XML for Web-based database applications

The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a new and promising technology for many Web-related applications. In this paper, we explore the XML technology applied in the Web-based database applications. We first look at the salient features of XML. We then describe how XML can be used to interface with databases. There are two essential software components in the XML-enabled three-tier Web database application architecture, including Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) and XML containing embedded SQL (XSQL). JDBC is an industry standard for accessing a wide range of databases. In JDBC database access technique, we discuss the various JDBC implementation alternatives. XSQL acts as a bridge between XML-based application programs and database systems. In XSQL, we review the Oracle XSQL servlet for Java, which can. be used to represent a database object in XML.