V. Benefits of XML
(1) More meaningful search
Data can be uniquely identified by the XML. Without XML, the search software must understand how each database is built. This is actually not possible because each database description data is different. With XML, a book can easily be categorized by author, title, ISBN, or other criteria in a standard way. Searching for books becomes very convenient.
(2) Development of flexible Web application software
Once the data is established, XML can be sent to other applications, objects, or middle-tier servers for further processing. Or it can be sent to the desktop browser browsing. XML and HTML, scripting, and common object patterns together provide the technology needed for flexible three-tier Web application development.
(4) Integration of data from different sources
It is virtually impossible to search for a variety of incompatible databases now. XML makes it easy to combine structured data from different sources. Software agents can integrate data from back-end databases and other applications on the middle tier servers. The data can then be sent to customers or other servers for further collection, processing, and distribution.
(5) data from a variety of applications
The extensibility and flexibility of XML allows it to describe data from different kinds of applications, from Web pages that describe collection to data records. At the same time, since xml-based data is self-describing, data can be exchanged and processed without internal description.
(6) Local computing and processing
After the data in XML format is sent to the customer, the customer can use the application software to parse the data and edit and process the data. Users can work with data in different ways, not just show it. The XML Document object Schema (DOM) allows data to be processed in scripts or other programming languages. Data calculations do not need to be returned to the server. Separating the user's view of the data, using a simple, flexible and open format, can create powerful applications for the Web, which can only be built on high-end databases.
(7) Multiple display of data
After the data has been sent to the desktop, it can be displayed in a variety of ways. By describing the resulting data in a simple, open extension, XML complements HTML and is widely used to describe the user interface. HTML describes the appearance of the data, while the XML describes the data itself. Because the data display is separate from the content, XML-defined data allows you to specify different display modes to make the data more reasonable. Local data can be dynamically expressed in the manner of client configuration, user selection, or other standard decisions. CSS and XSL provide a mechanism for the display of data.
(8) Granular updates
With XML, data can be granular and updated. Every time a part of the data changes, you do not need to send the entire structured data back. The changing elements must be sent from the server to the customer, and the changed data will be displayed without refreshing the entire user interface. At present, as long as one piece of data changes, the entire page must be rebuilt. This severely limits the server's upgrade performance. XML also allows other data to be added, such as the predicted temperature. The added information can flow into the existing page without the need for a new page to be sent by the browser.
(9) Publishing data on the Web
Because XML is an open text-based format, it can be routed using HTTP like HTML and does not require changes to existing networks.
(10) Upgrade sex
Since XML completely separates the concept of identity from the display, a processor can nest programmatic descriptions in structured data to show how data is displayed. This is an incredibly powerful mechanism that minimizes the interaction between client computers and users, while reducing the amount of data exchanged by the server and the response time of browsers. In addition, XML enables individual data to change only through updated announcements, reducing the workload of the server and greatly enhancing the server's upgrade performance.
(11) compressibility
XML compression is good because tags used to describe data structures can be reused. Whether the XML data is to be compressed depends on the application, and also on the amount of data transferred between the server and the customer. XML can use the compression standard in HTTP1.1.
(12) Open standards
XML is based on a standard that has been optimized for the web. Microsoft and other companies, as well as working groups in the consortium, are committed to ensuring XML interoperability and support for developers, handlers, and users of different systems and browsers, and to further develop XML standards.
XML includes a set of related standards:
Extensible Identification Language (XML) standard, which is officially approved by the consortium. This means that the standard is stable and fully available for web and tool development.
XML name Domain standard, which is used to describe the syntax of domain names, and to support XML parsers that can recognize aliases.
Document Object Mode (DOM) standards, which provide the standard for scripting structured data so that developers can interact with computers on xml-based data.
Extensible Type Language (XSL) standard, which is a working draft. XSL has two modules & #0;& #0; XSL transformation language and XSL format objects. The conversion language can be used to convert XML to meet display requirements. Because the two parts of XSL are modules, the conversion language can be used independently for multi-purpose transformations, including translating XML into well-formed HTML. CSS can be applied to simple structured XML data, but it cannot display information in a way that is different from how information is delivered.
The Extensible Link Language (XLL) standard and the XML Pointer Language (XPointer) standard are the current working drafts. XLL provides similar links to HTML, but is more powerful. For example, a link can be in multiple directions and can exist on an object, not just on a page. IE5 intrinsic does not support XLL.
(13) Microsoft Product Support
Microsoft IE4.0 supports common XML parsers, XML object schemas, and XML data source objects. IE5 and Office2000 support many of the added XML features and technologies.
(14) New opportunities
As an industry standard for structured data, XML provides many advantages for organizations, software developers, Web sites, and end users. More vertical market data formats are being applied to key markets such as advanced database search, online banking, medical care, legal affairs, E-commerce and other areas, which makes the opportunity to expand further. A special opportunity arises when a site distributes more data than it does to provide data browsing.
Customer service is moving from the phone and geographic location to the Web site, and will benefit more from the powerful capabilities of XML. And since most business applications include data processing and transfer, such as purchase orders, invoices, customer information, contracts, drawings, and so on, XML will change the behavior of end users on the Internet, and many commercial applications will be implemented. In addition, using xml-based vocabularies for enterprise intranet, information on Web sites, whether stored in documents or databases, can be identified. These words can also help small and medium-sized enterprises that need to exchange information between customers and suppliers.
An important untapped market is the development of tools that make it easy for end users to build their own web sites, including tools for generating XML data from database information and existing consumer interfaces. In addition, standard schemas can be developed to describe the data and to use the functionality of a plan, chart, Excel, or other spreadsheet. It is a good opportunity to develop published visualization tools that describe the XML generated from the database. Tools for viewing XML data can be written in visual Basic,java and C + +.
XML requires powerful new tools for displaying rich and complex XML data in a document, and it can be achieved by mapping the user-friendly display layer over layered, dynamically changing data. The layout of XML data includes data tables, and so on.
A Web site can provide stock quotes, new articles, or real-time transaction data. Information overload can be avoided by setting the rules for information aging. Developing xml-based tools that users use to develop rules and server and client software to implement rules is a huge opportunity. Scripting a standard object pattern can be used to filter incoming information, to check stored information, to create output information, to enter a database, and so on.