Extensible Markup Language (XML)
Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a subset of Standardized General Markup Language (SGML). In that sense XML shares some things in common with its cousin - Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Both formats are tag based and save their information in plain text files. However, while HTML defines a set of tags used for formatting and displaying text (usually in a web browser), XML defines a set of tags used for representing text as various pieces of information - an address, a phone number, a price, etc. In other words, XML creates an environment where text becomes information. This information is now searchable and interchangeable among any applications that are XML-aware.
What this all means is that XML is an excellent way of moving information from one application to another. Furthermore, it is emerging as the universal format for exchanging data among applications and businesses over the Internet.
XML provides the following advantages:
- It is transport independent
- It is extendable
- It is easy to learn
- XML files are plain text
XML-Aware Objects
The obvious observation at this point is, "XML sounds great but none of my existing business applications inherently understand XML." This is where Breeze XML Binder takes matters to the next level. Breeze allows you to translate data structures from your XML Document Type Definition (DTDs) into object-oriented code you can use to write small custom applications that will make your existing business applications "XML-aware."
|
