XML Resources - XML Overview

What is XML?
XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language and is a highly functional derivative of the Standard Generalised Markup Language (SGML). The purpose of XML is to enable document content to be defined, stored and exchanged, and its evolution is synonymous with the growth of e-business technology. Several organisations, e.g. the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), have been defining the standards for XML, and many organisations are involved in the definition of standard transactions, often with a vertical market or community focus.

Initially, the structure of XML documents was governed by Document Type Definition (DTD), which set out the hierarchy of element names and the type of attributes they can have. DTDs were superseded by XML Schemas, which far exceed the capabilities of DTDs in their management of different data types and by allowing the validation of an XML document in accordance with it's parent schema.

By achieving an instance of a validated XML document, i.e. identifying where every element type comes and how each relates to the other, further applications can be used, most notably the eXtensible Stylesheet Language (XSL). XSL is the mechanism for transforming one XML file into another for use in alternative applications or standards, and is also used to format the output of an XML file so that it can be viewed in a human friendly way, usually in a web browser.

The diagram below illustrates the flexibility and extendibility of XML, as well as the proliferation of standards, which in turn defines the technology, exchange, rules and content related to the use of XML for business.

The XML Zone provides expertise via its products and services, to assist organisations to benefit from the opportunities of using XML, whilst removing the overheads of the technical complexities.

Click on the diagram for a definition of each component.