One of the functions of XML is the storage of data.
The technologies that dominate
the market for data storage are prerelational and relational databases
that manage traditional data types by numbers and text.
But with the entry of XML into the market,we have some new products that
can manage and process "smart data," which means self-describing data.
Relational systems will always be recommended for storing text and numbers
,but if communication and processing are the priorities, XML is the technology
of choice.
Although XML is in the early-adopters phase ,everyone has heard about
it and knows its importance.They cannot ignore XML. Data
integration and data exchange is one of the key features in XML that will
have wide usage in the future which means that applications would be able
to exchange data.
There are some drawbacks in XML that has hindered it from gaining widespread
use.For example XML requires a processing application.In the case of an
HTML document, any one in the world, could read your document. But in
the case of XML there are no XML browsers in the market yet.
While it is true that browser support is limited, IE 5 and
Netscape 5 are expected to fully support XML.
Moreover W3C's Amaya browser as well as JUMBO browser supports it .
By reading all these you shouldn't get an impression that
XML is useless, until browser supports it. XML isn't about display, its
about structure.XML is used in NASA in ways where browser doesn't play
any role.
XML, with its wide gaining acceptance and is sure to stay in future. Parsing
algorithms and tools continue to improve as more and more people come
to know the long-term benefits of moving their data to XML .
The technical gurus claim that it is a revolution in communication and
spreading information across the Web and within intranets. This powerful
language will help you to do things with your data that you never before
thought possible.
