XML, Web Services, and the Data Revolution

By Frank  P.  Coyle

This chapter looks at a broad range of XML in practice, taking us from XML dialects targeting specific industries to XML initiatives that span a wide range of industries. The common threads for all these applications are data and XML's ability to define vocabularies for that data. We'll see that XML's ability to play a role in so many different arenas comes from its simple focus on data and its capability to combine with other technologies.

For each area we'll look at concrete examples of how XML is being applied to solve real-world problems. We'll also look at how XML has evolved by going beyond simple data descriptions and assuming aspects of code- related functionality through its ability to describe configurations and action. Finally we'll look at how, with the help of HTTP, XML has moved into the area of protocols, applications, and technologies that challenge conventional models of distributed computing.