Papers

XML and databases (general)

• XML and Databases
  A discussion of the relationship between XML and databases -- why you might want to use databases with XML, the underlying technical concepts (including the difference between XML-enabled and native XML databases), and how to choose the software you need.

• Going Native: Use Cases for Native XML Databases
  An article describing use cases for native XML databases. The main use cases are storing and querying document-centric XML, integrating data, and storing and querying semi-structured data. This article is based on interviews with roughly half the native XML database vendors that existed in 2005, as well as a handful of customers. Originally published on XML.com.

• Mapping DTDs to Databases
  Describes two common models for mapping DTDs to databases: a table model and an object-relational model. Discusses how these handle non-database concepts, such as mixed content and element order, as well as how to generate DTDs from database schema and vice versa. Originally published on XML.com.

• Mapping W3C Schemas to Object Schemas to Relational Schemas
  Describes a complete mapping from the data model in the W3C's XML Schemas to object schemas and the mapping from object schemas to relational schemas. The paper is rather terse and assumes you understand the above presentation on mapping DTDs to databases.

• XML for DB2 Information Integration (IBM Redbook, coauthor)
  A discussion of how to use XML with DB2, including a complete sample application. The book covers the XML Extender, Net Search (Text) Extender, SQL/XML, the XML Wrapper, MQ Series, and WebSphere Studio. Of interest to non-DB2 readers are Chapter 1 (XML and databases), chapter 3 (Designing XML and database schemas), and chapter 7 (Bulk processing of XML documents). Available free online as HTML or PDF (7.2 MB).

• Ron Bourret on XML and Databases
  A brief summary of the state of the art of XML and databases in June, 2004.

XML and databases (products)

• XML Database Products
  A now out-of-date list of more than 150 products for using XML and databases: middleware, IDEs, XML-enabled databases, native XML databases, XML servers, wrappers, and content management systems. Includes brief descriptions of each product and links to product pages.

• XML / Database Links
  A list of resources about XML and databases, including links to articles, books, specifications, academic papers, benchmarks, links pages, and mailing lists.

• XML Data Binding Resources
  A now out-of-date list of resources (products and papers) for XML data binding, including brief descriptions of each.

XML and databases (implementation)

• A Generic Load/Extract Utility for Data Transfer Between XML Documents and Relational Databases (PDF) by Ronald Bourret, Christof Bornhoevd, and Alejandro Buchmann
  A discussion of the concepts behind and the technology in XML-DBMS. Presented at WECWIS 2000.

• Data Transfer Strategies
  Looks at the differences between using SAX and DOM when transferring data between XML documents and relational databases, as well as strategies for traversing database hierarchies.

• Defining XML Views over Relational Data
  A simple proposal for two related mapping languages for defining virtual XML documents (XML views) over relational data. The paper does not specify the syntax of these languages, just their architecture.

XML namespaces

• XML Namespaces FAQ
  Everything you ever wanted to know about XML namespaces, and then some.

• Namespace Myths Exploded
  Eleven things you thought you knew about XML namespaces -- they have structure, the define global attributes, they are related to schemas, and so on -- that just aren't true. Originally published on XML.com.

Other papers about XML

• Declaring Elements and Attributes in an XML DTD
  A brief introduction to the grammar used to define element types and attributes in a DTD. Ugly, but somewhat useful.

• XPath in Five Paragraphs
  Confused about XPath? Here's an explanation of the main concepts in five short paragraphs to help you get started.

• DDML (Data Definition Markup Language)
  Formerly known as XSchema, DDML is a simple XML schema language (now essentially defunct) that was developed by members of the XML-DEV mailing list. I co-edited the specification with Simon St. Laurent and John Cowan.

• Vertical XML Schemas
  A 2004 attempt to estimate the number of publicly available vertical XML schemas actually being used.

• XML Explained by Gail Saari
  An article about a presentation Karin and I gave to the Bay Area Editor's Forum about XML and the publishing industry, focusing on the use of XML in technical documentation.

Computer programming and animation

• Introduction to Programming with Scratch
  An introduction to programming that uses Scratch from the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. Designed for middle school students.

• Animatron Tutorial
  A tutorial for Animatron, a cloud-based HTML5 animation editor.