Month: May 2004

XML databases move to the middle.

It’s true that you can use native XML databases to manage the growing number of business documents created by the new generation of XML-savvy end-user applications. It’s handy, for example, to search an insurance database for incident reports that match some structured pattern of in-line metadata. But hybrid SQL/XML databases can do that too, and they can also join the structured XML content with relational columns — a powerful combination. So XML databases are migrating into a niche that SQL/XML can’t and won’t occupy. They’re becoming the high-performance pumps that push XML traffic around on the emerging services web. [InfoWorld.com]

This short piece is a companion to Sean McCown’s excellent cover story which surveys the XML features of leading relational databases: Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, Sybase. … [Jon’s Radio]

Adobe Acquires Q-Link Technologies. Adobe Systems Incorporated announced that it has acquired Q-Link Technologies, Inc., a provider of business process management software. The acquisition provides Java-based workflow technology that will be integrated with the Adobe Intelligent Document Platform to help customers reduce document processing cycle times, eliminate bottlenecks and integrate business processes more easily and efficiently across the extended enterprise…[Gilbane Report News]

Cocoon book

Still working through the Cocoon text. The book covers 2.0. I was having trouble getting some of the PDF examples and sub-map examples to work right so I went ahead and installed 2.0 instead of trying to get their examples to work on my 2.1 install. Once I’m through I’d like to circle back, read the 2.1 release notes and figure out why their 2.0 examples were broken.

Tonight I got MySQL installed, loaded with some test data, and configured for access by Cocoon. It was extremely straightforward. I want to code up a little Cocoon app for managing the MySQL test data. Then, I’m going to hook in my Xindice install and play with that through Cocoon. Next, it’ll be writing a simple generator and serializer for Documentum.