pcplantdb

[John Schinnerer <eco_living@yahoo.com>]

Aloha,

--- Richard Morris <webmaster@pfaf.org> wrote:
> Yes I do agree XML is a good way to go, I can't really
> see any arguments against and many for.

Check out the XML DB initiative org site:

http://www.xmldb.org/

Seeking to establish some standards in the XML DB world, as apparently
it's all a bit haphazard and messy at present.  Would seem to be a good
initiative to hook into if using XML, instead of creating yet another
one-off that doesn't work with anyone else's one-off.

Home page starts off by listing some general categories where DBs
tailored for storage of XML data might be superior to other approaches.
 PC plant DB could be similar to some of those mentioned, such as parts
DB, Product catalog, patient information tracking...?

Still, I wonder...
XML for what purpose exactly? 

Why would we want to store our info in the DB as XML data?  What do we
gain (besides extra overhead in processing and storage)?

If there were going to be a public API sort of thing (for 'all comers'
to use for DB access, including any front ends we create up front), XML
would seem very appropriate.  If no public API, why bother with XML?

There's lots of options for building front ends by querying the DB
directly using SQL and massaging the response for presentation to the
user without going through XML.


=====
John Schinnerer, MA
-------------------------
- Eco-Living -
Cultural & Ecological Designing
People - Place - Learning - Integration
john@eco-living.net
http://eco-living.net

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