Hi Brandon, As an example of CF and XML usage I can cite our Content Management System (RationalMedia). We've used a combination of database and XML storage to create a flexible data repository - one which allows users of the system to create 'fields' on the fly. This helps us to remove what we perceived to be a shortcoming of traditional CMSs: that while most database/template systems allow end users to edit content on their website, they typically don't allow users to define new *kinds* of content. Additional benefits of using XML in this kind of application include:
1. The ability to reuse marked-up content by an increasing number of XML-compliant clients (e.g. WAP, Jabber, Office XP) 2. Better-than-database performance in many cases, especially when XML DOMs are cached (though of course CF makes database caching very easy too) 3. The possibility of transforming your data in countless ways using XSL 4. The ability to query content using the simple, lightweight Xpath language 5. The knowledge that in the future you will be able to use all the wonderful XML tools that clever developers are building now (faster parsers, new query languages, visual editors, XML indexing engines, content architectures like Apache's Cocoon project) Of course, there are some times when it's absolutely necessary to use XML - when your application needs to interface with an accounting system which exports invoice information in XML, for example, or when you are syndicating data to third parties, or synchronising data between diverse database platforms. And as XML becomes the de facto standard for applications to communicate with each other, these times will become more frequent. There are also occasions when doing something with XML would have been possible with a database, but it's not as convenient. Dealing with hierarchical data - a threaded discussion, for instance - is a good example of something which could be handled by recursive queries (which are processor intensive) or complicated tree traversal SQL (which is database vendor-specific) but is relatively straightforward in XML. I hope this goes some way towards answering your question. As for performance metrics, this is something I'm very interested in, especially with regard to large XML documents and the various parsers: if anyone on the list can share experiences or test results that would be fantastic. Best wishes Tom -----------------+ tom dyson t: +44 (0)1608 811870 m: +44 (0)7958 752657 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://torchbox.com > First a hello to the group, I've been a subscriber for a while, but this is > my first question/contribution to the list. > > I'm very familiar with CF, and I have a conceptual understanding of XML. > However, I have trouble finding a real-world usage of XML with the apps that > I build. I know I'd love to use it, I just don't know how. It seems in every > example I've seen (which are few and mainly add to the concept, I admit) > I've not run across anything that would set off a lightbulb in my head to > say "I could use that" - how to make a CD catalog or Simple Inventory is > fine, but why would I use XML versus a database? I realize the meta-data > markup to a document is extremely valuable, but I've seen no metrics on > performance, or how that meta-data could be leveraged with something more > complex than a simple catalog. > > So with that said, does anyone out there have real-world apps built on a > CF-XML architecture they would care to explain, even if just an brief > overview? The technology needs no explanation, just how it's being used. > > I apologize if that's a vague question, I'm just having trouble grasping the > flow of data > For example: > - user input(form) to xml then to end-user. > - user input(form) to a database field as XML, then queried and transformed > via XSL to the end user > - database fields queried, written to XML then transformed via XSL to end > user > - database fields queried, written nightly to XML documents, then syndicated > across HTTP streams to subscribers > > Some/None/All of the above? I can't seem to find a "best practices" for > leveraging XML in dynamic apps. > > Any help appreciated, even if it's links and/or a reiteration of an existing > email that was similar to my question. > > Thanks! > > Brandon Wolf -----------------------+ cf-xml mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://torchbox.com/xml
