Re: A searchable datastructure for represeting attributes?

Niall,

> It looks to me as if an xml document system maybe the way to go since that
> allows documents (which I'll call here objects) to self describe. That is
> the object itself can tell the app how to read it. This object/attribute
> approach does not really work very well with the relational model as
others
> have already said.

You may well be right. XML could be the right tool, as long as it is used properly.

But if people begin using xml in a way that blurs the distinction between metadata and data,
they may end up with documents that are "self describing" only when the xml rules are supplemented by some kind of private understanding between the author and the reader. That necessity for a private understanding is what eventually causes a breakdown in intelligibility.

But this issue is not well understood, even by many in the profession. And I think it's the reason why so many non relational designs are stored in relational databases.

--
Regards,
    David Cressey
    www.dcressey.com