XML Unleashed [Paperback]

Its four sections cover most of the current undertakings in XML as well as laying a solid reference for newcomers and those who need a quick refresher. Part 1 sets the scene, covering XML and its immediate counterparts, DTDs and Schemas. We also find its search and link associates XPath, XLink and XPointer covered precisely and well in the following chapter. The approach is pretty standard but written well and information is easy to locate.

The main part of the book is devoted to building XML-based Applications in Java should the need for non-XML code arise. Logically, this section starts by dealing with XML documents on their own and then how to marry XML into your own applications. The SAX and DOM APIs are covered, but for .NET users, the XML Streaming API is missing. XSL coverage is good but short, covering both XSLT and XSL-FO in 60 pages. Examples of their use continue to appear for several more chapters, but would it have been too much to turn this one chapter into two? Arguably the most important chapter in the section - Integrating XML with Databases - takes a very practical view but again is Java only. .NET users need to wait another seven chapters before a section on ADO.NET can be found hidden in the chapter on XML in Visual Studio .NET

Skipping past chapters on SVG, XHTML and Content Management, we come to the highlight of the book - three chapters on web services. However, rather than teach us how to build them, the authors have elected to show us how they work, justifying first the architecture of the web services platform and then how SOAP, WSDL and UDDI tie into that structure. It's a great read and brimming with useful information, but best of all is that it gets you, as a programmer, thinking outside of the box.

Indeed, Section 3 is all about giving you a better appreciation of how XML works and can be applied in today's industries. It covers some of the standards used in the vertical markets of today and how those standards are submitted and ratified, looking in detail at XML in E-Business. Reading this section sequentially, you really do get an appreciation of the scope and size of the efforts being made by XML developers across the world. Finally, Section 4 looks at the nascent efforts of the semantic web community, the justification for their existence and what they have managed so far.

I said earlier that the editing of this book was good, but if there is a flaw, it's the choice of what to cover in the book. This particular tome tries to cover the past and the future of XML in addition to its present without fully covering any of the three. It also leans towards Java users - .NET and COM heads beware. Beyond the programming chapters though, this is as thorough an expose of XML in its many guises as you're likely to find and it's a good one too. But don't forget to check the table of contents before you buy it.This is XML Unleashed, not XML and Web Services Unleashed. A classic case of marketing misinformation, if ever there was one.

Others may be interested in the general XML introduction, XSL detail, and chapters on the various XML standards, but this is meant to be a reference book, and so I was happy with the chapters that I chose to read.

Not a bad buy... Worth the money.

This book makes a good essential reference for anyone who is interested in developing using XML, Web Services, SAX, the JAX pack, etc. Certainly, it has helped me get off the ground and become a better XML developer!

Topics covered in the book include:
+ Fundamentals of XML
+ DTDs, XML Schema, and alternatives including RELAX NG and SOX
+ XLink, XPath, and XPointer
+ XML Database integration and data modeling
+ Processing XML with SAX and DOM, with both Java and VB examples
+ XSLT and XSLT:FO
+ SVG and XHTML
+ Lots of Web Services Content including detail on SOAP, UDDI, WSDL, and implementation
+ Microsoft .NET code and implementation
+ Voice XML and WAP
+ XML Content Management
+ XML e-Business standards including RosettaNet, ebXML, OBI, and vertical industry standards including HL7, ACORD, XBRL, IFX, etc.
+ RDF and semantic web stuff

So,this is really quite a detailed, comprehensive, and actually enjoyable to read book. I have now 7 XML books on my shelf, but they keep getting better ;)

Worth it for newbies and experienced developers alike.