Using RELAX NG For data integration

In a tip I wrote almost one year ago entitled Relax NG, the XML Schema Alternative, I explained why companies or individuals might want to mess with this powerful schema language, even in the face of a set of formal W3C XML Schema recommendations. These points are as true today as they were when I first wrote them:

To amplify the final bullet item, I'd now like to add that support for Datatypes enables definition and use of plug-in datatype libraries, functionality that is extremely helpful when encountering and accommodating new sources for and types of data for description, definition and processing.

To this litany of reasons for considering RELAX NG, I'd like to add the following additional observations, which together form the central thesis for this tip:

Ultimately, if you can get at the structure of an

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XML document programmatically, you can use that access to also construct a RELAX NG schema to represent its pattern. With this capability, you can then manipulate any and all other documents that also match that pattern. Given its programmer-friendly construction and easy-to-understand grammar and syntax, this makes it a powerful addition to the arsenals of those who must take data in and out of XML forms.

About the author

Ed Tittel is a full-time writer and trainer whose interests include XML and development topics, along with IT Certification and information security topics. Among his many XML projects are XML For Dummies, 4th edition, (Wylie, 2005) and the Shaum's Easy Outline of XML (McGraw-Hill, 2004). E-mail Ed at etittel@techtarget.com with comments, questions or suggested topics or tools for review.