The XML Handbook; First Edition

ISBN: 0-13-081152-1

Authors:

Charles F. Goldfarb Charles F. Goldfarb is the inventor of SGML, the International Standard (ISO 8879) upon which both HTML and XML are based. He is the Series Editor for the Prentice Hall Open Information Management Series. Goldfarb is also the author of the SGML Handbook. He has a consulting practice and is a member of the GCA Independent Consultants Cooperative.
Paul Prescod Paul Prescod is a leading XML consulting engineer. He is a member of the W3C XLink working group. Mr. Prescod is a consultant with ISOGEN International.

Pages: 639 plus a CD-ROM

Intended Audience:

The XML Handbook was designed as a starting point for those who want to learn about and experiment with XML. It begins with an explanation of XML to provide readers with a common understanding and knowledge of this new Web language. The book then explores what can be done with XML and provides case studies of XML pioneers. It also provides information on XML tools and related XML standards. As the title suggests, this is a Handbook. It serves to provide basic information on any XML related topic and is designed as a reference for a wide audience.

Summary:

The XML Handbook is organized into Five parts (40 Chapters) and a CD-ROM:

Part One of the XML Handbook explains the "Who, What and Why" of XML. This part of the book provides the reader with a bit of history in order to understand the evoution of publishing markup, generic coding, SGML, HTML and finally XML. This book is not written to explain XML to someone who knows SGML or even HTML, but to provide an understanding of all these languages in relation to one another. Reading Part One is essential to understand the philosophy of the remainder of the Handbook and to provide a common set of terms and concepts.

It is important to note that Goldfarb and Prescod make a clear distinction among HTML, XML, and SGML. They assure readers that while, different, these languages do not compete. They assure readers that there is a place (application domain) for each language and that the invention of XML does not mean the extinction of the other languages.

Part Two of the book examines "What You can Do with XML." In this part, the power of XML is made real to the reader through a series of scenerios for the use of XML. The scenerios in this part of the book were developed by sponsors with real products and real stories to tell. In this part the new "Three-Tier" Web architecture, which is XML-enabled is introduced through a number of scenerios. Each shows how we can use the interchange of "smart" data on the Web to enable some amazing new business applications. Scenerios range from a high-powered frequent flyer site to XML-enabled securities filings and help desk automation.

Part Three moves from scenerios where XML will enable business on the Web to case studies that show "What You Can Do with XML." This part differs from the previous part of the book because it takes the theory and ideas and moves them into real world applications. This part of the book provides case studies that have been provided by sponsoring organzations. Sponsors for case studies include Microstar, Inso, and Adobe. Each of the case studies provides real world application of one or more XML tools. Each case study illustrates ways in which XML changes the Web from a pubishing medium to a "commercial and financial hub."

Part Four of the XML Handbook focuses on "Tools for Working with XML." This part begins by providing a detailed description of authoring tools from sponsor companies. Authoring tools included in the Handbook include FrameMaker + SGML, ADEPT Editor, and XMetal from SoftQuad. Inso's Dynatag is highlighted as a tool to provide an easy transition from traditional publishing environments into XML. ArborText's XSL Styler provides an example of a style sheet design tool for XML data. A number of "middle-tier" XML servers are then highlighted. These servers include Astoria, Poet, HotMetaL Application Server, and Junglee's (now Amazon.com) Virtual DBMS. A chapter is dedicated to help readers find the XML freeware as well.

In Part Five, the book concludes by providing valuable information about the "Technology of XML." Chapters in this part are not sponsored. Rather they provide technical basics of XML and XML-Related standards. So in this part one can find a discussion of the syntatic details of XML, creating an XML Document Type Definition, speciyfing links for XML (XLink), specifying style for XML (XSL), and an introduction to XML data schema languages.

I have found the CD which accompanies the XML Handbook to be particularly useful. In fact, I carry it with me on all consulting assignments. This CD contains many useful tools, plus the XML family of standards. All software has no-time-limit. In addition, the CD is also a showcase for the sponsors of the handbook. Here you can find in-depth product and service information, XML sample files, live demos and trial software.

The XML Handbook is a good resource for those starting with XML. In the first and last part of the handbook, the reader can find both a general overview of XML and technical specifics of XML and related standards. The scenerios, case studies, and tool descriptions serve to make XML "real" to the reader and to spark the imagination as to how XML might be used in the reader's own environment. Together with the wealth of resource on the CD, the XML Handbook is a good addition to any technical library.

A Final Note

Many chapters in this book were contributed by the book's sponsors. Each sponsored chapter bears the name of the sponsoring company. All sponsored chapters were edited, sometimes extensively, by the handbook authors to provide consistency. However, it is important for the reader to understand that sponsors contributed not only their stories, but funding to the development of the handbook. So if some of the scenerios or case studies and tool descriptions in the handbook seem a bit like marketing pieces, they are. Readers should understand that all stories in the XML Handbook are representative of a far broader spectrum of real XML applications and tools emerging in the market place each day. The XML Handbook does not provide a comprehensive or complete review of the tools on the market, rather it represents only those product vendors who opted to join the sponsorship program for this title.

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