A good argument for XML

[Quoted]      I have spent some time looking in this newsgroup to make sure this has not been mentioned before and it seems like it has not.

     Most of the expressivity in SQL queries is required to build complex reports. Common reporting tools like crystal reports break the data processing in two. A tabular result set is extracted and then post [Quoted] processed to generate a report. Conceptually the reporting tool does a last pass at the data and forms the output. This Pass is often used to process data.

[Quoted]      Some database engines allow a procedure to return a result set like SQL server, allowing for a procedural pass at the data before reaching the reporting tool. But this still leaves a lot post processing to be done at the reporting tool level.

     Looking at the information and shape of multiple reports, they resemble more XML (hierarchical) than tabular data. So why not have a better data processing tool that produces an XML that should only require light page forming to produce a report.

     That way the data processing and graphic report design can be logically separated.

[Quoted]      If we were going to take that route then it does make sense to have a query language that produces hierarchical file outputs. Today [Quoted] many people do this by querying the database from a procedural language and producing and XML iteratively. But leaves programmers like me hoping for a richer syntax.

     Arturo Hernandez Received on Fri Jul 01 2005 - 01:00:46 CEST