xml-dev - Re: parser for xml-data?

[Sudarshan Purohit <sudar@pspl.co.in>]

Yosr HMAIED wrote:

> Do you know parser for xml-data?

    I think this is a good place to talk of the project I'm doing right now.
Basically, it's a translator between an XML-Data document and any
ODBC interface. This involves :
1. Taking an input XML-Data file and outputting a series of SQL
statements that result in the same information being stored in an RDBMS.
2. Using an ODBC Recordset interface to get an equivalent XML-Data
file. ( I'm still working out this one)
    The first part involves parsing the XML file, so I might be able to help out
somewhere, Yosr.

While we're on the topic, I'd like to ask a few things.
1. XML-Data stores Data as "entities". This implies that we've got
a more abstract representaion of data than what would have been
possible through relational databases. For example, we've got this
"ONEORMORE,ZEROORMORE" occurence attribute for child elements.
Implementing this in an RDBMS would mean creating another linked
table for that data item. The same goes for complex data types.
Am I on the right track?

2. If we're creating XML specifically for this purpose, it'll have to
be in the format

<elementType id="Name">
....</elementType>

<elementType id="SerialNo">
....</elementType>

<elementType id="Tuple">
<!--contains Name and Serial No: as children, occuring once.
Also all key declarations, constarints, .... of teh table as such-->
.....
</elementType>

<elementType id="TheRealTable">
<element type="#Tuple" occurs="ONEORMORE">
</elementType>

This restrictive structure, of course, means that you end up
not using this kind of document for anything else. Am I right
in thinking that this has to be done?

3. The XML-Data specification says that it's open-ended
and new types of entities may be added. I'm assuming this means
I'm able to add  lines like

<level lev="COLUMN">
or <level lev="TUPLE">
into my element delcarations, which will be ignored by other
parsers than mine. Am I right ?

I came rather late into the discussion, so it's possible that
this stuff may have been figured out already. If so, tell me.

Thanks,

Sudarshan                             1030hrs.

--
------------------------------------------------------
The only difference between a rut and a grave is
the depth.
------------------------------------------------------
Sudarshan "Connection Machine" Purohit
Persistent Systems Private Limited, Pune
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