5. The benefits of XML
(1) More meaningful search
Data can be uniquely identified by XML. Without XML, searching software must understand how each database is built. This is actually impossible because each database describes the data differently. With XML, books can easily be classified in a standard way by author, title, ISBN serial number or other standard. Searching books becomes very convenient.
(2) Develop flexible web application software
Once the data is established, the XML can be sent to other application software, objects or intermediate layer servers for further processing. Or it can be sent to the desktop to browse with a browser. XML, HTML, scripts, and public object patterns together provide the required technology for the development of flexible three-layer web application software.
(4) Integration of data from different sources
It is actually impossible to search for a variety of incompatible databases now. XML can easily combine structured data from different sources. Software agents can integrate data from backend databases and other applications on the servers at the middle layer. The data can then be sent to the client or other server for further collection, processing and distribution.
(5) Data obtained from multiple applications
The scalability and flexibility of XML allows it to describe data in different kinds of application software, from describing the collected web pages to data records. At the same time, since XML-based data is self-described, the data can be exchanged and processed without internal description.
(6) Local calculation and processing
After the XML format data is sent to the customer, the customer can use the application software to parse the data and edit and process the data. Users can process data in different ways, not just display it. XML Document Object Mode (DOM) allows data processing in scripts or other programming languages. Data calculations can be performed without returning to the server. Separate the interface for users to watch data, use a simple, flexible and open format, and create powerful application software for the web. These software can only be built on high-end databases.
(7) Diversified display of data
After the data is sent to the desktop, it can be displayed in various ways. By describing the resulting data in a simple and open extension, XML supplements HTML and is widely used to describe the user interface. HTML describes the appearance of the data, while XML describes the data itself. Since data display is separated from content, XML-defined data allows specifying different display methods to make the data more reasonable. Local data can be dynamically expressed in a way that is customer configuration, user selection or other standard decisions. CSS and XSL provide a mechanism for publishing data display.
(8) Grainy update
Through XML, data can be updated granularly. Whenever a part of the data changes, there is no need to resend the entire structured data. The changing elements must be sent from the server to the customer, and the changing data can be displayed without refreshing the entire user interface. At present, as long as one 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 predicted temperature. The added information can flow into the existing page, and there is no need for the browser to post a new page.
(9) Publish data on the web
Since XML is an open text-based format, it can be transmitted using HTTP like HTML without changing the existing network.
(10) Upgrading
Since XML completely separates the concept of identification from display, processors can nest programmatic descriptions in structured data to show how the data is displayed. This is an incredible powerful mechanism that reduces the interaction between client computers and users as much as possible, while reducing the amount of server data exchange and browser response time. In addition, XML allows personal data to be changed only through update announcements, reducing the workload of the server and greatly enhancing the upgrade performance of the server.
(11) Compressibility
XML compression performance is good because the tags used to describe data structures can be reused. Whether XML data needs to be compressed depends on the application, and it also depends on the amount of data passed between the server and the customer. XML is able to use the compression standards in HTTP 1.1.
(12) Open standards
XML is based on standards that are optimized for the web. Microsoft and several other companies and working groups in W3C are working to ensure the interoperability of XML, as well as support developers, processors, and users of different systems and browsers, and to further develop the standards of XML.
XML includes a set of relevant standards:
Extensible Identification Language (XML) standard, which is officially approved by W3C. This means that this standard is stable and fully applicable to the development of the web and tool.
XML name domain standard, which is used to describe the syntax of the name domain and supports XML parsers that can identify the name domain.
Document Object Mode (DOM) standard, which provides a standard for scripting structured data so developers can interact with computers on XML-based data.
Extensible Type Language (XSL) standard, this is a working draft. XSL has two modules XSL conversion language and XSL formatting objects. The conversion language can be used to convert XML to meet display requirements. Since the two parts of XSL are modules, the conversion language can be used independently for multi-purpose conversion, including converting XML into a fully structured HTML. CSS can be applied to XML data with simple structure, but cannot display information in a different way than how it is passed.
The Extensible Link Language (XLL) standard and the XML Pointer Language (XPOINTER) standard are the current working drafts. XLL provides links similar to HTML, but is more powerful. For example, the link can be multi-directional and can exist on an object rather than just a page. IE5 does not support XLL intrinsically.
(13) Support of Microsoft Products
Microsoft IE4.0 supports common XML parsers, XML object schemas and XML data source objects. IE5 and Office 2000 support many added XML features and technologies.
(14) New Opportunities
As an industry standard for representing structured data, XML provides many favorable conditions for organizations, software developers, web sites and end users. More vertical market data formats are built and applied to key markets such as advanced database search, online banking, medical care, legal affairs, e-commerce and other fields, which further expand opportunities. Special opportunities arise when the site distributes data more than just providing data browsing.
Customer service is moving from phone and geographic location to the Web site, and will benefit more from the power of XML. Moreover, since most commercial application software includes data processing and transfer, such as purchase orders, delivery orders, customer information, contracts, drawings, etc., XML will reform the behavior of end users on the Internet, and many commercial applications will be able to achieve it. Additionally, using an XML-based vocabulary for the internal enterprise Internet, information on the Web site, whether stored in a document or a database, can be identified. These words can also help small and medium-sized businesses that need to exchange information between customers and suppliers.
An important undeveloped market is the development of tools that make it easy for end users to build their own Web sites, including tools to generate XML data from database information and existing user interfaces. Additionally, standard modes can be developed to describe data, and functions can be used to plan, chart, Excel, or other spreadsheets. Developing published visualization tools to describe XML generated from a database is a great opportunity. Tools for watching XML data can be written in Visual Basic, Java, and C++.
XML requires powerful new tools to display rich and complex XML data in documents, which can be achieved by mapping user-friendly display layers on hierarchical, dynamically changing data. The layout diagram of XML data includes pivot tables, etc.
Web sites can provide stock quotes, new articles or real-time trading data. By formulating rules for information aging, information overload can be avoided. Developing XML-based tools that users use to formulate rules and servers and client software to implement rules is a huge opportunity. You can use scripts to write a standard object pattern to filter info, check stored information, create output information, enter the database, etc.