During the last two weeks I experimented a new (to me) way to get XML data from the RDBMS I'm actually using for this weblog.

This short tutorial lists the steps you need to take to configure a virtual directory that can be used to query and update SQL Server using XML over HTTP.

This tutorial shows you, how you can update SQL Server without any server side script like ASP or PHP. You can send the update directly to SQL Server over HTTP. Before you start with this tutorial you should install SQLXML 3.0 and the fsSQLResolver for Flash MX 2004 pro. Introduction.

This chapter contains a step-by-step tutorial that shows you how to create a SQL/XML query using the DataDirect Query Builder for SQL/XML (the Builder). It also shows you how to embed that query in a Java application and use Connect for SQL/XML hints to provide processing options that are not supported through the standard SQL/XML query syntax.

Currently I am only offering this tutorial as a zip file which you can download. In the zip file you will find all the files that are required for the msgxml.com message board. You will also find a word document that has step-by-step instructions for creating the site.

As a note, most problems I've seen with people setting up a virtual directory in SQLXML, tends to be from either using the normal IIS snap-in instead of the SQLXML IIS Configuration utility or the standard IIS setup has been changed. Prior to setting up SQLXML you should verify your IIS installation is working correctly apart from SQLXML (a simple test--issue a request to http://localhost). SQLXML leverages the functionality of IIS, if IIS is not running correctly there will be no way for SQLXML to process your requests.

A must read tutorial about SQLXML.

How to use the SELECT INTO statement to create backup copies of tables.

How to use the built-in GROUP BY function in SQL.

How to use the built-in functions in SQL

How to use the ALTER TABLE statement to add or drop columns in an existing table

How to create databases and tables, and how to delete them

How to use select information from more than one table

How to use aliases for column names and table names.

How to use BETWEEN....AND to find data in a range

How to use AND and OR to join two or more conditions in a WHERE clause

How to use the ORDER BY keywords to return rows in a defined order

How to use the DELETE statement to delete rows in a table

How to use the UPDATE statement to update or change rows in a table

How to use the INSERT INTO statement to insert new rows into a table