Re: Using XML and a relational database

Alex Shirshov wrote:

> Hello, DA!
> You wrote on Sat, 23 Oct 2004 13:42:18 -0700:
>
>
> [Sorry, skipped]
>
> DM> XML has value. XML databases are at best a niche like pure object
> DM> databases and more likely a disaster.
>
> I want to store XML docs in DB avoiding file system, source control system,
> etc. How can I work with documents as xml, but not as CLOBs without a bare
> support of xml technologies in DBMS?
>
> DM> My main objection to XML in the database is the huge number of bytes
> DM> required to store a single byte of data:
>
> DM> <someridiculouslylongtag>1</someridiculouslylongtag>
>
> DM> and then you get to push this to the app server and off to the client.
>
> One remark - somenonsensicaltag is the part of the data, the same important
> as figure 1. And I don't think _any_ db won't optimize the storage to
> persist the name of the tag in only one instance.
>
> DM> XML was made for a purpose. It should be used for that purpose. Not
> DM> kludged into every nook and crany imaginable.
>
> XML is the text. It sure is better to keep the data of any type in DB, and
> xml is not an exception.
>
> With best regards, Alex Shirshov.

The data can be easily stored in relational form and the XML reconstituted by either the database or by the app server. Benchmarks I've seen support the proposition that reconstitution on the app server gives the best overall performance.

-- 
Daniel A. Morgan
University of Washington
damorgan_at_x.washington.edu
(replace 'x' with 'u' to respond)