modeling and usage in SQL Server 2005, and see illustrative examples.

Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2000 (codenamed Shiloh) first introduced native support for XML and HTTP. Since then, to keep up with XML, Web services and .NET advancements, Microsoft has made available add-ons to SQL Server 2000 in the form of SQLXML Web releases. This article begins with explaining the built-in XML and HTTP support in SQL Server 2000 and then it describes the features available in the recent SQLXML Web release (version 3.0, service pack 2).

Amar Nalla showcases the Bulkload functionality available in SQLXML, which can be used to transform XML input into SQL data by building a .NET Framework-based application that shreds RSS feed data into a database.

In part 5 of his XML and SQL 2000 series Marcin Policht continues exploring different ways of accessing SQL Server data in the XML format via HTTP.

In the fourth article of the series dealing with XML related features of SQL Server 2000, I will discuss the implications of various configuration options available when using IIS Virtual Directory Management for SQL Server. As described previously, the Settings tab of the Virtual Directory Properties dialog box offers the following choices:

In the third article of this series, we will look into executing T-SQL statements against SQL Server 2000 via HTTP. This functionality is provided by SQLXML component (implemented in the form of SQLISAPI.DLL, which is included as part of SQL Server 2000 installation). The updated versions of this component are available as a separate download from the Microsoft Web Site. By installing this component on the web server, you will be able to associate its virtual directories with individual databases on the SQL server. This allows users to access the databases by using the http://webserver/virtualdirectory path, where webserver is an IP address or name of the Web server and virtualdirectory is the name assigned to the virtual directory. The management of these virtual directories is handled with the IIS Virtual Directory Management for SQL Server tool (for SQLXML version included with SQL Server 2000) or with the Configure IIS Support tool (for downloadable SQLXML 2.0 and 3.0 versions).

The objective of this XML Schema is to improve the dissemination of road works and other highways related information between local government, central government, emergency services and the media with an e-GIF compliant XML schema. The XML Schema defines a message to serve parties that send and/or receive information about a Road Event or Road Work. The message details the current state of an event. The message can describe potential future events, by indicating start time and end time.

Learn guidelines for XML data modeling and usage in SQL Server 2005, and see illustrative examples.

XML offers exceptional performance advantage over other ways of exchanging data. Want to know more? In this article, Baya Pavliashvili gives you a brief overview of XML components, and introduces you to Transact-SQL XML extensions.

Improve performance and gain convenience by using custom business objects serialized to and from XML rather than forcing your presentation-tier developers to work directly with DataSets.

Get to know the main features of SQL Server Reporting Services and learn how to extend it with an XML Data Provider Extension.